Why Take a Course?
Whether
you are just starting out or have been paddling for years, Mistaya
has a course or clinic for you. Mistaya has
been in Edmonton since 1997, with most of this time spent teaching courses
and developing new teaching methods to make this sport easier to learn and more
enjoyable for all levels of paddlers.
Our courses are run by club members and volunteers from the paddling community, who come from a variety of backgrounds. This allows
is to run a wide range of courses and clinics to help kayakers build paddling
techniques, river safety skills and even the latest rodeo and play
boating tricks.
“All of our introductory courses are run in the fall/winter in the pool because once the ice on the rivers melt, all our instructors are busy paddling and all equipment is being used for the outdoor season!
To register
for any of our courses, or for more information, contact Roxanne Dobish at
SPRING/SUMMER COURSES
INTRO TO
MOVING WATER
Welcome to the river! This course will teach you safety
aspects of river running and how to maneuver around in this new and exciting environment.
We will introduce you to a wide range of skills such as eddy turns, ferries,
reading the river, recognizing features and even some basic surfing! You
will go home with a new sense of balance and confidence that will ready you for
future trips.
You must have previous paddling experience, such as the
Intro courses taught in the pool, in order to register for this course. A bomb-proof kayak roll is not mandatory, however you should be able to execute basic kayak
strokes such as forward, reverse, sweep, draw strokes, and braces before taking
this course
SAFETY
Safety is the most important thing on the river. We offer
two different courses to keep you safe.
The first course focuses on self rescue. If you are just starting
into kayaking, and you would like to know some techniques to bring yourself and
your equipment to safety, this is the course for you.
FALL/WINTER COURSES
INTRO
COURSE 1 (Kayak Basics Level1)
Whether you are interested in
white water, sea kayaking or just lily dipping at the cottage, this course is
for you. This four-night course will
begin each class with a dry land session to introduce you to the different
equipment and resources available to paddlers. This will be followed by an hour
and a half of learning basic kayaking strokes and playing games, both of which
will teach you boat control and cause laughter. All equipment is provided
except for your swimsuit, towel and nose plugs, which are strongly recommended
to prevent a nose full of chlorine.
Course duration: 2
hours, 4 evenings
INTRO COURSE
2 (Kayak Basics Level 2)
So you have the basics of moving
your boat around-and-about down and are looking for more of a challenge. This
course will do that for you. During the dry land talks you will learn about
safety gear and river features. In the water you will work on rolling, advanced
strokes, play boating and more. This course requires introductory course 1 or
equivalent as a prerequisite.
Again all equipment except towel,
swimsuits and nose plugs are provided.
Course duration: 2
hours, 4 evenings