Learn to Kayak

Our kayak school provides you with the opportunity to lean the dynamic sport of kayaking in a controlled environment and supportive atmosphere. Kayaking can provide a lifetime of excitement, fun and exercise. Our kayak school is centered on two building blocks essential to kayak instruction:

• Kayak roll class, held in a swimming pool or pond.
• Whitewater river class, held on the river.

The centerpiece of the sport of kayaking is the Eskimo Roll. We offer classes aimed at teaching you this important technique. Instruction is primarily focused on the “C to C” and sweep rolls. Sessions include a one hour session in the classroom and two 1.5 hour separate pool sessions.
During the winter these sessions are held at Mulberry Pool or Epic Pool. In warmer weather, we hold the sessions on a nearby pond. In addition to regularly scheduled sessions, private instruction is also available.

Class Schedule:

Need to work on your roll? Sign up for one of our tune-up sessions. This instructor led session is 1 1/4 hours in length and is designed to help you perfect you roll. In addition, to regularly scheduled group classes, private instruction is also available.

Class Schedule:

ON RIVER CLASS

Designed for your first time river experience, this instructional class has just the right combination of moving water and rapids to ensure lots of learning time and excitement. In addition to learning the basics of boat handling and river safety, this course will teach you essential river reading skills and maneuvers like eddy turns, peel outs and ferrying. Not to worry, you will find plenty of time to work on your river roll; we may even be able to enjoy a little surfing. In addition to regularly scheduled group classes, private instruction is also available.

Class Schedule:

TWO DAY FAST TRACK CLASS

Schedule doesn't permit you to take classes at your leisure? Want to speed up things and get on to whitewater right away? Then consider enrolling in this Two Day Fast Track program. By combining our kayak roll, paddling techniques, and on-river instruction into one intensive class, we will have you navigating fun rapids in short order. We offer this two-day class on the Poudre River. Lunch is provided each day so we can optimize learning time. In addition to regularly scheduled group classes, private instruction is also available.

PRACTICE ROLL SESSIONS

This upcoming winter and spring, you can practice your Kayak Roll by signing up for one of our non-instructional practice sessions. These are approximately 2 hours in length, so you get plenty of time to refine your roll. They are held on Sundays from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM at Mulberry Pool in Fort Collins beginning January 22nd. We will have sessions each Sunday except for February 5th and April 8th. The last pool session is April 29th. There is construction on Mulberry Pool building so the parking area may change from week to week.

INFLATABLE KAYAK CLASSES

These classes are aimed at teaching you proper paddle strokes and whitewater techniques using an inflatable (duckie) kayak. Typically, these kayaks are more stable than traditional style whitewater kayaks and, thus, we skip teaching you how to roll these boats.

The one-day class consists of a morning session on flat water aimed at getting you comfortable on the water. Concepts such as the paddler's box, range of movement, laws of motion, and physical conditioning are discussed. Specific attention is given to forward, sweep, reverse seep, and draw strokes along with low angle and high angle bracing.

Following the morning session, we provide you lunch before moving on to the river segment of instruction. The river session allows you to paddle on moving water and through rapids. You will learn the basics of boat handling and river safety. This course will teach you initial river reading skills and maneuvers like eddy turns, peel outs, and ferrying. We offer regularly scheduled group classes and private instruction.