Courses & Programs

For those interested in getting their children into our ongoing kayak programs, whether it be the competitive stream or recreational whitewater paddling, the best entry point is one of our summer camps as many of our Spring or Fall programs require some basic whitewater skills as a pre-requisite. 

For more advanced paddlers, coaching is offered by age group.  This includes cadets, juniors(under 18), seniors and masters/adults.  All courses, sessions or coaching fees are not included in the ORR membership.

Introductory Courses

Please note, that while we do offer introductory whitewater paddling courses/camps for children, and youth, we only occasionally have scheduled Intro courses for adults. We will though, on occasion, offer a custom adult, young children,  family or group introductory course, upon request, and subject to the participants becoming club members. The cost is ~$25-$30/hour for private lessons and ~$15-$20/hour for semi-private or group lessons, including all equipment. The best time for these lessons are during the summer (June, July, August) when we employ more instructors to staff our summer camps and to also teach adults. The entry poiint for most of our year-round programs are via summer courses and camps. 

Interest Form: Please complete this form if you are interested in such a course.

For adults looking for Introductory Courses, we also encourage you to  search out Commercial Paddling Schools. A number of companies offer courses on a number of local Ontario and Quebec rivers, like Palmer Rapids, the Ottawa River and the Madawaska. Taking a course before becoming a club member is an excellent way to transition into Whitewater Paddling.

A few commercial operators that have supported ORR over the years include:

2026 Adult Intro Clinics

We are happy to announce that we have an Adult & Youth (16=+)  Intro to Whitewater Kayak Course/Clinic now scheduled for 2 evenings Tue/Thu + a full day on Saturday

  1. Tuesday June 16 6-8pm
  2. Thursday June 18 6-8pm
  3. Sunday June 21st 9:30-4:30.

You may register here: https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=42050. Additional information is available in the poster below

Once you click on the course, you will get the option of the $10 one-time Whitewater Ontario fee, or you can decide to take out club membership (via another form). This is explained on the registration form. WO is the provincial body that provides us with insurance for members and course participants.

Please do not register for the course/clinic if you cannot attend all sessions, as that is unfair to those that are able to make the whole course. If you have already taken one of our Intro courses and wish to take this as a refresher, that is ok, but please send me an email indicating this, and noting it in the prior experience section of the registration form.

Once everyone is registered there will be mail out to you with more information about getting there and what to bring.

Please note that space is limited, and the spots will go to the first to register. (Within a day or two, there will also be social media announcements about the course which will attract other potential participants.) There is a place to add your name to a wait list if we find another instructor and expand the number of spots for this course, or for additional courses this year. We may only offer one to two more courses this summer, and usually we only provide a couple of week’s notice, as scheduling is highly dependent on our instructor availability, most of whom are busy teaching our Kids/Youth Summer Camps

We do not have a formal follow-on course scheduled at this time, but we may be able to organize a few custom lessons, or an actual mini-course, and then you should be in a position to join the club’s weekly evening “Open” (club membership + $25per) sessions where we provide instruction and supervision. Some of you may be very fast learners and be able to jump right into those after the Intro course, plus sometimes we do hold evening Flatwater Open sessions, as a way to gain more skills and balance before moving onto the Whitewater Open sessions.

If you have any questions please feel free to email the club at [email protected]


We offer a form where you can express interest in courses that will help us with scheduling. Those on the waiting/signup list will be notified if and when such a course is scheduled. If you are interested in being on the waiting list, please complete the Interest Form. Please e-mail the ORR ([email protected]) for the registration link for any specific course.

Children & Youth Programs

Please also see our Summer Camps page for some information on Children and Youth programs. We offer both a Summer Camp – Level 1 and Summer Camp – Level 2 programming.

ORR offers development of whitewater kayak skills for children, cadets and youth through small group local sessions and beginner river runs taught by club coaches.  Participants must have appropriate skill levels entering the program, as assessed by instructors or the head coach. Slalom programs focus on kayaking as a competitive sport, but at the introductory level, it is all about improving skills and having fun. These programs are open to club members only. Equipment (including slalom boats) is available for loan for those without their own equipment. Children and Youth programs are usually for children 16 and under but older children can be accommodated. 

To clarify our breakdown of skill level groups here at the ORR. Here is a list from the easiest to hardest programs that we run excluding the introductory summer camps mentioned above.

The High Performance Development Program along with the Junior, Under 23 and Senior programs run either year round or from Spring through the Fall, and continue with Pool Sessions in the Winter.

They are more advanced and intensive competitive slalom programs for athletes that runs approximately 5x/week and includes winter training and training camps. These programs are run in conjunction with Whitewater Ontario (WO) and Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC).

