Learn to Bikeraft Course: 2-Day and 5-Day Beginner Courses

Have you ever wanted to try something totally unique and unlike anything your friends have ever done? If so, try pairing packrafts and bicycles. What? No it really works! Roll up that packraft tight and put it on your handlebars. And then ride 3, 10, 20 (the sky’s the limit) miles to your nearest river. Take that boat off your bike, blow it up, take your bike apart and lash it to your boat. And then head down that river! It’s as easy as that. Well sort of. It helps to have experience with the transitions and navigating a boat with a bike on it. So we’ve got the course for you.

Animas River 2-Day Course - Durango, CO

Learn to pair bicycles and packrafts, and expand your capacity to explore your local waterways! From 9:30a.m.-4:30p.m. over two days, you’ll learn basic paddle and river reading techniques on the Animas River, along with basic bikerafting techniques on up to Class II rapids.

You'll spend the first day of this course focusing on learning packrafting skills, and the second learning how to transition from bikes to boats and vice versa on a mini bikeraft adventure in Durango.

This no-frills learn basic river bikerafting skills course is for the budget-minded aspiring bike-packrafter and will be done entirely in Durango, Colorado. This course is for beginners, though you must know how to ride a bicycle.

Animas & Colorado River 5-Day River Course + Backcountry Excursion

On this beginner/intermediate river bikerafting course, you’ll spend one full day learning packrafting skills on the Animas River. Day 2, you’ll do a micro-bikerafting adventure also on the Animas (on a different section), riding local trails. You’ll then practice your skills in the backcountry on a three-day, two-night excursion in the Utah desert on the Colorado River and Lake Powell.

This course will likely push you over the edge of things you’ve experienced. But we feel certain you’ll walk away from this course with a deeper sense of enjoyment for both living in and utilizing human-powered tools to pass through remote landscapes. We want your experience to be the milestone in your life that you measure everything else up to.

About Four Corners Guides

Our self-supported, low-impact bikerafting and packrafting courses are geared toward that subset of adventurers who prefer human-powered adventures, where they have a limited impact on the environment and a low-carbon footprint. While we do drive to get to a start point for an adventure, our goal with everything we do is to do more adventure with less stuff. We hope you can take what you learn back to your “normal” life. We also seek to show you less crowded corners of the Four Corners region.

Popular Four Corners destinations like Moab and Durango are busy. You can’t go anywhere even in the backcountry without seeing people. We cater to those of you who don’t mind suffering a bit in order to find more solitude. The terrain in the Four Corners is complicated, remote and rugged. We believe if we give you a safe, but difficult and engaging extraordinary experience, we may change your life and enhance your reverence for and understanding of this landscape.

Instructors

Course instructors are certified American Canoe Association Packraft Instructors, have Swiftwater Safety Certification and are certified Wilderness First Responders.

Our instructors are early adopters of packrafting and bikerafting that have led many bikerafting and packrafting expeditions and courses across the American Southwest.

What Customers Love About Four Corners Guides

Reviews from customers are overwhelmingly positive about their experiences with Four Corners Guides, highlighting several key aspects they loved:

Expert Instruction: Guides like Steve, Dan, Ben, and Doom are praised for their expertise in packrafting and biking, providing personalized instruction that caters to various skill levels.
Comprehensive Courses: The courses are comprehensive, covering everything from basic techniques to self-rescue, and even packraft repair and expedition planning.
Practical and Hands-On Learning: Participants appreciate the practical, hands-on approach to learning, with opportunities to practice in real river conditions and receive immediate feedback.
Small Class Sizes: The small class sizes are a significant plus, allowing for one-on-one attention and a better learning environment.
Delicious Food: The food provided during the multi-day courses is plentiful and delicious, satisfying even the hungriest of adventurers.
Safety and Comfort: Safety is a top priority, with guides ensuring that participants are comfortable and secure, even when pushing them out of their comfort zones.
Adventure and Mindfulness: The experiences are described as not only adventurous but also akin to a mindfulness retreat, offering a chance to connect with nature and like-minded individuals.
Cultural and Environmental Respect: There is an appreciation for the respectful approach to the land and local culture, especially on trips through areas like the Ute Mountain Tribal Park.
Personal Growth: Participants report significant improvement in their skills and confidence, enabling them to tackle more challenging adventures.
Hospitality: The hospitality of hosts Doom and Lizzy is frequently mentioned, making guests feel welcome and well-cared-for throughout their stay.

What's Included

An open Alpacka Classic packraft, PFD, paddle, helmet, and (for the 5-day excursion course): all food in the backcountry starting with lunch on day 3 and ending with lunch on day 5, permits, wag bags, sanitizing kits and camping. We do have bike bags to loan out.

Not Included

2-Day Course:

This no-frills course does not include a bicycle, lodging, food or a drysuit. You won’t likely need a drysuit for this course, but we do recommend you consider a wetsuit. You may rent one locally at 4CornersRiversports.com or with a 15% discount through BackcountryPackrafts.com. You’ll get the discount code once you pay your deposit.

