Teen Beginner Kayak 2 Day Clinic
This is the perfect place for teens 14-17 to find out why paddling is so much fun! Learn 2 days of the basic skills of river kayaking in whitewater kayaks.
DURATION
AGE
LEVEL
INCLUSIONS
Overview
Our games-based learning approach makes kayaking fun right from the start and has helped bring thousands of new paddlers into the sport. We emphasize fun on the river while teaching proper stroke techniques and responsible whitewater kayaking practices. Our river time will focus on fundamental river skills such as edging your kayak into turns, setting angles across river currents, and performing river maneuvers like eddy turns and peel outs to set you on a path toward confidently paddling on your own.
On day 1, we start by teaching you to safely exit the kayak when upside down. Then we move on to learning basic strokes, including sweep strokes, forward strokes and stability while paddling on edge. Once everyone is comfortable in their boats, we head to moving water where we introduce river maneuvers such as the eddy turn, peel out and ferry. The day progresses into your first taste of whitewater rapids, often paddling in class I-II whitewater.
On day 2, our whitewater kayaking lessons continue to work on river maneuvers and we end the day by running a several-mile-long, Class I-II section of the river. New skills include learning to maneuver the kayak sideways and backwards with more strokes like draws to improve control. We also introduce bracing skills which can be used to prevent flips.
What Should I wear?
While some of the flatwater areas we use are quite warm in June, July, and August, the Deerfield River is always cool, regardless of the time of year or air temperature. When packing your paddling clothes, please plan accordingly, especially if you are coming early or late in the season (April, May, September, and October). Our clinics will run rain or shine.
Wear items such as:
- Synthetic long underwear, garments made of polypropylene, Capilene, or some polyester/spandex blend
- Fleece or wool socks
- Bathing suit
- Fleece or wool jacket/sweater (early/late season or if you tend to chill easily)
Other items to bring:
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Retaining strap for glasses
- Nose plugs
- Towel
- Required medications
- Extra money for snacks or T-shirts
What we provide
- boat
- wetsuit
- paddle jacket
- booties
- life jacket
- helmet
- paddle
- sprayskirt
If you own your own equipment, we suggest you use it in the clinic to get used to its quirks.
We provide a catered picnic-style lunch on all our full day clinics.
The following statement is required by state law: “Before placing your order, please inform your server if a person in your party has a food allergy.”
We do not use nuts in our food, but can not guarantee that the ingredients in our meals do not contain nuts or other food allergens. If you have food allergies or other special dietary needs, we strongly suggest you bring your own bag lunch in non-glass containers and we will pack it with the other lunches on your trip. Please inform our office at 413-339-4010 or