These are week-long creek boating trips and clinics in late November through early January. These clinics will take place on the beautiful warm water class III/IV rapids and waterfalls of Mexico's Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range near the city of Valles in the state of San Luis Potosi. This clinic is suitable for any paddler with a good roll who is comfortable on class III+/IV whitewater, but the spectacular scenery and super fun drops and slides of the Ojo Frio, Cascadas Micos, and El Salto rivers will keep even advanced creekers entertained as they work on their technique. Added to the trip this year is the option to do the same river itinerary without the creeking clinic if you just want to come down and relax and paddle, and also a great lineup of activities for non-paddlers to do so that boaters can vacation with their friends and family who don't kayak.
Proper Creek Boating technique can make the difference
between flopping down the river and styling your lines.
In this week-long clinic we'll begin with detailed
instruction on proper scouting, line selection and visualization.
We'll then go over the stroke placement,
upper body positioning, torso rotation,
and hip action that will make your chosen line a reality.
Finally, we'll cover the learning techniques for quickest
assimilation of all of these skills into your
creek boating arsenal. We'll then hit the rivers each day where you will get detailed feedback and coaching on your technique, working you through the skills one by one, mastering each component of proper technique in a natural progression. We will also have a half day workshop on creek boating safety and rescue, as well as discussions on creek boat design and proper gear selection for maximum safety, comfort, and durability on the creeks.
When we're not on the river, we'll spend our time relaxing and taking in the amazing sights and sounds of three locations of the new Huasteca Secreta Eco Resorts. We'll also take a side trip for two nights to check out the Cascada de Tamul - where the Rio Gallinas plunges about 300 feet into the Rio Santa Maria. We will stay two nights at the HS resort near the lip of the falls before heading to the resort at El Salto for more creeking to finish out the trip. Check out the pictures from last year's trip report 1 and last year's trip report 2 to get an idea of how amazing the HS resorts and the Mexican Huasteca are!
Clinic participants are welcome to drive down to the Cuidad Valles area - 7 hours south of Brownsville, Texas. For those wishing to fly, we will offer pick-up and drop-off service to and from the Tampico airport. There are a variety of lodging options at the Huasteca Secreta resorts, suited to every level from price conscious to luxury. All food will be provided from dinner on the arrival day through breakfast on the departure day. You are welcome to bring your own kayak, or we will be happy to provide you with one of the latest models of creek boats from Pyranha for the trip. Lodging, food, logistics, boats, and instruction are all included! We want to provide you with a relaxing atmosphere where all you have to worry about is the paddling, so come on down and join us for warm waterfalls in December!
