June 14-15 | Packraft Specific Rescue Training (PSRT)
June 14-15 | Packraft Specific Rescue Training (PSRT)
Learning Objectives for Certification Courses:
Remote-based rescues with limited rescue resources
Personnel and group communication
Gaining comfort with swimming in rivers
Throw bagging
Basic paddling skills
Self recovery and assisted recovery in a packraft
Packraft limitations and advantages
Proper use of a packraft as a rescue craft
Swiftwater dry exit
Boat scouting
Packraft field repair
Self rescue and rescue priorities
Foot entrapment extrication
Contact rescues
Shallow water crossings
Hazard avoidance and recognition
Knots and simple anchors
Basic (horizontal) technical rope systems
Problem solving with limited gear and resources
Overall emergency assessment and recognition dealing with swift water application
Additional Modules:
Tethered rescue craft
Use of rescue P.F.D.
Tensioned or hasty diagonal
Unconscious paddler
Front surfing
Draw strokes
COURSE DETAILS
A leader in the packraft industry, SSI has been offering packraft specific rescue training for over a decade. While others race to figure out how to best teach this evolving skill, we have years of experience and refinement with regard to our tailored curriculum.
WHO THIS COURSE IS FOR:
Commercial Packraft Guides
Special Operations
NPS , BLM, USFS
Recreational Paddlers looking to achieve a higher standard of training than the 2-day course provides
PACKRAFT COURSE PREREQUISITES:
A desire to learn
Packraft, paddle, and all associated boating gear necessary to travel downstream
Proficient swimmer
Physically capable
All of the listed PPE
Meet all of the Essential Eligibility Criteria
ONLINE MODULE: Yes, 2hr required online training
MINIMUM AGE: 16 with parental consent – 15 with a parent participating
CERTIFICATION: Up to 3 years
COURSE FORMAT: 3 day PSRT course with 2 hours of online training prior to start date. 8 hours each day of in-field training. Total class length: 26hrs.
WHEN: June 14 – 15, 2025
WHERE: Marblemount, WA
FIELD SITE: Skagit and/or Sauk River(s)
INSTRUCTOR: Karen Morse
GEAR FOR THIS COURSE:
Drysuit Mandatory with 40 degree water temperatures forecasted.
The welcome packet details the gear you will need for this course. As an SSI student, you get access to student pricing in the SSI Gear Shop! Once you register you’ll have access to the shop through your SSI account.
ABOUT THIS COURSE:
Using the PRO-I as a platform, this packraft specific rescue training teaches techniques and principles with regard to limited resources in a wilderness setting using a packraft as a rescue craft, or a means of either primary or secondary travel. This course will meet the needs of professionals who find themselves using packrafts as a means of downriver travel or to access gear or personnel in difficult situations. This course is designed for commercial packraft guides, backcountry rangers, U.S. border patrol, and special operations
teams that may find themselves in remote areas where risk management is critical. Recreational enthusiasts are also welcome.
Topics include equipment, swimming and self-rescue, boat control, hydrology, throw ropes, entrapment, safety boats, knots, anchors, and rope systems. An effort is made to cover each topic but water levels, weather, and other elements may make some skills unworkable.
