Clinics & Courses
Each of our courses are taught by certified instructors. Paddling gear is included in the cost of each course, but feel free to bring your own personal gear. You can learn all the basics and progress to more challenging skills to help you enjoy the outdoors.
Outside Programs - if you are joining us for one of the outdoor clinics then you must be a member of the club and pay the annual fee of $30 for an individual or $70 for a family, plus $5 per person insurance and membership fee . You can find the forms and waivers on the Membership Page
Pool Sessions in 2025
Learn to kayak this winter in a warm pool. Join us on Wednesdays for a drop-in session at the Pincher Creek swimming pool.
Our Certified Instructors can show you the basics or work on your roll. We will play some games and get you ready for the summer season.
Wednesday 5:00 - 7:00 pm for children 7 and up, teens and adults
Cost: $10.00 for a 1 hour session or $40 for 5 sessions
Our first pool session this year starts on Wednesday, January 8th and run through till May 14th.
Weekend Paddling Courses
Introduction to River Kayaking 2025
We had a lot of interest from families wanting to get their children into a sport program.. Now parents and others want to join in on the fun. This is a great family sport that everyone can participate in and our introductory course will take you from flatwater to the river in two days.
The first 1/2 day will be spent on one of our scenic lakes before we head to a winding river with a few small rapids to gain confidence on. This is really where the addiction begins. We will spend the 2nd day building skills and confidence and river safety so that you can keep up with your children and friends.
On the May Long Weekend we have a special offer for Saturday and Sunday with a 12.5% discount from our regular pricing. The rest of the courses this year are $220 per adult for a 2 day course. All gear and instruction provided, If you want to make this a family weekend, you can bring your children too for $150 each.We have also scheduled a Women's Weekend on July 13-15.
Dates:& Registration Online links
Contact Chuck Lee at 403-628-2336 for more information
Learn to Kayak Weekends
Fundamentals:
Once a week, mid May to June we will be doing a session at Lee Lake. Give us a call or send an email if you plan on coming out so we can plan for your session. We will meet you there at 6pm. If you need gear call me an let me know what sizes you will need and I will bring it to the lake.
Developmentals:
We will start running our river sessions in May to the Crowsnest River. We will be working on ferries and eddy turns and how to paddle safely. Give us a call or send an email if you plan on coming out so we can plan for your session. We will meet you there at 6 pm. If you need gear you can pick it up at Chuck's place beforehand.Ten dollars for an evening on the water.
Summer Camps - 2025
This is where you will find information on our summer day camps. Registrations will open March 1st, 2025. POCC has a long history of great fun summer camps for kids of all ages. Last year we scheduled eight camps and all of the camps were filled. We are hoping that 2025 will be just as successful as last year.
The Fundamentals Camps are built for our younger paddlers and the Developmentals Camps are for children 10 and up. But there are no hard and fast rules about ages as each child progresses at different rates. Our one stipulation is that we need to make sure each child is safe and comfortable. We want to stretch them but our goal is to have them enjoy paddling as much as we do. Each camp starts in a beautiful warm lake and progresses from there.
The Developmentals Camps progress through the week on Class II river runs. If you or your child has already mastered the Developmentals Camps, ask about our advanced programs.
FUNdamentals Kayak Camps
The club offers a specially designed kids camp for children ages 7-11. We have seen lots of interest from our little ones to get paddling in the pool. And we have taken that to the next step – the lake and an easy river on the last afternoon.
The FUNdamentals kids camp will go out to the lake for a full day program that will focus on the joy and freedom of kayaking. We will explore local places to paddle, find turtles, watch eagles, osprey and loons and have a lot of fun outdoors on the water.
The camp provides certified instruction and all the equipment. You bring change of clothing, swimsuit, towel, sunscreen, water and lunch.
The camps are open to anyone 7 years and over. But it is important for children to be ready and capable of being on their own for the day. We have a duty of care for all the children in the camps, therefore children that cannot behave appropriately will be sent home immediately.
Dates: July 15 - 17, July 29 - 31, August 12 - 14, August 26 - 28
Cost: $ 210 for three days
Once you pick a camp you need to fill out the waiver form or the acknowledgment of risk form. There is no cost to this if you go to this website.
pinch o crow creekers membership
Scholarships are available from KidSport for families in need.
Developmentals Kayak Camp
The Pinch-o-Crow Creekers is offering 3 River Kayaking Camps again this year. Spend a week of fun-filled, summer days on the water with other kids from 9:00 to 4:30 who are going to be having a blast on the water in a whitewater kayak.
The camps are open to anyone 10 and over with good swimming skills and can master a wet exit with a spray skirt on.
Its SAFE - BUT CHALLENGING with our fully certified instructors. Our POCC club has trained 1000's of kids to paddle, including many who went on to compete for the Provincial and National teams across Canada and around the world.
Dates: July 7 - 11, July 21 - 25, August 18 - 22
Cost: $350 for the 5 day week
Includes:
- All equipment: boats, paddles, lifejackets, helmets, booties, wetsuits & paddling jackets or drysuits
- Instruction and coaching
- Transportation will be arranged
You Need:
- Change of clothing, rainjacket, fleece top and bottoms
- Swimsuit and towel
- Big Lunch, snacks & water
- a Smile and a lot of energy
What Happens:
We start on a warm water lake, practicing flipping the kayaks and getting out. Next you learn to paddle the kayak in a straight line, turn and maneuver around obstacles. Our favorite games are tag, football and looking for turtles.
