Availability of Knowledge in Rafting
One of the biggest and most daunting sticking points for rafting is availability of knowledge. Many boaters have expressed to our team that it is so difficult to find good training. While it is true that good guide schools are hard to come there are a few key things you can do to acquire the skills you need to safely run rivers and have a ton of fun on the water. The most important part about seeking out useful knowledge in boating is to identify your skill gaps. Ask yourself: “What do I feel is holding me back? What class of river am I comfortable running? Where do I want to be boating? Am I trying to push myself or master my current skills?” After identifying your skill gaps and establishing your goals for improvement it is time to seek out training and opportunities to boat in line with your goals.
Find a Good Guide School
One of the biggest challenges out there can be finding a good private boater school. The bulk of what is out there are either low cost schools trying to recruit new guides for the season. These schools will teach you hard river skills along with how to make a pineapple parrot and entertain random people with interesting facts on the river. If you are a private boater you may encounter some elements you don’t need, and the chief complaint is often the competitive nature of these schools. The second option is a few outrageously expensive leadership schools that focus more on leadership skills and offer little beyond basic class II skills. The biggest issue here is the time and financial commitment, though you will learn some hard skills along the way. There are a few schools out there that run good programs to train you in the hard skills of private boating. These schools are rarer, but can offer a broader range of skills and guidance. These schools offer a good mix of river skills for an often higher price than your basic guide school.
Before you settle on a guide school and shell out some good money to go rafting, make sure you understand their curriculum. Understand what you want to learn, you skill gaps, and how they teach. Try to make sure that the training fits the bill for what you are trying to accomplish. If you are looking for class III rowing skills clearly a class IV paddle guide school is the wrong format. Similarly if the school is a 30 day class II/III multi day rowing school and you want class IV paddle guide skills for 1 day trips you may gain some new skills, but ultimately be disappointed by their curriculum.
Online Resources And Books
There are plenty of online resources…like this one…who offer advice on boating. Ok shameless plug for our training content, we know, but there are a couple of channels out there that have some great content and we are continuing to update our Beginner Rafting Series to help you get the most out of your time on the water.
While carnage videos rule the roost for most watched content, try to steer clear of spending too much time watching what not to do. The problem with carnage reels is that it doesn’t address the key concern, how to boat correctly. Carnage reels also promote fear by lulling you into a false sense of danger without helping you to understand how many boaters successfully navigate those very waterways.
The best online resources are the ones that address specific skills. Mountaineering and climbing videos abound about knot tying which is a critical skill for boaters. Rescue companies offer lots of videos about skill tips that they address. Other times you can find boaters who offer great tips on how to get out on the water and fill in your skill gaps.
Go on a Commercial Trip
This may seem like an odd one; after all you are trying to strike out on your own right? Well, commercial outfitters are a fantastic resource for river knowledge. Their guides do every day so the simple fact of repetition keeps them sharp and they understand the hazards associated with their local river. The key is to clear this with the outfitter and set the expectation that you are coming along for the purpose of improving your skills. Also, it is important to make sure it is ok that are allowed to ask questions and pick your guide’s brain on the trip. Some companies may not like this and may feel it will distract from the trip. If they say no just thank them for their time and call the next rafting company. When you do go through be sure not to go in their core season like July/August in the United States. Going in the early season will make sure you get guides who are fresh, excited, and not too tired for back to back days on the river.
The best advice is to go by yourself without friends and request in advance when you book to be in the boat with their head guide or trip leader. These are the most experienced boaters at the company and are a wealth of knowledge. It is also important to pull your guide aside and let them know what you are doing on the trip and that you would like their insight on the river. Also, it is good to bring an appropriate offering for your guide such as a beverage of choice and a tip at the end. These folks are already working hard to put on a good trip for their clients, and adding another element into it increases their workload. While most professional guides are happy to do it, letting them know that you appreciate their efforts will go a long way.
At this point bring out all of your questions. You did prepare a list of questions right? Make sure that you have put in the effort to understand your skill gaps. Even if you don’t fully understand all of your skill gaps yourself guides will see that and can help you understand how to train. Remember when you are out there not to blitz your guide with questions. They will likely have a commercial crew to entertain and you are not the only person on the boat. That being said more often than not the other guests in the boat will appreciate the lessons too since it provides them with a deeper understanding of the river environment. One last tip for getting guides on your side is to help ease the burden of their work if you can. Ask if you can help with equipment and try to pitch in to make their lives easier. You may just get invited back for some more trips. It may take a few trips with a guide until you are really feeling confident in your boating skills, but the depth of knowledge you can tap into is incredible.
Join a Boating Club
Boating clubs come in all shapes and sizes, but they have one thing in common, passionate boaters fill their ranks. Club boaters often get a bad rap from commercial guides for their varying levels of skill and training which is definitely a consideration when joining. The important thing is to try to find a club that you can mesh with and that you feel that you can learn from. Clubs offer a variety of benefits from just having other people to boat with to equipment new boaters can use for a nominal fee. Some clubs even have insurance that covers their members in case of an accident. A definite benefit when you are boating with people you don’t know. The bottom line is that clubs are a great resource for getting you out on the river more often and they shouldn’t be overlooked.
The Next Step
Get out on the water! You can dig around hundreds of publications but ultimately there are two things that make a good boater:
Time on the water
Rapids guided
The most important thing is to get out there and go paddling. There is no substitute for experience, but however you choose to paddle make sure you are getting out safely and working on your skills every day.
Also, here are a list of companies you can contact who we have spoken to who are pretty receptive to having folks along for the ride on commercial trips or who have some great education programs:
Northwest Rafting Company – Rowing Clinics and Private Lessons
Canyon Lands Field Institute – Youth River Skills Camp
H2O Adventures – Guide School
River Runners – Advanced Guide School
