Gain experience maneuvering oar rafts and catarafts on the Rogue River, where the class II and III rapids are ideal for beginner and intermediate boaters. This course offers supervised practice and safety training will offer you further tips and techniques you’ll need to read water and row oar boats. Participants should have some basic rowing experience or, if you’re totally new to the sport, be physically and mentally able enough to learn the skills quickly. Under the watchful eyes of professionally trained river guides, you’ll learn-by-doing in a fun and supportive environment.
Each student rows a raft or cataraft in our Class III Rowing School
This is a hands-on whitewater rowing course where you’ll be gaining experience by rowing your own raft or cataraft. Every night we’ll camp along the river and have optional classes while dinner is being prepared.
Course Objectives
The main objective is to give students the opportunity to gain rowing experience under the watchful eye of our instructors. Other objectives include:
- Improve individual rowing skills
- Practice proper boat spacing and boat order
- Familiarity with a variety of equipment
- Understanding of river and camp etiquette
- Learn important knots and proper use of throw bags
- Obtain a foundation of whitewater safety practice
After this course students should have the confidence and skills to scout and row Class III rapids and be able to make an informed decision about what feels comfortable and works best for their rowing goals.
Typical Itinerary
Every rowing school is a little different, but we try to follow the schedule below:
Day 1: Equipment preparation and rowing mechanics
Day 2: Boat maneuvering, scouting, and rope work
Day 3: Introduction to pushing and rescue techniques
Day 4: Row Mule Creek Canyon and lower Blossom Bar. We do not allow students to row the top half of Blossom Bar Rapid
Day 5: Independent rowing and flip practice
Raft Flip Practice
Our rowing school is designed for those who want to improve their rowing skills on a multi-day rafting trip down the beautiful and famous Rogue River. Each participant will have the opportunity to learn from both group and one-on-one lessons. We’ll have a basic outlined agenda to follow, but the small class setting is perfect for adapting the course to individual needs.