This course teaches recognition and avoidance of common river hazards, execution of self-rescue techniques, and simple rescues of paddlers in distress. Emphasis is placed on personal and group safety and on simple, commonly used skills. Fundamental techniques for dealing with hazards that carry greater risks for both victim and rescuer, such as entrapments and pins, also are covered. This course is aimed at whitewater private boaters interested in learning fundamental river rescue skills. Skills are often scaffolded to allow a new rescuer to focus on fundamentals and an advanced rescuer to push themselves.
Difficulty: Class II (II+)
Cost: $75.00 for PTCC members.
Prerequisites:
* Comfortable navigating class II/II+ rapids
* Able to swim 25 yards
Required Equipment:
* Canoe, kayak, packraft, or IK with floatation and outfitting suitable for class II+ rivers
* Type 3 PFD designed for whitewater use
* Whitewater helmet
* Drysuit or wetsuit with good protective footwear
* Throw rope
* Whistle
Capacity: 12 paddlers
Contact the club training coordinators at training@paddletrails.org if have questions or you need to borrow equipment. We may also be providing a basic "pin kit" for a nominal cost, which would include carabiners, nylon webbing, and rope to make Prusiks. Contact us if you'd be interested in a kit.