Evening Rescue Classes

  • New for 2026, weeknight rescue sessions! A lot has changed in the past few years for Swiftwater Rescue, so we wanted to offer some short, bite-sized sessions for people to get a refresher and learn the new hotness.

    Come join us from 5:30pm to sunset on Thursday nights at the Golden Whitewater Park. Book any one of the sessions for $40, or click here to get all 6 for only $160.

    • 4/16/26: (Dry Land) Knots and Mechanical Advantage (z-drags, vector pulls, transport hitch)

    • 4/23/26: (Dry Land) Throw ropes, helper lines, cinches

    • 4/30/26: (Wet) Throwing ropes, swimming rapids, wading

    • 5/7/26: (Wet) Quick Release Harnesses and tethered swimmer rescues (live bait)

    • 5/14/26: (Wet) Scenarios 1 - Understand the roles in a rescue and see how you hold up in a realistic rescue situation.

    • 5/28/26: (Wet) Scenarios 2 - Even more scenarios! Limited resources, First Aid/CPR in the river, communication with EMS, etc.

    Note: Attending these sessions does not constitute a swiftwater rescue certification or assessment. The classes are only provided for your education. We also offer full 2-day swiftwater rescue classes and Advanced Classes if you’re interested in more.

    Times: 5:30pm - sunset

    Location: Golden Whitewater Park

    Cost: $40 per session, $160 for all 6.

  • These sessions are designed for everyone so no previous rescue experience is required. However, for the wet sessions, you will be asked to get in the river and swim rapids, so some comfort in class I/II whitewater is required.

  • Dry Land Sessions:

    • Weather appropriate clothing. It might be snowing, dress warmly.

    • Snacks/dinner

    • Water

    Wet Sessions:

    • Everything above

    • Helmet (whitewater specific)

    • Life Jacket

    • Sturdy closed-toe shoes

    • Thermal protection (Drysuit recommended, wetsuit and paddling jacket acceptable)

    For the Quick Release Harness session, a rescue PFD with a Quick release harness system is recommended. We have a couple loaners people can rotate through but not enough to loan out to each person for the whole evening.

    Feel free to bring your personal throw rope or pin kit to practice with but we will have extras of those items.

A person in an orange jacket and helmet is rescuing a yellow inflatable boat caught on rocks in a river, while another person in a kayak watches nearby.
Two kayakers in a river attempt to right a capsized kayak with one participant holding the kayak while the other is underwater with a red helmet.