Step Up Alpine Whitewater Skills

This Step Up Alpine Whitewater Skills course is aimed at those who are comfortable on grade 2/3 white water and have a reliable roll. All participants should pay in full by the middle of May in order to guarantee flight availability. 

Our Step Up Alpine Whitewater Skills course aims to:

• Provide a guided experience to white water paddling in the Alps
• Provide tailored coaching that meets individual need
• Develop river running, leadership, safety awareness and skills
• Develop a comprehensive level of understanding which will ultimately lead to independent boating in the Alps
• Learn new skills for use in more challenging conditions
• Become familiar with and aware of the equipment needed for Alpine paddling
• Provide an individually tailored learning experience delivered by experienced and qualified coaches
• Provide pointers for future development skills covered.

More specifically we will focus on developing the following:

• Personal boat handling by improving connectivity and generating power in the boat, selecting and making lines, using features, and river awareness
• Leadership and group management, communication, leadership styles, and river running strategies
• Safety and rescue positioning and set up, safety, safer paddling techniques for negotiating holes and drops use of equipment.

If you're still not sure what to expect, check out our video clip from a previous year and this might just help you make up your mind.

• White Water Safety and Rescue Training
• Advanced Whitewater Leader Award (Training) – Scotland
• Scottish White Water River Running

The following list is of equipment we recommend you bring. All essential equipment is available from our extensive stores. We advise you not to rush out and buy kit for the course, but use it as a chance to find out what would best suit your needs. If you do have any of your own equipment do bring it along, however our staff will be required to vet for suitability any equipment brought along such as buoyancy aids and helmets. You should bring the following personal equipment with you: Footwear - wet suit boots, thermal tops, warm outdoor wear (fleece is ideal), hat, gloves, towel, small first aid kit, vacuum flask, personal medication, notebook and pen, compass. Although this list is not exhaustive, it contains many of the items that you may find useful on your trip to the Alps:

• Paddling kit as usual
• Boat and air bags*
• Throw bag, sling and crab*
• Thermals and fleece clothing
• Peaked cap for under helmet
• Headtorch plus spare batteries
• Water bottle Paddle *
• Sun hat, sun cream
• Personal wash kit
• Waterproof jacket and trouser* sunglasses
• Day pack *
• E111 Tent,
• Sleeping bag, stove etc*
• Personal accident and equipment insurance

*available from Tollymore stores Many of the above items of equipment are readily available from Tollymore stores. If you would like to paddle your own boat we can take kit and equipment across in the mini bus. Our equipment stores are by far the best around with a stock of over 20 kayaks from across the range of models there are plenty to choose from! If your thinking of buying a boat come along and ‘try before you buy’ and also get unbiased expert advise from our staff on the most suitable equipment for you. Again participants are encouraged to bring any of their own personal equipment so they get the opportunity to be coached using the equipment they are most familiar with.

The Step Up Alpine Whitewater Skills course fee includes kit and equipment, coaching, guiding, maps, in-course transport. Please note it does not include flights. food and accommodation.

BCU Canoe & Kayak Handbook Brown, G. Sea Kayak Cooper, D. Sea Kayak Handling skills Ferrero, F. Sea Kayak Navigation All of the above are published by Pesda Press