Our Class IV Rowing School is designed as a follow-up course for our Class III Whitewater Rowing School. We’ll run a variety of Class III and IV 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. Each evening we'll come back to our base camp to review the day, take a shower, and get a good night's sleep.

This course will include more in-depth swiftwater rescue training, scouting and portaging rapids, and working with challenging put-ins and take-outs. You will gain a lot of experience working with ropes and techniques for efficiently hauling boats. We'll use iPads to improve our rowing techniques with video review.

You will need solid Class III experience to attend this course. We’ll be on continuous whitewater rivers with multiple Class IV rapids and cold water. This course is the perfect opportunity for you to push your limits under the watchful eye of our instructors.

"Zach and his staff place a lot of emphasis on whitewater safety and team boating concepts, and are very good at teaching the finer points. The video review at the end of every day is invaluable."Eric Brady

Typical Itinerary

Every Class IV Rowing School is a little different based on river conditions and the group's ability level.

Day 1 Introductions, Equipment Review, and Full Day on the River
Day 2 Knots, Mechanical, Advantage, Scouting, and Half Day on the River
Day 3 Full Day on the River
Day 4 Big Picture Scene Safety, Half Day on the River, and Final Topics

You are welcome to bring your own boat, or we can provide one for you for an extra $150.