Trip Highlights
- Rowing Class III and Class IV rapids
- Drone video review
- Emphasis on team boating and safety
- Introduction to whitewater rescue
- Hands on safety drills
Team Boating and Whitewater Safety Course For Experienced Boaters
Class IV Rowing School
Whitewater Rowing with Rafts or Catarafts
Class IV Rowing School
- Length: 4 days
- Location: Hood River, Oregon
- Prerequisite: Class III Rafting Experience
- Course Price: $1595
- Additional Cost: $200 for boat rental
- Lodging: We suggest staying at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Hood River
Incredible
★★★★★
“ The instructors for this course were incredible! They were not only super knowledgeable, but also talented teachers, which is a tough combination to find sometimes. The course was laid out perfectly to follow experiential learning models, and the instructors flawlessly supported learning objectives through this lens. They outlined solid tools for success, but let us decided when to implement out new skills, so that if we were too far out of our comfort zones, we could go back to tried and true methods, but when we were juuuust stepping out of established areas of familiartity, we new we had a safety net to try something new and have support if we missed the mark. This allowed us to not only expand our skillset, but also expand our perceptions or our own levels of capability. Tangible skills were taught in a way that let us be hands-on (e.g., learning new knots with just verbal instructions so that we could figure it out on our own while still receiving support). Not a sinlge instructor beta sprayed, but all of them would give feedback if you asked, and were more than willing to have conversations and give suggestions for rowing technique, group dynamic management, gear, river suggestions, and a myriad of other topics. Truly so, so top notch.”
- Leah Robinson
Our Class IV Rowing School is designed as a follow-up course for our Class III Whitewater Rowing School. You should have both training and experience rowing at a Class III level before taking this course.
We’ll run a variety of rivers in the Columbia Gorge near Hood River, Oregon. This is an opportunity to boat some wonderful rivers, improve your boating skills, and meet some new friends. This course is a combination of classroom sessions and on river practice.
The goal of this course is to provide training that will help boaters transition from Class III to Class IV. The course goals are:
- Understand “team boating” and apply it on the river
- Understand when to push and when to pull
- Develop better oar management through practice and feedback
- Familiarization with whitewater rescue techniques
You will need solid Class III experience to attend this course. We’ll be training on continuous whitewater rivers with cold water. This course is the perfect opportunity to practice whitewater skills under the watchful eye of our instructors.
Typical Itinerary
Every Class IV Rowing School is uniquely designed based on river conditions and the group’s ability level. The following is a sample itinerary.
Day 1 Introductions, team boating principles, and half day on the river
Day 2 Knots, oar managment, Scouting, and half day on the river
Day 3 Full day on the river, flip practice, and throw bag practice
Day 4 Big picture scene safety, half day on the river, and final topics
You are welcome to bring your own raft or cataraft or rent one of ours.
Is This Course for You?
The purpose of this course is to offer experienced whitewater rowers additional training that applies to Class IV rivers. Please note:
- This is not an introductory level course
- This course is intended for people who have taken our Class III Rowing School and have additional experience beyond our Class III Rowing School
- You need to have solid Class III experience and training to be successful in this course
- The weather can be cold and sometimes miserable during these courses
- We will be discussing boating in a classroom environment and applying our lessons on the water
- If your goal is classroom and on-river training that will help you move from Class III boating to Class IV boating, this course is for you
- If your goal is to simply be guided down rivers, this course is probably not for you
We are licensed by the Oregon State Marine Board and operate under special use permit with the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area and Mt. Hood National Forest. Additionally, we are an equal opportunity provider and employer.