Dates: June 12-16, 2019
Location: Canmore, AB
Price: $1099 + gst

Prerequisites

At least 18 years of age
Current Paddle Canada membership and provincial or territorial
Paddle Canada Basic or Advanced Flatwater SUP skills, or equivalent skills or knowledge

Costs Include the Following:

  • Instructor Ratio: 1:4
  • Paddle Canada Certification: If successful, participants can achieve their Paddle Canada River 1 or 2 skills.

Price Does Not Include the Following

  • Accommodations
  • Travel to and from Canmore
  • Food
  • River Board and Drysuit rentals.

Cancellation Policy

Training courses are non refundable within thirty days of the course start date. Course is refundable less $200 prior to 30 days out.

River Skills, Rescue and Leadership Training in Canmore, Alberta

The goal for our SOAR  River Camp is to provide an immersive river sup training week for those who want to become competent in a dynamic river environment in order run rivers safely or to gain experience with the goal of leading others down rivers. Our camp is hosted by industry leading instructors and coaches with a focus on safety, building sup skills, and increasing self and group leadership skills while gaining valuable paddling experience under the instruction and coaching of the team. This is a Paddle Canada certified River 1 & 2 sup skills course.

River Activities Include:

  • River Surfing on the Kananaskis Mountain Wave
  • River Tour of Bow River between Banff and Canmore
  • Technical River Skills Training
  • Swift water Rescue Techniques

In greater detail our course includes self and group river rescue and safety skills, decision making, and river hazard analysis in moving water. From there we transition to building technical river sup skills as we work on ferries, eddy turns, surfing and those skills required to control yourself while river running.

This years course is based in Canmore, Alberta a stunning location in the Rocky Mountains where we will have the opportunity to train on the beautiful Kananaskis River with one of the days dedicated to a river tour from Banff to Canmore in the shadow of the spectacular Rundle Range.  Our week will be infused with leadership talks, gear demo’s and shared learning and debriefs around evening campfires. Our team is excited to work with you to accomplish your goals during our week of living the river life!

Equipment List

Required River SUP Equipment 

  • Inflatable river specific paddleboard.
  • Adjustable paddle ( no carbon)
  • Safety/River Rescue PFD TYPE III or V or Jacket PFD with rescue belt.
  • Helmut
  • Throwbag
  • Drysuit or wetsuit (drysuit rentals available)
  • River appropriate shoes. (NRS, Astral, MEC)
  • lunch, water, snacks
  • phone and waterproof case
  • pen and notepad
  • Dry bag for day trips

If there is equipment you need for the course Norm Hann Expeditions is a retailer for Northwater (throw bags, safety and rescue), Predator Helmuts, Xcel Wetsuits  & Red Paddle Co Inflatable Paddleboards and can help with decisions on PFD’s and Drysuits.

Travel

Location: Canmore, AB.

Canmore  is a stunning mountain town and is the perfect base for our river camp.

Accommodations

There will be the opportunity for group camping on the Kananaskis River and we can make suggestions for accommodations in Canmore.

Norm Hann is a Paddle Canada Instructor Trainer for surf, touring, river and flatwater. He is a coastal expedition guide and has been leading people from around the world for the last eighteen  years in the Great Bear Rainforest on multi day sup expeditions and wildlife tours. He is also a former high school teacher, college instructor and university basketball coach who has been involved with teaching, coaching and instructing for most of his life.

Chad Guenter, of Soul Flow Paddle Co, is a Paddle Canada River Instructor and an Rescue Instructor for industry leader Raven Rescue. Chad has a wealth of river and guiding experience and instructing in dynamic conditions. Chad brings his in depth swift-water rescue teaching experience to this course by providing a safe learning environment and incorporating safety principles and self rescue to the itinerary.

Neil Gilson of Bearfoot Performance Paddling is currently a Paddle Canada Flatwater and River SUP Instructor Trainer and SUP Touring Instructor. Over a 30-plus year paddling career, Neil has served as a whitewater canoe and rafting guide, ocean kayak guide and stand up paddle instructor on waters throughout western Canada including Nahanni, Gwaii Haanas, and Pacific Rim National Parks, the Yukon and Northwest Territories, and the mountain and foothills rivers of the Canadian Rockies. Neil brings a lifetime of all-round, on-water paddling experience, technical analysis and coaching expertise to share with beginner through to advanced SUP paddlers, and instructor level candidates.