When it comes to Whitewater SUP, our team was fortunate to learn from Whitewater SUP Pioneer, Dan Gavere. 

Together Harmony & Dan team up to host Whitewater Adventure's year round at their home in the Columbia River Gorge. 

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2 Day Whitewater SUP Weekend

 

This is the perfect clinic for those looking to get their first stand up paddle experience in the river environment and build confidence by learning all aspects of navigating whitewater safely using the proper techniques.  At the completion of this weekend clinic participants should feel confident to paddle class 1/2 whitewater sections of river without the need of an instructor and safely kick start their future of whitewater sup paddling.

 

Day 1 will focus on safety in and around the river including areas to avoid, equipment, and basic paddling skills.  We will meet at the river location and stay in one spot for the day.  Utilizing one area on the river makes learning the basic techniques easier to grasp and less intimidating than not knowing what's coming around every corner, not being able to pull over and stop and becoming exposed to excessive swimming and intimidating situations. Here we will cover the basics of eddy turns, ferry maneuvers, bracing techniques, footwork and board positioning, safe falling/remounting the board methods, and safe swimming techniques in an area that paddlers can get comfortable with.  This builds confidence and allows the each paddler to learn the most important first skills which is being able to use the river and its current to their advantage.  

 

Day 2 will focus on what was learned on day 1 and apply it to navigating rapids safely from top to bottom and the basics of completing a "whitewater run" or section of river from the "put-in" to the "take out" several miles downstream.  Rapids ranging from moving water to class 2-3  will provide a fun and challenging day on the river with the opportunity to experience a wide variety of river conditions.  Participants can expect to be traveling downstream through rapids with several stops along the way where we will discuss and practice everything an individual needs to navigate a section of river independently without the need of a guide.  This will include line selection, areas to avoid/dangers, eddy turns, ferries, mid stream direction changes, footwork, and bracing.  This particular stretch of river consists of medium volume rapids and participants will enjoy some of the amazing scenery and wildlife known to this whitewater rich region.   

 

 

Price:  $700

          $850 with Equipment  ( Board, Paddle, Leash, Lifejacket, Helmet and pads.

Time: 3-5 hours a day

 

Prerequisites: The willingness to have fun and not be afraid of falling off a sup board, minimum of 10 hrs flatwater SUP experience.  Each participant should be proficient at paddling straight on flatwater, forward and reverse sweep turns, crossbow turns, and have very strong swimming skills and ability to get back on their board quickly.

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