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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 Society Hotel in Bingen, WA

Many Thanks!

★★★★★
Matt and I just got back from the Chilko trip that inspired us to take your Class IV rowing course. I'm writing to give you, Asa, Conor, and everyone who helped with the course my sincerest thanks. We knew the Chilko would be hard, but its difficulty far exceeded anything we anticipated. Bidwell rapid was solidly Class V, and downstream after a brief respite there were 10+ miles of continuous class IV/V water with no pools and few eddies. Our kayaker described several sections as being "harder than anything on the Gauley," and it was far beyond anything I've experienced. Despite the difficulty, Matt and I team boated the entire canyon, caught eddies together, and stayed in position to support one another. Our kayaker swam (his first in 5 years), but Matt and I made it through without incident. We share the opinion that without your training, it's very likely one or both of us would have been injured or killed.
- Scott Owens

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.

Rowing Training on Oregon's Hood River
Rowing Training on Oregon’s Hood River

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
Raft flipping practice in our Class IV Rowing School
Raft flipping practice in our Class IV Rowing School

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.

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

Quick Facts

  • Just 60 miles east of Portland, Hood River is close to a number of great whitewater rivers
  • Classroom sessions accompanied by on river practice
  • Lunches included
  • Lodging and meals are not included

Trip Reviews

ClassIV Overall rating: ★★★★★ 5 based on 19 reviews.
5 1

Many Thanks!

★★★★★
Matt and I just got back from the Chilko trip that inspired us to take your Class IV rowing course. I'm writing to give you, Asa, Conor, and everyone who helped with the course my sincerest thanks. We knew the Chilko would be hard, but its difficulty far exceeded anything we anticipated. Bidwell rapid was solidly Class V, and downstream after a brief respite there were 10+ miles of continuous class IV/V water with no pools and few eddies. Our kayaker described several sections as being "harder than anything on the Gauley," and it was far beyond anything I've experienced. Despite the difficulty, Matt and I team boated the entire canyon, caught eddies together, and stayed in position to support one another. Our kayaker swam (his first in 5 years), but Matt and I made it through without incident. We share the opinion that without your training, it's very likely one or both of us would have been injured or killed.
- Scott Owens

Awesome course, well done

★★★★★
Fantastic training from top-notch instructors. Great learning environment that markedly increased my confidence team boating on harder water. I would recommend the NWRC team to anyone.
- Scott Owens

Top Notch Training

★★★★★
NWRC delivers top notch experience and professional training with a great mix of classroom and real on the river safety and rescue instruction.
- David Rhodes

absolutely incredible time

★★★★★
I had an absolutely incredible time. Getting to talk with the instructors and other guides about equipment, experiences, and gear was invaluable. I love that there was as much instruction and help as we needed whenever we needed it, but we were given freedom to run the river how we liked. Great course.
- Katie Jack

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