<i>SOMMERKURSE</i>SCHWEIZ</i>
<i>SOMMERKURSE</i>SCHWEIZ</i>
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SOMMERKURSESCHWEIZ

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April – October 2025

SUMMER COURSES SWITZERLAND

 

INTRODUCTION TO SEA KAYAKING

Basic skills for all sea kayakers

Dates:
29.05.2025 | 05.07.2025

Cost: 210 CHF

On our one-day basic sea kayak course you will get to know a new world. On an intensive day, you will lay a stable technical foundation that you will build on throughout your entire life. This day is therefore the most important and best investment you can make at the beginning of your paddling career.

This day is all about paddling technique. In addition to the basics, such as getting in and out safely and using the spray deck, you will learn how to properly control your boat and sail on the lake with fun and efficiency. Nice, clean paddling strokes using your whole body are just as important as cornering and edging your kayak.

Important: Learning good, efficient paddling technique is fundamental. But that's not all you should learn in order to travel on your own in a sea kayak: the issue of safety is no less important. Unfortunately, it is impossible to satisfactorily accommodate these two most important pillars of sea kayak training in one day. We therefore strongly recommend that you combine this course with our Safety Course Base Skills. This always takes place the day after the Introduction to Sea Kayaking Course.

From Zero to Hero: Introduction, safety and rolling course at a special price during Ascension Day weekend:

Take advantage of the long Ascension weekend (29 May - 1 June) and book the courses Intro to Sea Kayaking and Safety Course Base Skills together with the "Basic Course Greenland Standard Roll" in our FROM ZERO TO HERO special package for only 800 CHF!

Course Content

Course content
Introduction to sea kayaking, paddles & equipment
How to get into the kayak correctly and how to handle the spray deck
Disembark from the bank or jetty
Emergency exit under water
Body and paddling posture
Body/boat contact points
Body rotation
Footwork
Paddling forward
Edge up the boat
Wide curves and holding course in crosswinds
Tight curves
Paddling backwards
Move sideways
Bracing (and capsizing)
Environment, weather and other water users
Right of way rules on the lake
Transport the boat safely and carefully to land
Load the boat onto the car roof/trailer and secure it safely

Schedule
The course starts at 10:00 in the morning. We start on land, in land clothing, with a round of introductions and introductions (see above). Then we distribute the material, change clothes and go out on the water.

We take a lunch break on the beach at 13:00 at the latest. The course ends at 16:00.
Course locations

May 29 (Ascension Day):
Lake Murten, Salavaux Plage

We meet on the beach of the TCS campsite, just to the right (from land) next to the mouth of the Broye river. We recommend that participants who are staying for the safety course the following day or for the four-day package "From Zero to Hero" book a place on the campsite early. Experience has shown that the long Ascension weekend will be fully booked quickly.

Address:
Salavaux Plage
Chemin de la Plage 10
1585 Salavaux

July 5th:
Neuenburgersee, Chevroux


We meet at 9:30 in front of the small supermarket in the middle of the large parking lot of the Chevroux marina.
For overnight stays, we recommend reserving a spot at the neighboring campsite Camping de Chevroux early (it's the summer holidays and high season!) and setting up there on Friday evening if possible. If everything here is full, you can also buy an overnight ticket for a motorhome in the marina parking lot, provided there are free spaces. However, this is by no means cheaper and reservations are not possible.

Address:
Yachthafen
Port
1545 Chevroux

Bring along

Bring along:
Swimwear and towel
Yoga mat or old, simple foam sleeping mat
Warm clothing for on land after paddling (depending on the weather)
Sun hat, sunscreen and sunglasses (depending on the weather)
For cold water (April!): functional underwear (NOT made of cotton) including long underwear and a fleece top that fits as tightly as possible for the water.
Lunch and drinks (tea in a thermos in cold weather)
Writing utensils and pad
If you already have one: bring your own paddling clothing (life jacket, neoprene, paddling jacket, UV shirt, etc.). Otherwise, you can also borrow the equipment you need from us.

Attention when planning a change of waters: Stop Quagga!
The invasive and rapidly spreading quagga mussel threatens our lakes and infrastructure. This problem also affects us paddlers. Therefore, EVERY time you change waters, clean and dry your kayak and your equipment!

  • Remove visible plant material such as mud and residual water from the source water.
  • Then clean your kayak thoroughly with fresh water. Ideally with a high-pressure cleaner and water with a temperature of over 45 degrees. Make sure that the dirty water does not get into other waters.
  • Then dry your equipment and your kayak for at least four days.

More information on this topic can be found in this ETH Science Talk, for example
BOOK NOW
BOOK NOW
 

SAFETY COURSE BASE SKILLS

Absolutely essential for all sea kayakers

Dates:
30.05.2025 | 06.07.2025

Cost: 210 CHF

Perhaps the most important course of all: This is about your safety on the water in a sea kayak. No matter whether you are “just” out on the lake in calm conditions or whether you are planning big adventures on the ocean: the principles of planning and basic rescue techniques are always the same.

