The Kayak Roll - Classroom

Location:
REI - Albuquerque
1550 Mercantile Ave NE
Albuquerque, NM, 87107
See map: Google Maps
Start Time: 
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 - 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Rolling a kayak is surprisingly simple.  It has nothing to do with strength, age or IQ, and more to do with following a few simple laws of physics.  The good news is, these simple laws can be broken down, taught, and mastered by anyone. 

With the right technique, we don't even need a paddle to roll the kayak, or a spray-skirt.  Rolling a fully-loaded touring kayak with days worth of gear is no problem at all.  However, you've probably never tried learning something upside down, under water.  Professional instruction can increase the fun, decrease learning time, decrease risk for injury and increase chances for success. 

In this 2-hour classroom discussion, we'll review two kayak rolling videos: Rolling a Kayak, by Ken Whiting and The Kayak Roll, by Kent Ford. These videos will introduce the student to the two most popular methods of rolling a kayak, and cover many fundamental concepts and myths, while providing a visual representation of how to roll a kayak.

Price: 
$0.00 Before Tax

Kelly is friendly and professional and seems to know what he is talking about and an absolutely wonderful teacher.  Kelly is very professional, sincere and a dedicated teacher.  He worked very hard to teach me, and I was able to roll within 20 minutes of his instruction. Rest of the evening was one roll after another.  I hope he can continue to hold more similar clinics on other advanced techniques.  Thank you Kelly. Amit.

Amit Goswami  -  M.D. VA Hospital

I took a roll class from Kelly. I have had some previous instruction in rolling and in boat handling techniques, but I learned more from Kelly in three hours in the pool than I did in a two day course from another instructor. I am very close to being able to roll after only one class. I'm sure with another class I'll be able to roll quite well. Kelly has a unique capability to explain how to roll, and has the patience to work with people who are having difficulty learning. He is a great teacher!

Doug Chinn

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes.  A lot of great material is covered in the classroom, and you'll learn a lot by attending or repeating the classroom lessons (and they're FREE!!).  However, the classroom material is completely independent of the pool lesson.  It doesn't matter which one you attend first.

The Intro to Kayak clinic is the foundation for everything I teach. It's a required prerequisite for the 2-day Whitewater Weekend clinics and the 2-day Touring Kayak Weekend clinics. The Kayak Roll is a good next step after the Intro to Kayak clinic, although not a requirement for the Whitewater or Touring Kayak Weekend clinics.

While learning to roll is a good skill, it's not the best place to start.  Rolling is a defensive measure.  Good boat control, judgement and an accurate assessment of your skills will keep you from rolling most of the time. 

You'll learn boat control in the Intro to Kayak and subsequent clinics. Those who complete the Intro to Kayak class have a much higher success rate in the Kayak Roll clinic.  A few hours in the boat learning to do smooth and controlled wet exits from a skirted kayak will be money well spent.  If you've spent little or no time in a decked kayak, your mind will simply be too distracted by flipping over and getting out to learn the Kayak Roll.

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