- Beginner to intermediate Level Beginner to intermediate
- 14+ Ages 14+
- 4 hours Duration 4 hours
Learn basic kayak rolling skills under the guidance of ACA-certified instructors!
Quick Details
Preregister by calling Zoar Outdoor at 1-800-532-7483 or book online.
Boat Demos – All boat demos are first-come-first-served @ the Zoar Gap Picnic Area. We regret that we are not able to take reservations for specific boats. You can demo a boat for up to 2 hours of personal use or for one mini-clinic per day. We have a limited number of boats available for demo so please be considerate. All boat demos are due back to the Zoar Gap Picnic area no later than 4:00 PM each day. Sign-up online and complete the agreement/waivers in advance.
Equipment Rental – If you need to borrow helmets, PFD’s, sprayskirts these will be available at the DemoFest site. For borrowing wetsuits, paddling jackets, or water shoes, please stop by The Outfitters Shop prior to going to the DemoFest site.
Mini-Clinics – Choose mini-clinics for each day. Please pre-register as space is limited. Mini-clinics are booked on a first come-first serve basis. All mini-clinics are subject to change. Please check in at the Zoar Gap Picnic Area event site each day to to receive information.
Food – Please pre-pay for food up to 10 days in advance of the trip. Riverside lunch available each day and a hearty Saturday evening BBQ will be sure to bring the paddlers back together.
Zoar Gap Boater X Race 6/25/22- Registration at 11AM – 1PM @ Zoar Gap Picnic area tent.
Locations
DemoFest site is located across from the Zoar Gap picnic area. Once there, complete the check-in paperwork for boat demos and clinics.
The Outfitters Shop is located at Zoar Outdoor
7 Main Street
Charlemont, MA 01339
Prerequisites – The DemoFest mini-clinics are designed for experienced paddlers looking to paddle the newest whitewater kayaks. If you have never been in a whitewater kayak before, you should try one of our 1-, 2-, 3- or 5-day clinics.
Come to Zoar Outdoor and learn to paddle prior to Demofest
At Zoar, our staff makes the difference when it comes to your whitewater kayaking experience. Our friendly, accommodating team is here to answer any questions you might have, so don’t hesitate to give us a call!
Descriptions of clinics are below the calendar.
Friday | ||
8:00 AM | The Outfitters Shop -opens
Wetsuits, Splash Jackets, Booties available only at Zoar Outdoor’s The Outfitters Shop |
Stop at Zoar Outdoor
Then head to: |
8:30AM – 8:55AM | Morning Yoga and Stretching | Free- no pre registration required
Zoar Gap Picnic Area |
9:00 AM | Boat demos begin | Zoar Gap Picnic Area |
9:30 AM | Mini-clinic meeting announcement | Sign Up in advance required |
departs at 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Family of Draws | Flatwater |
departs at 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Improve Your Foundation Skills | Flatwater |
departs at 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Underwater Composure | Flatwater |
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Lunch | Pre-pay – no money onsite |
12:45 PM | Mini-clinic meeting announcement | Sign Up in advance required |
departs at 1:00 PM – 4:00PM | Buddy Boat Rescue | Class I-II |
departs at 1:00 PM – 4:00PM | Building River Running Skills | Zoar Gap – Class I-II |
departs at 1:00 PM – 4:00PM | Rolling in Rapids | Class II-III |
4:00 PM | Please return all demo equipment | Thank You! |
Family of Draws
Every family has them, the functional members and the dysfunctional members. The “Draw” family is no different for many paddlers. When used well these strokes add the next level of control to your paddling. However if used poorly a lot of energy can be wasted. Our experts will guide your body mechanics to get the most out of your draw strokes and you’ll also learn when the most effective time is to use various types of draws.
Improve Your Foundation Skills
If you are still on the newer side of paddling, but excited to join DemoFest to try out what kayak you might want to buy while also gaining some more experience in a whitewater boat, then this clinic is for you. Realistically all paddlers should also focus in on their foundation from time to time as all more advanced paddling comes from a strong set of basic skills. So all are welcome to come warm up your paddling with us in this skills refresher clinic.
Underwater Composure
Working on your roll requires excellent underwater composure. This clinic will dive into the underwater world and the headspace required to keep cool and confident in a combat roll situation. You will be spending lots of time underwater upside down in this clinic. Be sure to bring nose plugs (and goggles if you want) for optimal practice! Check out our roll clinics for a more catered option to your skill level and needs.
PM Clinic Descriptions
Buddy Boat Rescue
We’ll show you some of our tricks for helping capsized paddlers get back to shore quickly with their equipment. After a basic rescue is reviewed we’ll up the ante based on the skills of the group. We’ll be discussing concerns like group management, rescue priorities and strategies for increasing your sphere of awareness during a rescue. Check out our Rescue Skills for Boaters page to see our full day option too!
