Packraft Specific Rescue Training – Denali, AK – May 25 – 27, 2024
COURSE DETAILS
This packraft-specific rescue training is filled by Traverse Alaska guides first, Denali-area community members second, and then the public at large. You can join the public waitlist here.
A leader in the packraft industry, SSI has been offering packraft-specific rescue training for over a decade. While others race to figure out how to best teach this evolving skill, we have years of experience and refinement with regard to our tailored curriculum.
REGISTRATION: Space is limited to 12 students and will be taught by SSI lead instructor, Luc Mehl. Class fills up fast, so register early!
INSTRUCTOR: Luc Mehl has 15 years of packrafting experience, the author of the award-winning The Packraft Handbook, and received a national boating safety community service award in 2023.
ONLINE COMPONENT: Yes – required.
COURSE FORMAT: 3-day field course with 2 hours of online training and three 8-hour in-field training days. Total class length: 26hrs.
WHEN: May 25 – 27, 2024.
WHERE: Denali, AK
FIELD SITE: Denali
COURSE COSTS: $475
PREREQUISITES:
1. A desire to learn
2. Packraft, paddle, and all associated boating gear necessary to travel downstream
3. Proficient swimmer
4. Physically capable
5. All of the listed PPE
6. Meet all Essential Eligibility Criteria
GEAR FOR THIS COURSE:
The welcome packet details the gear you will need for this course. As an SSI student, you get access to student pricing in the SSI Gear Shop! Once you register you’ll have access to the shop through your SSI account.
ABOUT THIS COURSE:
Using the PRO-I as a platform, this packraft specific rescue training teaches techniques and principles with regard to limited resources in a wilderness setting using a packraft as a rescue craft, or a means of either primary or secondary travel. This course will meet the needs of professionals who find themselves using packrafts as a means of downriver travel or to access gear or personnel in difficult situations. This course is designed for commercial packraft guides, backcountry rangers, U.S. border patrol, and special operations
teams that may find themselves in remote areas where risk management is critical. Recreational enthusiasts are also welcome.
Topics include equipment, swimming and self-rescue, boat control, hydrology, throw ropes, entrapment, safety boats, knots, anchors, and rope systems. An effort is made to cover each topic but water levels, weather, and other elements may make some skills unworkable.