June 11,12. $225

Our clinics begin at Frenchtown Pond or Harper’s Lake, where we start with an equipment overview and develop a sense of underwater comfort. We introduce basic whitewater kayaking skills, such as the wet exit, stern draw, reverse and forward sweeps, rudder, forward stroke, hip snaps, and T-rescues. In the afternoon, we head to the river and paddle a Class I – mellow, moving water – section of either the Blackfoot or Clark Fork River. (Our choice here is dependent on water levels.) On the river we focus on river safety and awareness, boat control, eddy turns, ferries, and the Eskimo roll. The following day we apply everything we learned prior and paddle a section of the Clark Fork or Blackfoot Rivers. Missoula, Montana offers some of the best instructional rivers in the world, making it the perfect place to learn to kayak!
This foundational clinic includes the following skills:
Kayak outfitting
Wet exits
Body positioning
Beginner stroke progression
Boat control and edging
Hip snaps
T-rescues, swimming, and self-rescue
Reading rivers and hydrology
Basic safety and awareness
Eddy turns, peel-outs, and ferrying
Scouting rapids
Paddling through class I-II whitewater

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