Building River Running Skills
Join us on a class I – II river run to improve your river awareness and boat control. We’ll be paddling approximately five miles from the Zoar Gap picnic area down to Zoar Outdoor along rt 2. Great for paddling families and kids! We will cover basic maneuvers such as eddy turns and peel-outs. You will gain comfort in crossing gentle currents while learning about river features such as eddies, eddy lines and downstream V’s. All paddlers need to have basic comfort with wet-exits and have a basic set of strokes to turn and edge the boat.
Saturday | ||
8:00 AM | The Outfitters Shop -opens
Wetsuits, Splash Jackets, Booties available only at Zoar Outdoor’s The Outfitters Shop |
Stop at Zoar Outdoor
Then head to: |
8:30AM – 8:55AM | Morning Yoga and Stretching | Free- no pre registration required
Zoar Gap Picnic Area |
8:30 AM | Boat demos begin | Zoar Gap Picnic Area |
9:30 AM | Mini-clinic meeting announcement | Sign Up in advance |
departs at 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Buddy Boat Rescue | Flatwater |
departs at 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Relay Race | Flatwater |
departs at 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Rolling Refresher | Flatwater |
departs at 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Sweeps & Forward Strokes | Flatwater |
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Lunch | Pre-pay – no money onsite |
12:45 PM | Mini-clinic meeting announcement | Sign Up in advance required |
departs at 1:00 PM – 4:00PM | Half Slice, Twice as Nice: Infini-Tailees | Class II-III |
departs at 1:00 PM – 4:00PM | Kids Clinic | Class I-II |
departs at 1:00 PM – 4:00PM | LGBTQ+ Community Paddle Skills Course | Class I-II |
departs at 1:00 PM – 4:00PM | Ten Tips From Tip Top Instructors | Class II |
4:00 PM | Please return all demo equipment | Thank You! |
4:00 PM – Close | Chicken BBQ (5:30 PM) and Yard Games | Evening at Zoar Outdoor |
Buddy Boat Rescue
We’ll show you some of our tricks for helping capsized paddlers get back to shore quickly with their equipment. After a basic rescue is reviewed we’ll up the ante based on the skills of the group. We’ll be discussing concerns like group management, rescue priorities and strategies for increasing your sphere of awareness during a rescue. Check out our Rescue Skills for Boaters page to see our full day option too!
Relay Race
Bring your competitive drive and all your boating and rescue skills to get ready for this relay race! A mixture of rescue skills, paddling technique, and finesse will lead you to victory in this relay race style clinic. A brief review of skills will take place at the beginning of the course. Check out our Class II full day clinic for a deeper dive in your paddling technique.
Rolling Refresher
If you’re just about there, this is a great course to help you learn some tricks that might just get your roll the rest of the way. If you are rolling we’ll help clean up any weakness with your roll so it’ll be ready for the river. If you have a solid roll on only one side we’ll help you practice on the other side or challenge you to learn handrolls or back deck rolls so you can be ready for any situation in the river.
Sweeps & Forward Strokes
Great paddling starts at the foundation. Perfect practice makes perfect. Gain more precision with your paddle blades as we exam the correct blade angles, depth and length of stroke for sweep and forward strokes. Finally as your core skills improve so will your vision and you’ll be keeping your eyes high and ready to win those boater x races.
PM Clinics
Half Slice, Twice as Nice: Infini-Tailees
Take advantage of the best selling boats on the market, half slice kayaks. Half Slice boats are business up front and party in the back. This allows for stable river running, great front surfing with actual carving and easy stern squirts ie “tailees”. This clinic will focus in on the technique to achieve the ultimate tailee. If you’ve gotten used to the ultra short rodeo spud boats the technique is a little different going back to a longer kayak. We’ll help you with the timing and precision needed to take advantage of these awesome kayaks and river features.
Kids Clinic
The future of our sport! It’s amazing to see young rippers in kayaks and equipment that fit them right. This year we have added more kids equipment than ever to our shop to help give kids the same advantages that the older paddlers have. Kids also learn differently than adults and getting them into clinics with other kids of similar age really helps grow their passion for paddling. It’s all about having fun on the water.
LGBTQ+ Community Paddle Skills Course
LGBTQIA+ Community Paddle Skills Course: This is a mini clinic for folks who identify as LGBTQ+ folks and allies and are looking for a community river run with basic and intermediate paddling skills instruction. Participants do need to have the same paddling prerequisites, but we are excited to bring folks together on the water. It’s all about the community!
