Paddle Canada Introduction to Moving Water Canoe Skills (Tandem)
Please note this is a 2-day course! The online booking platform only shows the first day of the course, see below for full dates.
Call us at 1 (867) 445-4512 for more information about our paddling courses!
Sometimes you just gotta SEND IT! We designed this course for paddlers preparing for a whitewater canoe expedition in the NWT.
This 2-day course is designed for aspiring expedition river trippers – folks with big, whitewater river plans (such as a trip on the Nahanni or similar river). As a blended whitewater rescue and whitewater paddling course, we put participants through hands-on exercises and on-land theory to prepare you for capsizes and other situations in remote, continuously flowing northern rivers. We use scenarios often for learning and go beyond a focus on strict skill and technique development to real-life decision-making and risk management.
It is recommended participants take an Intro to Lake Canoe course and Whitewater Canoeing course prior to registering in this course, or have equivalent whitewater experience. If you are unsure of your skills for this course, please call our office at 1-867-445-4512!
This course is considered the next step up from our Whitewater Canoeing course which is geared towards introducing strokes and maneuvers in moving water.
For this course, we travel from Yellowknife to the Kakisa River (and stay for the weekend). It’s worth the 4-hour drive as the site offers challenging rapids to read and run. We finish the course with a run down the heart of “Graduation Rapids”, to put our paddling (and probably rescue) skills to good use!
This is designed for self-guided paddlers to get prepared for their next big canoe trip in the NWT, or beyond!
Inquire about a custom course date for groups of 6 or more.
We came out of our two days on the Kakisa River feeling a thousand times more prepared, and having a had a ton of laughs. Instructors were professional and personable. This was my third course with Jack Pine Paddle, and I would highly recommend!
Dan, PB, Jack and Marcus really put a lot of time and effort into making sure our course was an extremely memorable, fun and safe experience for us all. The rivers chosen by Dan and PB for the course made for a great experience, and were the ideal place for practicing ferries, eddies, and rescues. PB and Marcus were great instructors and we had a blast with them throughout the weekend. PB had both suggestions for us to improve as a group as well and individualized tips on where we could improve. Both he and Marcus kept the energy and morale of the group high and kept us laughing and engaged during the course.
They taught our group of varying skills paddling techniques, river rescues, ferrying, and how to approach new rapids. The guides were a lot of fun and made us feel safe and comfortable while facing the unknown. They went above and beyond and were very accommodating. It was a great experience and I left feeling confident in myself and my group.
All paddling equipment such as a canoe, lifejacket, paddle, bailer, throw bag included. Participants are welcome to bring their own equipment if they prefer. It is recommended that participants have thermal protection (drysuit or wetsuit) for comfort on this course. Dry-suits are available for $85 CAD + GST per participant.
If you are unable to attend and you can send someone in your place, we can transfer your spot free of charge.
Cancellations with more than 30 days notice, 75% refund.
Cancellations with less than 21 days notice, 50% refund.
Cancellations within 14 days of the course cannot be refunded.
The minimum age for unaccompanied minors in our courses is 16. Participants under the age of 16 are welcome to register if joined by a parent or guardian. Participants must be able to swim 50 m with a lifejacket but no previous paddling experience is required.