A Beginner’s Guide to Packrafting & Bikerafting

Podcast #5: Luc Mehl on Close Calls, & How Knowing More About Them Can Enhance Packrafting Safety ++ His Safety Tool Kit

PLEASE NOTE. WE DO NOT KNOW WHY THIS SHOW ISN'T UPLOADING IN ITS ENTIRETY TO SPOTIFY. PLEASE LISTEN TO IT ON PODBEAN. LINK BELOW. 
 
Luc Mehl on The Risks & Rewards of Leveling Up in Packrafting, What Close Calls Are & How Knowing More About Them Can Make Our Play Safer, Plus His Safety Tool Kit
 
Today we’re talking with one of the most interesting and accomplished guys in the world of packrafting, Luc Mehl. He’s traveled more than 10,000 miles by packraft, ski, bike and ice skates, often utilizing two or more of those tools on the same adventure. He wrote the definitive guide on packrafting safety and skills. Every Packrafter should have a copy of The Packraft Handbook. And he’s one of the world’s best packraft instructors. He’ll absolutely hate that I’m saying these things. But as far as I and many others are concerned, he’s the man. He’s also someone I love having conversations with him. I always learn so much.  Today Luc and I are talking about a wide variety of subjects, but mostly focused around culture of safety issues, such as the risks and  rewards of Leveling up in packrafting, what “close calls” actually are and how knowing more about them can help the packrafting community (and other adventure communities) play safer. Plus we review a bunch of tools he uses to be the best partner he can be to the people he adventures with. I hope you enjoy Episode #5 of, “A Beginner’s Guide to Packrafting & Bikerafting.” (CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE)
 
Buy The Packraft Handbook! 
Listen to the podcast," What to do When Your Adventure Falls Apart Thanks to Another Human." Human’s Outside, with Luc Mehl and Sarah Histand
“PLAN so things go right.
TRAIN for when they don't." Courses with Luc Mehl
The Packrafting Podcast #11, "The Packraft Handbook: Behind The Scenes with Luc Mehl." 
Luc on Instagram!
 

Expedition Packrafting & More with Jeff Creamer, SSI Instructor & Alpacka Raft Boat Tester

Today, for our fourth episode, we’re bringing you an interview with Jeff Creamer, a Swiftwater Safety Institute Instructor and a boat tester and boat maker at Alpacka Raft. Jeff is one of America’s top packrafters, having done numerous remote, challenging expeditions on up to Class V whitewater in the mountains, along with some creative trips pairing boats and skis. We are stoked this year, as Jeff is teaching a Level 4, intermediate/advanced paddling course for Four Corners Guides this spring, May 17-19, 2024. In the first 15 minutes of this episode we learn a bit about Jeff’s previous life as a ocean canoe racer and PhD student, his packrafting mentors Dan Thurber and Mike Curiak, and his early adventures skiing, packrafting and backpacking. And then we dive into Jeff’s expeditions, how he plans for them, how he chooses partners, and more. 

A Chat with Alaska Packraft School's Jule Harle on How Women Learn Differently from Men & More

In the third episode of our Podcast, A Beginner’s Guide to Packrafting, Four Corners Guides owner Lizzy Scully talks with renowned Packraft Instructor Jule Harle. A long-time kayaker and packrafter and owner of Alaska Packraft School, Jule has been instrumental in legitimizing packrafting as a sport through her work as a guide and her work with others to get the American Canoe Association packrafting curriculum in place to accredit packrafting guides across the country. She volunteers with the Alaska Chapter of the American Packrafting Association, and she was this year’s Golden Paddle winner. Jule is coming to the Four Corners June 15-17 to teach a women’s packrafting clinic for beginner/intermediate boaters.
In this episode, Jule and Lizzy take about a variety of things, including: 
 How Jule got into teaching and why she started the Alaska Packraft School
What she loves about teaching
How she teaches women and men differently
And did you know that women have a significantly bigger part of the brain that processes things through talking? Unsurprising!
How when Jule started, her boat was too big for her and she couldn’t get back in, and how she’s come up with some hacks to help women with that particular skill and other skills.
Jule doesn’t think men have an advantage because of their strength or willingness to take bigger risks. Rather, she says women and men just learn differently, and she has techniques that make some of the things that seem easy for men easier for women.
Different ways to deal with PTSD and stress if you’ve had a bad boating or other traumatic experience
Finally we discussed what we’ll do in our first annual women’s beginner/intermediate course this June, including running scenarios where we “practice controlled chaos,” wet exits and re-entries, and boat fittings to optimize your performance on the water.

Whitewater Packrafting Gear: Recommendations From an Expert

In the second episode of A Beginner's Guide to Packrafting (& Bikerafting),  Tony Miely talks whitewater gear for packrafters. While he doesn't review the full spectrum of gear available (that would be a 5-hour video!), he talks about some of the basic gear that people need to get started with whitewater boating. Tony is one of the long-time owners of 4Corners Riversports, the premier boating store in SW Colorado.

A Chat With Steve ”Doom” Fassbinder About All Sorts of Packrafting Things

In this episode, Four Corners Guides Head Guide Steve Fassbinder discusses his packrafting history, how he gained experience & his packrafting kit (boats, PFDs, helmets & drysuits, etc). Doom offers tips for beginners, emphasizing the importance of honesty & communication when paddling with others, plus advice on choosing appropriate rivers & trips based on skill level, the benefits of seeking guidance & training from experienced packrafters & the importance of having fun!