River Rescue Workshop, May 31-June 2
Do you enjoy being in, on, or around the water? If you do, you probably already know that having the confidence in your ability to handle emergencies that may arise adds to the enjoyment of your sport.
The ISU Outdoor Adventure Center will hold a River Rescue Workshop starting on Friday evening, May 31, and running thru both June 1& 2. The goal of this concentrated course is to help individuals develop their river rescue skills.
Friday evening’s workshop will be in the Adventure Center inside the Student Union Building. The evening will begin with introductions, and then there will be lectures and discussions on accident prevention, hypothermia, rescue organization and liability as well as learning the knots, anchors and self-equalizing systems needed to do rescues.
Saturday and Sunday will be spent at the Aberdeen Canal working on self-rescue techniques and different rescue techniques from the simplest to the more complicated. The Outdoor Adventure Center will provide a lifejacket, wetsuit, wetsuit booties and helmet, as well as equipment for the rescue class. Persons considering participation in the River Rescue Workshop need to know that they will be swimming in moving water with waves at times, and that swimming and setting up rescue systems all day will be tiring.
The instructors for this workshop will be Justin Dayley and Dana Olson. With Justin’s climbing experience, he has a strong background in rope management, and he brings this expertise to the river environment and the river rescue class. Dana has taught kayaking and river rescue at ISU for over 30 years. She has extensive experience running rivers throughout the western United States, Costa Rica and Europe.
For further information or workshop costs and to obtain an application, please contact Justin Dayley at (208) 282-3912 or ude.usinull@tsujlyad. A deposit equal to 50% of the workshop fee must accompany your application. One half of the deposit will be refunded if you cancel two weeks before the workshop begins.
All ISU Outdoor Adventure Center workshops have limited enrollments and participants are accepted on a first come, first served basis. Learning more about how to handle the emergencies that occasionally arise on the water, or in any outdoor sport for that matter, means increased safety for yourself and others. And as you know, when it comes to outdoor sports, safety and fun go hand in hand.
Beginning Kayak Workshop, June 5-9
If you’re thinking about getting into the exciting world of kayaking, or if you just want to refresh your kayaking skills, then this is the course for you. Starting on Wednesday, June 5, and running through Sunday, June 9, the ISU Outdoor Adventure Center will be holding the Beginning Kayak Workshop.
The Beginning Kayak Workshop is a concentrated course designed to help individuals develop the knowledge and skills necessary for running easy whitewater rivers in a kayak. It is a solid introductory course for the beginning kayaker, as well as a good refresher for the individual who already has some kayaking experience.
After introductions on the first morning, workshop participants will learn and practice flatwater techniques on the lake at Jensen Grove in Blackfoot. The second morning will be spent floating some Class I rapids on the river, and the third morning will be spent practicing even more moving water techniques on the Aberdeen Canal. The first three afternoon sessions will all be held in the ISU Reed Gym pool where we will practice rolls and other kayak techniques. We will spend the last two days of the workshop, on the weekend, paddling, floating and camping out on the Blackfoot River.
The Outdoor Adventure Center will provide kayaks, paddles, life jackets, wetsuits, Dutch ovens and other group equipment. Everyone will need to have their own overnight camping equipment and bring their own sack lunches for the first three days of the workshop. For the campout, we will share cook duties and cook as a group. The cost of the food will be the only other expense besides the workshop fee.
The Beginning Kayak Workshop is an opportunity to learn the skill of the adventure of floating down a whitewater river. By learning to maneuver on easy whitewater rivers it opens the door to harder rivers.
Intermediate/Advanced Kayak Workshop, July 10-14
Do you want to improve your kayaking skills or learn some advanced techniques? Beginning Wednesday, July 10 and running through Sunday, July 14, the ISU Outdoor Adventure Center is offering an Intermediate/Advanced Kayak Workshop on the Payette River system.
Participants will spend five days camping and paddling kayaks in Class III water, honing their river kayaking skills. Emphasis will be given to river safety, surfing, hole-playing, river reading, and eddy hopping. Prior white water kayaking experience is needed (CLASS II) along with permission from instructors.
The workshop will start on the Main Payette. Two other sections will be utilized including Swirly Canyon on the South Fork of the Payette and the Carbarton Canyon on the North Fork of the Payette.
The Outdoor Adventure Center will provide kayaks, paddles, life jackets, wetsuits, Dutch ovens and other group equipment. Everyone will need to have their own overnight camping equipment. For the campout, we will share cook duties and cook as a group. The cost of the food will be the only other expense besides the workshop fee.
Dana Olson is the Instructor for both of these this workshops.
Dana has taught kayaking at ISU for over 30 years. She has extensive experience running rivers throughout the western United States, Costa Rica and Europe. For further information or workshop costs on the Beginning Kayak or Intermediate/Advanced Kayak Workshops, contact Dana at (208) 282-3912 or at ude.usinull@anadoslo.
