Quick Details
This beginner kayaking clinic for kids on the Deerfield River in Massachusetts offers children ages 10-13 a chance to learn whitewater kayaking in a fun and relaxed environment designed just for them. Your kids will just love our friendly professional ACA certified instructors. We maintain an instructor to student ratio of one to four.
The kids clinic meets at our base in Charlemont, MA promptly at 9 a.m. Complimentary hot drinks are ready upon your arrival.
We spend the majority of the clinic on flatwater covering basic paddling and safety techniques and learning how to exit and lean the kayak and working on basic kayak strokes such as sweeps, forward strokes, draws and braces. We play lots of games and keep the focus on fun. We finish the day with a short river run and play our way through Class I/II rapids.
This clinic is designed for kids who have never whitewater kayaked or those just getting into the sport.
You spend somewhere between four to five hours in your boat. To prepare, stretch your thighs, hamstrings, and torso (back, stomach, shoulders, and neck). If you increase your flexibility, you will have more efficient strokes and be more comfortable in your boat.
While some of the flatwater areas we use are quite warm in June, July and August, the Deerfield River is always cool, regardless of the time of year or air temperature. When packing your paddling clothes, please plan accordingly, especially if you are coming early or late in the season (April, May, September and October). Our clinics run rain or shine.
Wear items such as :
Other items to bring:
If you own your own equipment, we suggest you use it in the clinic to get used to its quirks.
We also provide a catered picnic-style lunch on all our clinics. Typical lunches include homemade rolls, sliced turkey, ham or other meats, sliced cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, chips, salsa, hummus, pasta or other salad, cookies or other dessert and hot and cold drinks.
The following statement is required by state law: “Before placing your order, please inform your server if a person in your party has a food allergy.”
We do not use nuts in our food, but can not guarantee that the ingredients in our meals do not contain nuts or other food allergens. If you have food allergies or other special dietary needs, we strongly suggest you bring your own bag lunch in non-glass containers and we will pack it with the other lunches on your trip. Please inform our office at 800 532-7483 or [email protected] if you intend to do this.