5-Day Course:

Transportation (though we will work together to ensure everyone gets a ride to the put-in), a working bicycle and bike gear (helmet, tools), adult beverages, whitewater boats, drysuits, river knives, whistles or throw bags.
You will need a drysuit for the first two days of this course. You may rent them locally at 4CornersRiversports.com (they only have four), or get a 15% discount if you order them online at BackcountryPackraft.com We’ll give you the discount code once you sign up.

Dates Offered

April 12th - 16th 2024: Animas & Colorado River 5-Day River Course + Backcountry Excursion
June 29th - 30th 2024: Animas River 2-Day Course
October 16th - 20th 2024: Animas & Colorado River 5-Day River Course + Backcountry Excursion
OR - create your own course and customize your dates - contact Four Corners Guides for more information!

What You Will Learn

We base our learn basic river bikerafting and packrafting skills instructional courses on confidence and skill progression. We start slow and push you a little harder as we go, tailoring the experience to your own personal abilities.

For Beginner to Intermediate courses, you’ll learn a wide variety of skills, from the basics to more advanced river reading techniques. This is a list of some of the things you will learn:

✔️Basic packraft equipment use and care
✔️Self-rescue, partner-rescue and how to right your boat with a bike on it
✔️Dealing with currents
✔️Aggressive & defensive swimming positions
✔️How to navigate river hazards with a bike on your boat
✔️River dynamics
✔️Basic paddle strokes with a bike on your boat
✔️Using eddies
✔️River commands
✔️How to lash your bike to your boat and vice versa
✔️Transitioning from bikes to boats and vice versa

FAQs

What is the minimum number of people needed to do a course?

We may book a course with a minimum of two people. However, we reserve the right to add additional people to those small courses if all have similar abilities, skills and fitness levels. Our margins are tight. We don’t make money on courses with only two people. If you wish to have a private, one- or two-person course, please let us know in advance, as the price is higher.

What do I do with my poop in the backcountry?

We follow strict principles of leaving nothing behind. When camping in group sites we will use pit toilets when provided. On all dispersed backcountry bikepacking and packrafting trips, guests must dig six-inch deep cat holes no less than 300 feet away from any water source, campsite or trail, unless regulated otherwise, in which case approved wag bags will be used and all solid (fecal) matter will be carried out. On the river we will follow all regulations regarding human waste. I.e. we will use wag bags and hard-sided containers. No guest or guide will ever burn toilet paper or garbage. All toilet paper and hygiene products will be packed out.

What safety precautions are taken?

All our guides have Swiftwater Safety Certification and are certified Wilderness First Responders. Head Guide Steve Fassbinder has additional swiftwater and Kayak Instruction training. Guides will always bring a comprehensive first aid kit(s), appropriate for the length of trip and number of people. We have a Comprehensive Risk Management Plan that includes an Emergency Evacuation Plan. Plus, our guides will teach you about and regularly remind you to consider the following hazards:

Heatstroke and dehydration can easily shut down your tour and ruin your experience. We encourage you and will remind you to both bring and drink plenty of water, to eat snacks throughout the day, and to wear hats and sunscreen to minimize sun exposure. We will make plenty of water available to you, and our water sources will be scouted in advance.
You may also experience dramatic weather events. For this reason, we require that you bring sufficient warm, synthetic or wool clothing and waterproof rain layers.
Rattle snake bites are rare, but can happen.
You will be traveling over rough, uneven terrain; roots, rocks and sand are inherent to biking and hiking to and from the water’s edge to camp. You must always wear helmets (and gloves season/weather dependent) while riding.
For all packrafting and bikerafting courses, you must respect the power of both flat and running water. Strainers, rocks and swims in cold rivers can make your trip go bad quickly, as can swims in cold lakes due to powerful winds tipping boats over. You must always wear your PFD on the water, a helmet if there are rapids, and weather/season dependent, a dry or wet suit.

What is your cancellation policy?

If you cancel prior to 7 days before your course, you’ll get a 50% refund. If you cancel within 7 days of your course, you’ll get no refund.**
If you decide to accept any refund, you may not reschedule your course.
If you choose to not take any refund, you may reschedule your course at anytime.
The first time you reschedule your course, you must pay a per-person, per-day rescheduling fee of $50 (so $200 if you’ve cancelled a 4-day course), plus any difference in course costs for the new course. The second time you reschedule, the rescheduling fee is $75 per person, per day. If you need to reschedule a third time, please call us to discuss. Under some circumstances we may waive the fee. The rescheduling fee is due 30 days before your rescheduled course.***

Discounted Courses:

If you purchased your course at a discount, you will not be eligible for any refund, at any time, for funds requested.
You will be able to reschedule your course at anytime with no expiration date.
You will be able to reschedule once.
If the course you reschedule to is more expensive, you will be required to pay the difference.

The reason we charge a rescheduling fee is because we run trips with a 4:1 guest to guide ratio. If we have five people on course, we need two guides. If you cancel, and there are only four people o the course, we will have to pay the second guide on that course. Your reschedule feel helps offset that cost.

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