All active UAPS members are welcome to attend.
Join the virtual meeting by clicking the link below:
meet.google.com/bma-ctxc-mjf
** Applications are closed! Check back in 2027! **
What to know before applying for BDP
Whitewater Rescue Pool Session - February 28, 3-5pm, Eastglen Pool
Whitewater Safety Session - April 14 630-830pm, Downtown MEC
Gear Pick Up #1 - April 19, 3-5pm
Gear Pick Up #2 - April 21, 6-8pm
Intro to Moving Water Late April/Early May (TBD)
Weekend 1 - Canoe Meadows, Kananaskis - May 22-24 Weekend 2 - Cowley Lions Castle River Campground (Near Pincher Creek) - June 5-7
Weekend 3 - Near Sundre - July 17-19
Weekend 4 - Canoe Meadows, Kananaskis - August 14-16
Gear return - TBD, September/October
** Applications have closed. Please check back in 2027!**
Whitewater Safety Session April 14 630-830pm, Downtown MEC
Weekend 1 - Canoe Meadows, Kananaskis May 22-24 Weekend 2 - Cowley Lions Castle River Campground (Near Pincher Creek) June 5-7
Weekend 3 - Near Sundre July 17-19 (no formal NPP program this weekend, students may join the common adventure), Cartier Creek Group Campsite
Weekend 4 - Canoe Meadows, Kananaskis August 14-16
This course is currently full. Our next basics course will be offered in Fall 2026. Please email info@paddleuaps.com to be added to our Fall 2026 waitlist.
Please meet at the White Rowhouse shown below, in the parking lot located the furthest east at 6pm (8438 129St), and we will walk to the seacan together. Bring straps or rope to secure you boat to take home. If you arrive late, call Mo (number given in BDP/NPP email).
This gear pickup is for BDP & NPP Participants only. Please register so we are aware you are picking up gear on this date.
If you have been to the UAPS seacan previously, feel free to make your way there. Map below.
https://www.albertawhitewater.ca/awa-leadership-symposium-0
You must sign up for open sessions ahead of time in order to attend
*Any questions or concerns please email info@paddleuaps.com
Open sessions are available to UAPS members only
Combination Pool and Lake Kayak Instructor. Course fee includes the $120 CKC/AWA reinvestment fee. If you have already paid this fee for 2026, please email info@paddleuaps.com to reduce your course fee.
Prerequisites:
Date/location:
Environment: Teaching beginners in the pool and on outdoor flatwater, such as lakes canals, ponds or non-moving water sites (flow less than 10 metres/minute)
Course Outline: This course combines the basics of the pool course and the technical review of the Lake course. It includes:
Check out these video clips for a reference of the paddling skills required for certification as a Lake Kayak Instructor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr2MvSMJ7zA&list=PLmdJ_UnnshFfdYxRay5kpPJEZjMIhufSs
Please ensure that our Waiver of Claims and Liability is signed by each attending adult and child.
We look forward to having you all out for a fun, recreational game of polo in whitewater kayaks, open to anyone who has completed our Intro to Kayaking course (or has equivalent experience and a calm wet exit)
When you arrive, please help set-up the 2 nets starting at 7:30pm. We will break into 2 teams. Each team can have up to 5 players on the water at once, and sub players in at any time. Each player on the water must wear a helmet with a facemask (you are welcome to use your own helmet as long as it has a facemask).
Objective: The aim is to score in the net on the other side of the pool! The team with the most goals wins!
RULES (for our fun game!)
If you are curious, there is a good overview of basic polo rules here: https://warwickcanoe.uk/polo/rules For those super keen to pursue it beyond UAPS, you can checkout the ICF rulebook here, and EWP's competitive polo program here.
Happy Paddling!
Intro to Moving Water
Emergency Action Plan
Raven | Rescue Safety Medical | Swiftwater Rescue Course
The focus of this 2-day Whitewater Rescue Technician course is on the necessary knowledge and skills for recreational paddlers.
It is tailored to the specific needs of those playing on and around moving water. This very hands-on and practical course is great for those who want to feel more confident while around swiftwater – more confidence = more fun!
Whitewater professionals (eg raft guides, safety kayakers) should take the Whitewater Rescue Technician – Professional (WRT-Pro) course.
Register and more info at: www.ravenrsm.com/course/whitewater-rescue-technician-recreational/
https://www.pinchocrowcreekers.com/copy-of-home-3
Please note this weekend is tentative to change based on campground availability and water levels. The date will be finalized by February.
AQ Outdoors has offered us a private intro to creeking course June 12 -14. Cost is a club discounted $329.95 + GST.
GOALS
The aim of this program is to introduce participants to the 'big picture' of creek boating. It is a super intensive course with very long days on the water full of drills, coaching and running rapids. Paddlers will be put through many drills on boat control, using water features for efficient paddling, boofing, river reading, communications, safety and much more. The Friday and Saturday are in your face skills sessions and Sunday ties it all together with a run on a local creek, where all participants are expected to be part of the group decision making, safety etc.
OUTCOMES
After completing this course participants coming to the program with the correct skillset can expect to have a good understanding of the mechanics of boofing, how creek boats paddle, the importance of edging, speed and boat control in a good creek boat progression. They will also have a good understanding of the equipment, mindset and communication required to do this sport safely.
NOTE: To get the most out of this program participants should have paddled a lot of days on Class III and felt like they had good boat control and a bomb proof roll. Some experience on Class III+/IV- is certainly a benefit.
Pre-Requisites:
Duration
Location
To book, please email info@paddleuaps.com for the secret code!
Target Audience: Club, school, commercial instructors or guides/leaders who wish to lead advanced whitewater trips; safety boaters, other professional paddlers, etc.
