Whitewater Paddle Rafting School

Whitewater Paddle Rafting School Details

Why just be a paddling participant when you could captain a whitewater raft through class III+ whitewater and learn technical moves that will gracefully take a whitewater raft through the rapids? Learning to safely guide a raft down a river is only half the challenge in the great outdoors. What if an unforeseen circumstance should put you and your crew in harm’s way, or you come upon a fellow boater in distress? Your whitewater guide training plus practicing these skills will put you in a position to help others without putting yourself in unreasonable danger. Join Zoller’s whitewater paddle rafting school to see what the fun is all about.

This is NOT your average river school! What you typically find in a whitewater rafting school is the promised recruitment of seasonal guide work from an outfitter. Zoller’s Outdoor Odysseys goes the opposite direction and customizes their river schools for those who have a passion for ‘do it yourself’ (DIY) rafting. Whether it is a day trip on the White Salmon river or an expedition trip down the Rogue, at Zoller’s, we want to train you to be a competent and confident leader on the river!

Our guide school sessions are held on and in the river. Lunch is provided each day. Students may choose to camp together at a riverside campground or stay in local lodging facilities. Guide School students may bring their own cook gear for breakfast and dinner or stop by one of the local diners for their meals. All students are responsible for providing their own camping gear, breakfast/dinner, and river clothing.

The basic river clothing you need to provide for yourself includes:

• Dry suit or wet suit
• Neoprene river shoes
• USGS approved tye III or Vpfd (personal flotation device)
• Helmet

Day one training starts at the Zoller’s Outdoor Odysseys headquarters on the White Salmon River. Zoller’s will provide all rafts, paddles, safety ropes, transportation to/from base camp to daily training sites lunch each day and qualified trainers.

If you have questions about our whitewater paddle rafting school, give us a call or send us an email!