1. Help kayakers learn how to run rivers safely and avoid incidents.
2. Produce prepared and skilled kayakers who can lead a rescue successfully.

We do this by running scenario based courses that simulate a real adventurous day on the river. You will learn how to properly scout rapids and set safety, as well as how to develop a solid communication system amongst your crew. Throughout the course, your group will be lead into various real life rescue scenarios to practice rescue skills, communication, and leadership. All DSE rescue instructors are seasoned professional kayakers that can teach you, from real experiences, what you need to know to lead a safe group down any river.

ACA RESCUE COURSES

1. ACA Beginner Swiftwater Rescue Class (1 day)
The Downstream Edge Beginner safety course is designed for class 2-3 paddlers looking to develop a foundation of river safety from the beginning. You will learn about proper river running strategies to help your group avoid swims and rescue situations. Defensive and aggressive whitewater swimming will be taught and practiced as well as self rescue techniques. Your group will get hands on river scouting and water reading training from our expert instructors, as well as practice setting safety and rescuing swimmers from a boat and from shore. This class is a must for aspiring whitewater paddlers.

2. ACA Advanced Swiftwater Rescue Class (2 day) Requirements: Solid river roll
Our ACA advanced swiftwater rescue class is for intermediate to advanced whitewater kayakers. This class focuses on avoiding rescue situations and producing team leaders who can safely and efficiently lead a rescue and save lives. Your group will learn and practice advanced river running strategies and learn to communicate on the river using hand signals and proper scouting techniques. We will practice whitewater swimming in difficult currents to work on your ability to effectively self rescue in the event of a swim.

Setting safety and effective throw rope rescue will become natural for your group and will enhance your efficiency at running rivers. Our instructors will teach you from experience how to rescue pinned boats and gear as well as saving your friends when they are in trouble. The Downstream Edge advanced swiftwater rescue class will give you the most on-water training of any SWR class in Colorado. Say good-bye to boring dry-land instruction and learn from realistic on water scenarios designed to develop your group skills in intense rescue situations.

3. Swiftwater Rescue for the expert boater (2 day)
This is the most physically and mentally challenging river rescue class you will ever take, and it's designed specifically for expert kayakers who regularly paddle class IV rivers or above and are aspiring Class V boaters. This class builds on the skills learned in the Advanced SWR class and takes them to the next level. We focus on mastering expert river running techniques and teach your group how to run rivers like a crew of seasoned expedition paddlers. We spend at least 95% of the class in the river encountering realistic rescues in challenging sections of whitewater.

At this point in your kayaking career you should be competent at rescuing pinned boats and gear. In this class we will spend most of the time rescuing swimmers who are in dangerous situations where time is of the essence. Scenarios may include foot entrapments, pinned kayakers, unconscious swimmers, stranded paddlers, and other intense situations that will hone your skills to the level of a class V boater. This class is a must for all Class V kayakers and those who aspire to run class V. We will teach you the technical and leadership skills you need to save lives on the river. Period.

4. ACA Advanced Swiftwater Rescue Instructor Certification Course (4 day)
This course is designed to improve the skills learned in the Rescue class and to learn how to teach Swiftwater Rescue. Participation in the Advanced SWR class is a prerequisite. Must be ACA members.

DOWNSTREAM EDGE RESCUE COURSES

1. Swiftwater Rescue for a private group:
If you have four or more people in your crew, we'll set up a private swiftwater rescue class just for you. This is a great way to develop better river running and safety skills as well as teamwork within your paddling crew. We will customize the course to focus on the things your group needs to work on the most. Whether we like it or not, kayaking is a team sport. Turn your crew into a team that runs rivers like the pros; safe, organized, and always watching out for each other.

2. Swiftwater Rescue for rafters:
A large focus of the rafter oriented courses is using simple and complex rope systems and how to operate them safely. The courses build skills from the basic methods of freeing stuck rafts to full underwater wraps and finishes with a complex problem like high-line tyrolean with a raft on tether.Just as important is the skills and knowledge that rafters need to know to avoid rescue situations, ie: communication, river running strategy, scouting rapids, setting safety, etc. these are the things that I think most rescue classes lack, but it's really the most important thing.