During the fall season of 2018 Lapin Koskikoulu and Paddle Nepal have teamed up to run their first Himalayan River Guide Training Academy. The course will run over 2 months and is open to anybody wishing to travel & explore the rivers of Nepal and learn to become a professional river guide at the same time. Existing river guides & kayakers are also welcome to join us.
- Start date: 24 September 2018
- End date: 23 November 2018
- Venue: Nepal
- Instructors: Mark Hirst & Nim Bahadur Magar
- Host Company: Paddle Nepal
The course will be run in the following format.
Section 1: Core training. 24 September – 6 October 2018 (13 days)
To become a professional guide, you must first receive a solid professional core training. During the first 13 days we will be based at our riverside camp on the banks of the Trisuli River. This will allow us access to a selection of both day and multi-day runs on the Trisuli & surrounding rivers. We will spend each day on the river running practical lessons on various subjects.
Upon successful completion of the core programme all students will be awarded the following internationally recognised awards
- Rescue3 Europe whitewater rescue technician Professional
- International Rafting Federation Trainee guide award.
Section 2: Consolidation. 9 – 30 October (22 days)
The consolidation period will allow all students to use the newly learnt skills whilst shadowing commercial guides on commercial river trips run by paddle Nepal. Students will gain valuable experience whilst running some of Nepal’s classic rivers such as:
- Kali Gandakhi (3 day)
- Upper seti (½ day )
- Lower seti (2-3 days)
- Trisuli (1 day)
During the consolidation period all students will be given regular feedback sessions by the course instructors.
Section 3: Expedition. 1 – 10 November (10 days)
The expedition trip will take us to one of the world’s classic multiday raft & kayak expeditions on the remote Karnali River in the far west of Nepal. The expedition trip will allow all students to experience an expedition and will also let the students practice the skills needed to operate on expedition raft trips.
Section 4: Advanced rescue. 13 – 16 November (4 days)
The advanced rescue section will follow the curriculum needed to obtain the Rescue 3 Europe whitewater Rescue Technician advance certificate (WRTA). The WRTA course is aimed at kayakers and rafters operating on class 4/5 rivers in remote locations where vertical access maybe needed. The WRTA will teach the students advanced rescue techniques using basic river rescue equipment.
Section 5: Final assessments. 19 – 23 November (5 days )
The final section of the course will be based on the Marshyangdhi River. The Marshyangdhi is a classic test piece river. Depending on the students experience they will have the opportunity to be assessed for the following International Rafting Federation awards
- Raft guide class 3
- Safety kayaker class 3
- Trip leader class 3
- Raft guide class 4
- Safety kayaker class 4
- Trip leader class 4
Section 5 will be a series of practical assessments in which the students must pass to gain IRF status.
Read more to find out the cost, what’s included and not included and other details and contact details.
