People in kayaks at a Play the River session on the Soca. A yellow kayak stands upright in the candle.

Play the River

The Play the River course is all about playing: Get on the river with your Riverrunner and give it your all! Here you will learn how to play your way down the river with tricks and style. Targeted exercises will help you improve your technique, get your tail under water and keep your boat tip in the air! In addition to the different variations of undercutting, we will explain and practise rock splats, rock spins, pirouettes and many other riverrunning techniques in detail.

Individual and exclusive support

To maximize your learning success in this course, we will limit the number of participants to a maximum of four per kayak instructor. This approach ensures that there is sufficient time to cover all topics and address any questions, as well as to continually work with video analysis throughout the course.

To take part in the Play the River course, you should already have a good general technique(F2 level or higher) and a roll rate - even in unfavorable conditions - of at least 80%.

This course opens up new, playful possibilities!

Informationen zum Kajakkurs

  • Defining individual goals and clarifying the most important terms
  • Tips for fitting your kayak and determining the ideal seating position
  • Use the current: Waves, intersection zones, eddies and much more.
  • Expand dynamic movement using weight positioning and upper body rotation.
  • "Hold" the torque on the boat and learn to use it in the various moves
  • Different variants of stern squirts or "tailees"
  • Surfing: Frontsurf, sidesurf, backsurf
  • Rocksplats and Rockspins
  • Stern squirts and pirouettes
  • Back deck roll
  • About waves: Kickflips and wavewheels
  • Dynamic sweeping with a dry tip and dry tail
  • "Hold" torque on the boat over several changes of direction
  • Making "Whoopie" stern squirts
  • Eddy pivot turns
  • Positioning the kayak on the stern when crossing waves
  • Stern squirts in waves and over small drops
  • Keep the kayak on the stern and on the tip by shifting your weight over a longer period of time
  • Stern squirt to rock splat moves
  • Wavewheels and kickflips over waves and shoulders and much more.

We offer this course in North and South Tyrol and on the Soča.

  • Innsbruck (e.g. Inn, Imster Gorge)
  • Soča
  • Vipiteno (Isarco)
  • Merano (Slalom Canal and Passer)

To take part in the Play the River course, you must

  • Be able to swim confidently
  • Be in overall good health.
  • Safe class III whitewater (e.g. Untere Ötz, abseiling section of the Soča, Loisach, Brandenberger Ache: Wiesklamm).
  • Master the Whitewater Roll (at least 80% roll-up rate).
  • Be at least 14 years old (we offer courses for groups of younger paddlers on request).
  • Bring a Riverrunner kayak. If you don't have one (yet), we can lend you one.
  • Experience the excitement of river running and take the opportunity to learn as many techniques as you can.
  • Improve boat feel and control over maneuvers
  • Recognize own technical deficits through video analysis and feedback from the trainer
  • Define individual exercises that you can continue to work with after the course
  • Find suitable exercise locations independently
  • Incorporate playful riding techniques in whitewater conditions.

Dates and further information