Minnows Program

This program is designed for under 10 year olds and the goal is to get them comfortable in boats in moving water.  In past years, we have met once a week down at the lower section during the supper time hour. Be prepared for your kids to eat before and after but we promise to get them to their beds at a regular time. In the past, sessions were held on Wednesday evenings beginning at 5:45PM.

ORR is looking for parent volunteers to run this program during the 2025 summer. Please email info @ ottawariverrunners.com to get involved.

The session is made up entirely of drills like eddy turns, ferrying and, when water warms up we get them doing wet exits.  We try to do a bit of dry land simulation explaining the principles of hydrodynamics but don’t get too serious about it and we are mainly there to have fun and goof around.

Parental involvement is essential. We would appreciate if people stick around to get kids in and out of boats. Assistance is required to get equipment out of the clubhouse and return it at the end of each session.  Sometimes we do snacks after.

The club has a number of smaller boats but participants are encouraged to bring their own boats if they have one.

Participants, parent(s)/guardian(s) and child(ren) must be registered as a family with ORR to be considered.

The program was created by Dave Adams, of Kichi Sibi, formerly SJAM, winter trail fame.

Evening Sessions

The ORR works to offer ongoing evening recreation-focused sessions each year for different age and ability levels. In order to participate in sessions, you must have taken an introductory level whitewater kayaking course, or have beginner level whitewater skills. More information on where to get this experience is listed at the bottom. Sometimes, we also offer rolling clinics and other instruction, if there is demand. Participation in sessions is only open to club members. Participants should have their own equipment, or arrange ahead of time to book club equipment.

Adult/Youth Open Sessions (Ages 15+)
All beginner to intermediate level club members are invited to participate in these instructed sessions. Club instructors will work with small groups, teaching whitewater skills and providing rescues on the Pumphouse. These sessions are a great way to work your way up to river runs, or to prepare for the September Pumphouse Race. Participants should use the style of recreational boat that they want to improve their paddling in. If you are bringing your own equipment, please ensure that you have the appropriate flotation. If you need club equipment, there is some available, but it is ‘first come, first served’.

For 2026 these sessions are scheduled on Monday and Tuesday evenings, from 6:30pm to 8pm. As the weeks progress, we will see if we can add further adult sessions on other evenings as we have done in past years, and mix it up with flatwater and rolling sessions. Historically, the club has offered some type of Open Sessions on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings (except holidays). These include youth, adult, whitewater, flatwater, and rolling sessions.

All are kayak sessions and no canoe sessions are offered at this time. If you are a new member and would like more information about open sessions, please contact us (at [email protected])

Registration for the 2026 season is done via a Google Form and then this year we are trying a new reservation system using the free no-ad Spond App. You pay for a pack of sessions and indicate a bit in advance which sessions you will be attending. We only need this FORM done once just so we have your contact info. Payment is somewhat on the honour system based on attendance records for the season but we would like some prepayment of a few sessions.

1) Google Registration Form

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeovwgU9CjcznSW-85zfjtNlXxkjDpiIu4-GjWnt90vcnZgbg/viewform?usp=dialog

2) Spond Invite

To be used on a regular basis. Spond only shows a few dates for now, but we will build it out soon.

https://spond.com/invite/IOECI

Cost: The cost is $25/session for ~1.5 hrs and there is a discount for pre-booking a pack of 3 or more. We need a minimum of 2 people to hold the session, or the fee goes up to $40 (essentially as a private session). You will need to pay for a session that you cancel with less than 24 hours notice.

Note: You must be a club member to participate in Open Sessions. Signup instructions have been sent out to all club members by email (see our Membership page to join the club).

Masters Slalom Sessions
Masters’ Slalom Sessions are not held at this time. Please email the club to inquire about Informal Masters Slalom sessions.

We do not at this time offer instruction in C1, OC1, or OC2, but we are happy to provide recommendations to other local instructors or clubs that do. 

Other Courses
Private or Group Lessons can also be arranged for club members. We are happy to run custom courses if there is enough interest. Get a few friends together and e-mail us, and we will put it out to the rest of the club.

For adults looking for Introductory Courses, we also encourage you to  search out Commercial Paddling Schools. A number of companies offer courses at Champlain Bridge, Palmer Rapids, the Ottawa River, the Madawaska, and other local Ontario or Quebec rivers. MKC offers instruction at the Pumphouse with their MKC in the City program. Taking a course before becoming a club member is an excellent way to transition into Whitewater Paddling.

If you have any children you’d like to send to evening sessions, please contact us and we will see what we can schedule or if they can join any of the adult sessions. We also have a “Ripples” program going on and sessions available (see the Cadet/Junior Programs page or ask Tyler at [email protected]  about the options)