Course Duration: Two days
Environment: Class III whitewater
Course Outline: This course follows the same format as the Kayak Leader 2 course, but for trip planning and leading on Class III water. It includes:
Join Dr. Lee Green for a weekend of whitewater wilderness first aid. This course covers leadership and organization, scene evaluation, injury identification, treatment, egress, first aid kits, and more. River levels depending, participants should bring warm weather paddling gear, helmet, boat, skirt, paddle, PFD, float bags, and outdoor paddling experience. Participants should also have warm clothes to wear outside during the day.
Do not purchase a first aid kit for this course (Dr. Green will show you what you should get during the course).
Freestyle clinic and competition at the Brierlies!
Register at: www.albertawhitewater.ca/form/grande-cache-river-rendezvous-26
The Grande Cache River Rendezvous is back for 2026! June 26 (evening only) - June 29. The Rendezvous is generously sponsored by the Grande Cache Hotel and hosted by UAPS.
This festival is best suited for intermediate and advanced paddlers (minimum Class 3 paddler with a reliable roll), as many of the rivers in the area have difficult or non-existent egress, must make ferries to avoid wood, and rivers difficulty increases drastically with higher water levels. Beginner paddlers are welcome to join for the weekend if they are keen to get out hiking, for a flat water paddle on Grande Cache Lake, or book a rafting trip down the Sulphur or Sheep with Wild Blue Yonder Rafting (ages 8+). In addition, if your club would like to bring leaders to support your beginners on some of the class 2 or 3 runs, we highly encourage you to do so, but won't have support for the festival for these runs. -Family - $45 -Individual - $30 -Staying in a room at the Grande Cache Hotel - $10 event fee You must be an AWA member through a club (UAPS, Wapiti, etc), or directly. Please note registration includes free camping at the Grande Cache hotel, and free entry to the Grande Cache Pool at the Rec Center on Sunday evening from 6-8 pm to swim, soak in the hot tub, dive off the high board, race Olga down the slide, and have a warm shower. If you prefer to stay in a nice cozy hotel room, you can book one directly at the Grande Cache Hotel (780) 827-3377 and ask for the sport rate. There will be a fire pit all night, and washrooms and potable water available inside the hotel. There is a family restaurant for breakfast/lunch in the hotel, and High Country Steak & Ale for dinner - meals are not included with registration.
Rivers map for the weekend: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit?mid=1Qtbkke63I_FugcX_JOgg3qpZT5fI9OM&usp=sharing
Emergency Action Plans for the Weekend (please download for offline use) https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KJ4lU20SXGNjsyAeWiThvsqXUIUh7Fdu?usp=drive_link
River Levels & Runs
Run options for the weekend in increasing difficulty include the Upper Muskeg, Lower Muskeg, Sulphur, Middle Muskeg, and Sheep Creek. For those not ready for the river, there is nice flatwater paddling at Grande Cache Lake and Pierre Grey Lakes. People will likely be running the Upper or Middle Muskeg river and Sulphur river on Saturday, Sheep or Muskeg on Sunday, and Sulphur on Monday.
AQ Outdoors has offered us a private class II skills progression weekend.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The UAPS Class II Skills Progression is a 2-day course to help paddlers progress with confidence in class II/II+ moving water.
The aim of this program is to continue in the development of paddling skills for participants. At this stage, we are looking to have paddlers be more self-directed in performing skills in Class II whitewater and introducing basic maneuvers in straightforward Class II+ rapids. There is a strong leadership and safety component with the goal of having participants comfortable picking lines and performing rescues in Class II whitewater
After completing this course, participants coming to the program with the correct skill set can expect to be able to paddle Class II rivers as a confident and competent team member. Able to scout, choose lines, perform basic safety and rescues. After this course paddlers can also expect to know what Class II+ whitewater is like and to have a good idea of the next steps to continue to improve their personal paddling
5 - 10 days paddling Class I/II whitewater.
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
For more information, please visit: https://www.albertawhitewater.ca/d8-calendar
Details at https://kanfest.ca/
Target Audience: Club members who wish to lead river trips Course Duration: Two Days Prerequisites:
Environment: Class II whitewater Course Outline: This course is risk management-focused and covers the details of trip-planning and leading a group down the river on Class I and II water. It includes:
Details at: https://slaveriverpaddlefest.ca/
Registration and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/893785003631384
https://www.facebook.com/ClearwaterKayakFestival/
Jim MacDonald is hosting a swift water rescue course on the Red Deer and Panther rivers. We will be camping friday evening, with the course starting early Saturday morning.
CKC Swiftwater Rescue and Safety
Target Audience: This Whitewater Canada course is recommended for all paddlers
Prerequisites: Must be a UAPS or AWA Member
Environment: Class I-III whitewater
Course Outline:
Facebook Group
Locations for Camping, put-in, take-out: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=18PMUgwrKlYjvmEXedzFEPcFAAjsdBH4H&usp=sharing
The Clearwater River Weekend is an advanced kayak program for those looking to improve their big water paddling abilities.
The aim of this program is to introduce paddlers to the nuances and differences of big water paddling vs smaller rivers. In this course, the instructors will put participants through their paces on bigger pushier features with a strong focus on technical skill development and safety in this style of whitewater. We talk a lot about power vs finesse, scouting on the fly, line selection, rescues, and much more in this exciting and dynamic program.
After completing this course participants can expect to have had a safe and well-directed introduction to running larger volume whitewater, also to have practiced and understood a wide range of skills used in running big water.
Course Price
$389.95 + GST
Registration link will be send to 2026 BDP/NPP leaders
Details at: https://www.rockycanoeclub.org/ and on RCC Facebook page
Family paddling and activities at the Historic Site
Special thanks to InMotion for their ongoing financial support and encouragement, which has helped increase women’s leadership in our club since 2023.
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