Here are some comments / feedback from Vance Cordell after our 4/17-18/2010 Oregon Whitewater Association Swiftwater Rescue Workshop powered by Northwest River Guides LLC.

General comments about the class. I thought the class was extremely good.  I think everyone who is a serious non-motorized boated should take this course.  Particularly, I think anyone that is going to fill the function of a “trip leader” for any of the rafting clubs should be required to take the course.  I think anyone taking the course should first take a course in basic knot tying or on their own practice knot tying until they are proficient prior to the beginning of the course.  For people like me who didn’t know knots, the course is too compressed to become proficient in knot tying before having to apply knots in making anchors and setting up mechanical advantage systems.

Safety during the class. The instructor was extremely safety conscience and several times pointed out very quickly safety infractions that the students were making.

Comments specific to your instructor.  I think Sam Devro is very qualified to teach this course.  He has both the knowledge and temperament.  I think he did extremely well.

For another well written review see the latest issue of the OWA newsletter here….

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=1283834394069274&mt=application%2Fpdf&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com%2Fmail%2F%3Fui%3D2%26ik%3D7234df14e6%26view%3Datt%26th%3D1283834394069274%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26realattid%3Df_g8gqfxyd0%26zw&sig=AHIEtbQRCLTCdaaj3KYp8KnmlRmrSKjmsg

I am really looking forward to another great spring of kayak lessons and raft trips.  Last weekend Northwest River Gudies taught our annual Oregon Whitewater Association Swiftwater Rescue Workshop. We had sunny skies and warm temps, making for the most pleasurable swiftwater rescue class I have taught in the Pacific Northwest.

Now that it is warming up, we’ll have kayak lessons, river classes and rafting trips every weekend through to the fall.  I am really looking forward to our rafting trips to the Sandy River Gorge and beginner kayak classes in the pool and on the Clackamas and Sandy River.

Also, as the summer comes into full effect, the snowed in roads in the upper parts of the Cascades will start to become accessible again.  I am looking forward to many cool trips into the mountains this season, like Upper Yellowjacket Creek(pictured above).

-Dave

Wednesday night, the Oregon Whitewater Association held its February meeting at the North Clackamas Aquatic Park.  The OWA held their meeting at a pool so they could get some rescue practice ahead Spring and before their annual President’s Day trip on the Rouge River.  The meeting was also a prep for Northwest River Guide’s upcoming Swiftwater Rescue Workshop that we’ll be teaching for the OWA.  We has stations set up to cover knots, mechanical advantage systems, throw rops, and raft and cataraft flips.  It was an incredibly fun night  and time just flew by.  I really love teaching swiftwater rescue skills to folks and helping dispell a lot of the common false myths about whitewater safety.  Every spring I look forward to these classes and cannot wait for some more rescue teachin’ fun. – Dave

Raft flipping exercises in the deep end of the pool.

Throw rope practice.

Sam Drevo busting a quick eddy turn- curtousy of Mark Gamba Photography

Here is the beta on the Oregon Whitewater Association film night January 13th hosted by Sam Drevo and Northwest River Guides.

“High Water In Africa” – It is PG13.  This 55 minute video chronicles the rise of one of the most prolific whitewater kayakers today- Steve Fisher and several friends on a quest to run the biggest whitewater in Africa, and Quebec CA.  The story interweaves whitewater, Steve’s philosophies, a bit of his life story and close friendship with one of the sports most controversial figures- Dan Cambell.  This video was produced by GearboxHD, a local production company, and filmed/edited by Barney Bonito – one of Northwest River Guides instructors (as well as PDX local Craig Ernst).  We will open the evening by showing a short 2008 Down the River Cleanup video, a video from the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Contest in Lincoln City OR, and a short film about an Adventure in Paupa New Guinea produced by Epicocity documenting several NRG Kayaking friends and OR Locals- Andy Maser, Brian Eustis, Trip Jennings and Kyle Dickman.  This will be an action-packed hour and a half.  The OWA usually supplies some free pizza, and there will be an opportunity to sign up for this springs OWA SW Rescue workshop powered by Northwest River Guides.  Hope to see you there!  Pass this along to anyone you think might be interested.  Happy New Year!!!

Location:  Portland Fire Bureau’s Training Center, 4800 NE 122nd Ave., Portland, OR. 7pm

Below are a few photos from a Swiftwater Rescue Workshop that Northwest River Guides conducted for the Oregon Whitewater Association in April of 2008.  This was one of the more enjoyable classes that I taught all spring, bringing together a diverse group of rafters, IKers and kayakers for some fun, safety and learning.  In the workshop Northwest River Guides teaches the fundamentals of rope rescue, mechanical advantage(such as the z-drag), whitewater swimming skills and basic rescue organization.  Northwest River Guides teaches on minimalist approach to swiftwater rescue, focusing on techniques and strategies that are ideal for recreational kayakers, canoeists and rafters.  We will be teaching several swfitwater rescue workshops in the spring of 2008, including a class in the Portland area during April 25-26.  Sign up now to reserve your spot in one Northwest River Guides’ most popular courses.  Call 503.777.1122 to register.

Wow- I never thought getting out of bed on New Years Day would be as difficult as it was this year.  Although I wasn’t out that late, I awoke to classic NW winter weather with rain, and lots of wind.  Having never been to the OWA New Years Day paddle, and as my closest friends backed out, I remembered what my life was all about.  Charging rivers in ANY condition.  And knowing that it was the first official Team River Runner event in Portland, I loaded my boat, and drove out.  Little did I know that the Sandy River would surge from 5,000 cfs to nearly 13,000 cfs in the span of the day.  Although it was our first shot at getting vets out on the water, I was astonished at the level of support that we got from the OWA- there were almost 20 rafts ready to launch by the time I got to the put in.  After messing with equipment (for longer than we should have), we got on the water, and I took the only shots from the day.

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