Basically, safety always has two aspects: 1. Avoiding dangers. 2. The correct behavior in a dangerous situation. This day is about both sides of the coin, i.e. avoiding bad situations through good planning of every activity on the water, as well as intensively practicing rescue techniques. Both together will contribute significantly to your safety. You'll also use the techniques you learn here in all of our advanced courses. Investing in this course is also worth it because over time, with increasingly complex conditions and scenarios, all further safety training will build on the basic techniques learned here.

Even though the topics here are largely serious, this course should – and will – be a lot of fun. This will ultimately be ensured by our scenarios, which you as a group will have to solve yourself.

From Zero to Hero: Introduction, safety and rolling course at a special price during Ascension Day weekend:

Take advantage of the long Ascension weekend (29 May - 1 June) and book the courses Intro to Sea Kayaking and Safety Course Base Skills together with the "Basic Course Greenland Standard Roll" in our FROM ZERO TO HERO special package for only 800 CHF!

Course Content

Course content
Basics: weather and tour planning (lake and simple, very protected areas on the sea)
Overview of security material
Basic knowledge of cold and hypothermia
Kayak(s) towing
Partner rescue after capsizing in deep water
Self-rescue in deep water

Schedule
The course starts at 10:00 in the morning. We start on land, in land clothing, with a round of introductions and introductions (see above). Then we distribute the material, change clothes and go out on the water.

At 13:00 at the latest we take a lunch break on the beach in Pont-la-Ville. The course ends at 16:00.
Course locations

May 29 (Ascension Day):
Lake Murten, Salavaux Plage

We meet on the beach of the TCS campsite, just to the right (from land) next to the mouth of the Broye river. We recommend that participants who are staying for the safety course the following day or for the four-day package "From Zero to Hero" book a place on the campsite early. Experience has shown that the long Ascension weekend will be fully booked quickly.

Address:
Salavaux Plage
Chemin de la Plage 10
1585 Salavaux

July 5th:
Neuenburgersee, Chevroux


We meet at 9:30 in front of the small supermarket in the middle of the large parking lot of the Chevroux marina.
For overnight stays, we recommend reserving a spot at the neighboring campsite Camping de Chevroux early (it's the summer holidays and high season!) and setting up there on Friday evening if possible. If everything here is full, you can also buy an overnight ticket for a motorhome in the marina parking lot, provided there are free spaces. However, this is by no means cheaper and reservations are not possible.

Address:
Yachthafen
Port
1545 Chevroux

Bring Along

Bring along:
Swimwear and towel
Yoga mat or old, simple foam sleeping mat
Warm clothing for on land after paddling (depending on the weather)
Sun hat, sunscreen and sunglasses (depending on the weather)
For cold water (April!): functional underwear (NOT made of cotton) including long underwear and a fleece top that fits as tightly as possible for the water.
Lunch and drinks (tea in a thermos in cold weather)
Writing utensils and pad
If you already have one: bring your own paddling clothing (life jacket, neoprene, paddling jacket, UV shirt, etc.). Otherwise, you can also borrow the equipment you need from us.

BOOK NOW
BOOK NOW

ROLLING COURSES

Essential, exciting and not that hard to learn

Various dates from May to November

Cost: from 350 CHF

Sooner or later almost all sea kayakers want to learn one: the so-called “Eskimo roll”. We don't like this term at all, preferring to simply talk about "rolling". What's more: The one role doesn't exist at all! The indigenous peoples of the North, particularly the Greenlanders, have developed countless different rolls. In the 1980s, when the centuries-old culture of rolling in Greenland was near extinction along with the traditional Greenlandic "qajaq", some ambitious people, together with Manasse Mathæussen, who was then around 70 years old, began a campaign with the aim of achieving to protect this immense cultural heritage from loss. They founded the Greenland Kayak Association and Manasse, now considered the savior of Greenland's lively rolling and kayak culture, began teaching his first students. The young association soon organized the first Greenlandic kayaking and rolling championships. 33 competitive roles were defined, some of which were documented centuries ago. In fact, there are many more traditional and new (!) Greenlandic roles that are also practiced but have never been included in the official competition list.

Rolling is not just the art of righting your kayak after a capsize. It is also a sport in itself. And a journey to the far-reaching roots of our hobby in general. With every role we make a small contribution to preserving the cultural heritage of the brave hunters of the Arctic, which is fortunately more alive today than it has been for a long time and is far from extinct. Have you become curious and would you like to take a look into this fascinating world? Then you are right with us. You can find an overview of our range of rolling courses here:
UNSERE ROLLKURSE
UNSERE ROLLKURSE

This is what Silvy Seal says

Yes, of course, you can also kayak in freshwater! For my part, I prefer the sea, but from what I've heard about your lakes, they must be really beautiful – and great for learning and practicing, of course. And all of this without even having to drive thousands of kilometers by car.

The fact that you learn the basics here and build a solid foundation is also a great thing. Because then there will be fewer problems if you get into somewhat difficult situations at sea with your kayaks. And rolling, as I've already said elsewhere, I also think is great. I'll ignore the part about hunting seals for now... I can understand why the Greenlanders do that – we've come to terms with each other about this over the millennia. And they respect and honor us marine mammals for it. But hopefully you won't come up with any strange ideas, will you?
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