Kayak Courses in Austria

Kayak Austria

Austria has the reputation of having some of the biggest rivers in the Alps.  The River Inn is actually the biggest volume of water and with over 10 sections to paddle in both Austria and Switzerland the River Inn provides some great white water throughout the season.  The Sanna is an Alpine Gem and is loved by everyone who kayaks it.  The upper tributaries such as the Rosanna and Lech also deliver throughout the Spring and early Summer.  There is also of course the Oetz river which includes the Lower section of the Wellebrücke known throughout the world as the Sickline, where the extreme kayaking championships used to be held annually.

Arlberg Region

We are based in the Arlberg Region of Austria in the far west, it is just 1 hour from Innsbruck and just over 2 hours from Zurich, Switzerland or Munich in Germany.

The Arlberg is renowned for its snow in the ski resorts of St.Anton and Lech/Zuers and of course that snow then feeds our rivers throughout the Summer.  In-fact in this part of Austria we have the longest whitewater kayaking season in the Alps.  The season here starts in April and finishes in mid-October.  It is not just the winter snow that feeds our rivers throughout the season, with glaciers in both the Engadine in Switzerland and Tyrol, Austria keep the rivers topped up throughout the Summer months.

Kayak School Arlberg

Throughout your time on one of our Austria kayaking courses you will feel and certainly see the difference in your technique and understanding of whitewater kayaking.  All of our Team here at the Kayak School Arlberg are qualified through British Canoeing.

British Canoeing

Why British Canoeing?

Well, firstly there is NO professional kayak instructor qualification in Austria, so it means we have to travel afield to gain a professional whitewater qualification.

Secondly, the British Canoeing coaching and instructing modules and qualifications provide a great insight into the art of coaching and we implement this ethos and method on various levels, be that Beginners, Class 2, Class 3, Class 4 and over.

Austria Kayaking Courses

So with the huge amount of experience we have gained over the decades of coaching, teaching and instructing plus the structured system of British Canoeing we can offer a kayaking course for you to gain the most out of your time on a river with us.

One of the first conversations we have on the way to the river is… Just what do you want from your time with us?

Once we have an idea of your goals and aims we can then start to put a coaching plan together for the duration of your time with the Kayak School Arlberg.

We structure the course on the best river for your abilities!  We are not trying to trash you and get you swimming down every rapid, we see enough of that watching others.  We calm it all down and keep you within your comfort zone throughout the coaching session, which means you can learn without the feeling of making a mistake that leads you to a capsize or even swim.  What we are trying to achieve is for you to  learn in the optimum environment and the only way to improve and try different techniques or styles is to do it in a way that you feel confident enough to try them.  This is true for all of our kayak courses here in Austria which gives you the perfect progression for skill development and of course confidence.

With different coaching and teaching styles our team here at the Kayak School Arlberg can adapt ourselves to the way YOU learn, we do not have one set way of kayak coaching which means we can coach in different styles to different learners on the same river feature.

Our courses are very progressive, so it means we build you up throughout your time with us on a kayak course here in Austria.  We start with the basics or fundamentals, giving you a solid foundation which will help you not only improve but to get to the next level, be that becoming a more confident or solid whitewater kayaker, to moving up a class or to a different style of river, coincidently which we have in abundance in this part of Austria.

By looking at the 3 subjects of Body, Boat and Blade we can work with you in cementing the fundamental skills of white water kayaking.  From there we can improve not only your technique but also your understanding of white water, reading white water and the tactics of white water kayaking are extremely important and compliment your technique!

At the end of every course, we sit with you and give you feedback as to what you were good at, what you need to think about and improve and how you can achieve this.

So come along to one of our Kayak Courses in Austria, improving your technique and understanding of white water, kayaking beautiful rivers in stunning surroundings and all with the warm Austrian hospitality that just wants you to come back year after year!