The 2nd day we move to an easy river, the Crowsnest or Boulder Run depending on seasonal water conditions. You’ll learn about reading the river, eddy turns, ferries and paddling through waves.
The 3rd day we go back to the Fundamentals and river safety skills before we get back on the river to improve our skills.
Day 4 we are exploring a different river and running rapids and dropping some small ledges.
Day 5 we finish the week on a mystery river. The last camp of the season will spend more time on Boulder Run and a trip to Calgary on the last day.
This is a great way to engage in a fun sport with other kids. Each day starts at 9am and finishes at 4:30 pm with flexibility for pick up times.
This camp works on the FUNdamental and Developmental skills for kayaking. Paddles who have completed this camp will have a solid understanding of kayaking on the river and safety skills around moving water. They will also have developed physical literacy skills of balance, propulsion and steering control that will be useful for a lifetime of fun on the water in any type of boat or watercraft.
Once you pick a camp you need to fill out the waiver form or the acknowledgment of risk form. There is no cost to this if you go to this website.
pinch o crow creekers membership
Scholarships are available from KidSport for families in need.
Volunteer Credits
The May Long Weekend is our club's biggest fundraiser. We offer a chance for clubs and their members to come down to the Castle River Rodeo Campground to camp out and paddle with us for the weekend.
The POCC club organizes camping, meals and activities for 250+ people over the 3 days. We need help to prepare the food and clean up afterwards for Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings and Saturday and Sunday nights. We have a reputation for serving great meals for paddlers.
Anyone that volunteers for 1 or more shifts will get a credit towards our camps and courses. The credit is $15/hr for adults and teens. Usually each meal is 3 hrs from 7:30 - 10:30 am or 5:00 - 8:00 pm.
Advanced 5 Day Whitewater Camp
Again this year we are offering an advanced whitewater kayaking camp for people that have taken the Developmentals Camp and are ready for the next step. We will set things up with our top Instructors, gear and boats. We will do a review and then start hitting all the great rivers in our region, progressing onto more difficult runs as we move through the week. River safety will be an important component of our instruction through the week.
Dates: June 30 - July 4
Costs: $ 375 for 5 days
See the Developmentals Camp for information on gear that we provide and that you need to bring.
Scholarships are available from KidSport for families in need.
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Spring WW Trip - on hold for 2025 ??
Chuck Lee and Guest Instructor(s) would like to lead a trip to find some warm weather and good rivers over the Easter Break. This was a very successful and popular trip in the past for our club. Our plan would be to head south or west and paddle a variety of Grade II rivers and on the way home and paddle some Grade II+ and III- runs.
If you might be interested give me a shout and lets see if we can make something happen.
You and your family are invited to join us for a week of camping and fun. We will organize some shared rides for everyone that wants to come along.
What you will need to bring:
- tent, sleeping bag and pad
- warm jacket and rain gear
- change of clothes, shorts, swimsuit, fleece jacket and long johns.
- running shoes and boots
- lawn chair and pillow
The club will provide boats, paddles, pfd's, helmets, drysuits, booties, sprayskirts, throwbags,
This is a great way to get a jump on summer and get ready for your paddling season. We are going to find the sun and really have some fun. Please join us this year.
For more information give me a call at 403-628-2336.
Dates: April 21 -25
Costs: Instruction - $ 350, Food - $150, Camping - $70, Travel w Chuck - $ 125, Boat & Gear Transport $25. If you travel with your family you can avoid the camping and fuel costs.
Come on your own or with your family. Looking to find some sun and fun.
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Instructor Training
Chuck Lee has been involved in training and certifying Canada's paddling leaders in canoes and kayaks since 1978. He built the Provincial and then the National Kayak Instruction programs for the Alberta Whitewater Association, Whitewater Canada, and then Canoe/Kayak Canada through the National Coaching Certification Program.
He also built the original National Canoe Instruction Program with the Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association and ARCA back in the 1980's
When you take an Instructor Training course with Chuck Lee, you can be assured that you are getting a wealth of knowledge and experience from all the paddlers he has worked with over the years.
The Pinch-o-Crow Creekers is privileged to have Chuck managing their paddling programs to provide the best experience possible for everyone in the club.
Competition Training
The Pinch-o-Crow Creekers offers two levels of competitive training for kayaking, the Developmental Program and the Elite Team Program. All of our competitive training programs build on a solid foundation of sound technique, physical fitness and fun. Our goal is to make you the best paddler that you can be, in whatever discipline(s) you choose. We believe that the best foundation is a strong start in the pool, lake and river - building skills and confidence.
Once the basic skills have been learned, you are ready to start learning precision technique in the slalom gates. Slalom teaches paddlers how to precisely position their boat on the river to avoid hazards and to get where you need to go.
With good technical paddling we are able to venture out into some wilder rivers and show you some great places to paddle in our region. River running and creekboating is some of the most fun that you can have, seeing new places and exploring new rivers.
While we are out there we will build in some playboating, starting with surfing and controlling your boat on a wave. Then we will help you go way beyond this level to looping and twisting in the air, playing on the water in your boat.
And during our winter season and in between things we will be playing canoe polo, games of water polo played in our kayaks.
Most of all, you will be developing skills that will last a lifetime, forging friendships here and around the country, traveling with our club and the provincial team to events and competitions around Alberta and across North America.
Our club athletes have competed for Canada at international competitions in 5 continents and we are recognized for our ability to deliver good paddlers with excellent skills and great attitudes that are great ambassadors for Southwest Alberta.
