Whitewater Kayaking Made Easy (Classroom)

Location:
REI - Santa Fe
500 Market Street, Ste 100
Santa Fe, NM, 87501
See map: Google Maps
Start Time: 
Thursday, May 5, 2011 - 5:30pm - 7:30pm

Have you ever been whitewater rafting and seen the kayakers having all the fun?   Have you been kayaking on calm water and want something a bit more exciting?  Do you love other outdoor sports, like rock climbing, mountain biking, camping, snowboarding or skiing?  Do you like learning new skills and ways to safely experience the outdoors?  If you answered "yes!" to any of these questions, this free 2-hour clinic is just for you. 

Whitewater kayaking is a strategic game that anyone can play - once you learn the rules.  It has nothing to do with strength, age, IQ, adrenalin, or how high your 'fear factor' is and more to do with learning a few simple strategies, like learning to read the river, practicing boat control in mild current, calibrating your skills and exercising good judgment. In this free 2-hour clinic, you'll learn: 

  • Three easy ways to break complex rapids into a series of easy moves
  • More than a dozen features of a typical class III rapid, which features are friendly and which ones are unfriendly
  • Six effortless ways to work with the current to accomplish any objective, including paddling upstream, and UP rapids
Price: 
$0.00
Thanks for the info and the good class.  Even though I've owned recreational kayaks for many years, I learned far more than I ever knew before.
Tom Pherson

Kelly has a way of transferring his passion for kayaking to everyone who attends a talk, lesson or paddles with him.  A very patient and conscientious instructor, I always feel safe during lessons on and off the river.  Not only does Kelly teach the sport, he finds ways to help you find your niche and meet others who share the same interest.  In addition, the other instructors he brings along are equally as knowledgeable and helpful.  If you haven't tried kayaking or want to hone your skills, this is a great place to start.

Susan Brockway  -  Los Alamos National Laboratory

Frequently Asked Questions

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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