Ten Tips From Tip Top Instructors
Our instructors are full of tips for you to improve all aspects of your paddling. Become more graceful on the water. Having an experienced instructor examine where your current level is and provide feedback is such a gift.
Sunday | ||
8:00 AM | The Outfitters Shop -opens
Wetsuits, Splash Jackets, Booties available only at Zoar Outdoor’s The Outfitters Shop |
Stop at Zoar Outdoor
Then head to: |
8:30AM – 8:55AM | Morning Yoga and Stretching | Free- no pre registration required
Zoar Gap Picnic Area |
8:30AM | Boat demos begin | Zoar Gap Picnic Area |
9:30 AM | Mini-clinic meeting announcement | Sign Up in advance |
departs at 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM | SUP For Whitewater Kayakers- by NRS | Flatwater/Moving Current |
departs at 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Canoeing For Whitewater Kayakers | Flatwater/Moving Current |
departs at 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Half Slice, Twice as Nice: Infini-Tailees | Class II |
departs at 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Paddling With Finesse | Flatwater |
departs at 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM | Learn The Lines On The Class III-IV Dryway | Class III-IV |
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM |
Lunch | Pre-pay – no money onsite |
12:45 PM | Mini-clinic meeting announcement | Sign Up in advance required |
departs at 1:00 PM – 4:00PM | Moving on Up: Attainments | Class II |
departs at 1:00 PM – 4:00PM | Zoar Gap With A Plan |
Class III |
4:00 PM | Please return all demo equipment | |
4:00 – 6:00 PM | Socializing at Zoar Outdoor | Thank You! |
SUP For Whitewater Kayakers – by NRS
Give SUP in whitewater a try! We have great inflatable SUP’s from NRS available! Besides just being fun leaning to SUP will actually improve your kayaking too. Your balance will improve along with your ability to control the craft from one side. Learn some new terminology and some new skills!
Canoeing For Whitewater Kayakers
Give canoeing a try! We have great canoes from Esquif! Besides just being fun leaning to canoe will actually improve your kayaking too. Your balance will improve along with your ability to control the boat from one side.
Half Slice, Twice as Nice: Infini-Tailees
Take advantage of the best selling boats on the market, half slice kayaks. Half Slice boats are business up front and party in the back. This allows for stable river running, great front surfing with actual carving and easy stern squirts ie “tailees”. This clinic will focus in on the technique to achieve the ultimate tailee. If you’ve gotten used to the ultra short rodeo spud boats the technique is a little different going back to a longer kayak. We’ll help you with the timing and precision needed to take advantage of these awesome kayaks and river features.
Paddling With Finesse
Do you spray your fellow paddlers with water while trying to catch a wave? Or simply muscle your way through the more difficult moves? If you feel like you grip your paddle to tight or have a lot of tension in your body then this course may be pretty helpful for your paddling. Paddling with finesse is not just about paddling relaxed on the river, but also learning to use river features instead of fighting currents. We’ll help with an overall approach to help you be a rad paddler.
Learn The Lines On The Class III-IV Dryway
For confident dryway level paddlers that want to push themselves to learn some new lines. This is a great clinic for you. Try out some new boats and play your way down the river with amazing paddlers.
PM Clinics
Moving on Up: Attainments
Test out a long boat and let our instructors challenge you with some of our favorite challenges. Attainments are a great skill to practice. Paddling up river lets you get back up to your favorite surf waves, help with a rescue or simply try fun moves over and over again. Attainments are a super fun challenge in their own right too. We’ll work on how to best use your energy and river features to make some pretty cool moves!
Zoar Gap With A Plan
A classic DemoFest clinic. We’ve helped so many paddlers over the years with their goals of taking on new lines and paddling the Zoar Gap rapid with success. Let our experience help guide you down this challenging class III New England test piece. The Zoar Gap is a hoot!
The DemoFest mini-clinics are designed for experienced paddlers looking to paddle the hottest new whitewater kayaks.
If you’ve never paddled before or have never been in a true whitewater kayak you can sign up for our 2-day novice kayak courses to try out the sport. Novice courses typically start on Wednesday’s and Saturday’s throughout the summer.
At Zoar, our staff makes the difference when it comes to your whitewater kayaking experience. Our friendly, accommodating team is here to answer any questions you might have, so don’t hesitate to give us a call!
Temperatures can change a lot during a September day and the Deerfield River is always cool, regardless of the time of year or air temperature. When packing your paddling clothes, please plan accordingly and bring clothing layers to accommodate the days fluctuations. Our clinics will run rain or shine.
Wear items such as:
Other items to bring:
Zoar Outdoor will provide:
DemoFest site
Zoar Outdoor base only
If you own your own equipment, we suggest you use it in the clinic to get used to its quirks.