Student Whitewater Safety Weekend 2026

9–11 October
Capel Curig, North Wales

We're looking forward to welcoming you to the Student Whitewater Safety Weekend in Capel Curig!The weekend is designed to give everyone a chance to develop their whitewater safety skills, spend some time on the river and meet other student paddlers from around the UK and Ireland.Please read the information below and complete the registration/sign-up information before the weekend.

Weekend Itinerary

Friday — Arrival, Registration & Evening Meal17:00: Bunkhouse accommodation open - North London Mountaineering Hut, Bryn Glo car park18:00 onwards: Arrival & registration - Capel Curig Community Hall18:30–20:30: Buffet style evening meal - Capel Curig Community Hall18:00–21:00: RegistrationIf you're unable to arrive before registration closes at 21:00, please let us know. We can arrange for you to register online or complete your registration on Saturday morning.Head to your accommodation, get settled in and prepare for the weekend. Tyn y Coed and Plas y Brenin bar open until 11pm.Saturday — Day one workshops & social evening09:00: Your group allocation, coach, meeting point and transport arrangements will be confirmed on Friday evening.You'll spend the day on the water with your group, with the content tailored to your goals and ability level.~17:00: Return to your accommodation, get changed/showered and have some time to relax before the evening session.18:00 onwards — Evening social & talksWe'll have food, followed by:- A short talk about an upcoming safety initiative by Dave Kohn-Hollins
- Quiz/games (with prizes!)
- General socialisingThere will be plenty of food (provided by Radical Rider), and you're very welcome to take leftovers away for Sunday breakfast, lunch or river snacks.Sunday — Day two workshops & departure09:00: Meet your group and coach and head out for the second day of training.Daytime — Whitewater safety trainingA second day of safety training and paddling, again appropriate to your group's ability level.17:00: Home time

Ability groups

There will be three ability groups:Level 1 - Entry level
I am relatively new to paddling and have been on a few river trips
I have had little or no experience with whitewater safetyLevel 2 - Intermediate
I’m a regular paddler
I am reasonably confident on grade 2/3 rivers
I have some whitewater safety experience (perhaps a WWSR weekend or peer learning)
I would like to start planning and leading my own tripsLevel 3 - Advanced
I paddle grade 3/4 rivers confidently
I regularly plan and lead river trips
I am confident in my personal whitewater safety skillsPlease select the level that best matches your current paddling ability and experience. If in doubt, select the lower level initially.Your final group allocation will be confirmed on Friday evening.

What to bring

- River running kayak and paddle
- Appropriate kayaking kit for cold weather - bring extra thermals.
- Full whitewater safety equipment appropriate to your level
- Easy access snacks/water bottleYou'll also need:- Sling
- Carabiner(s)
- River knife
- ThrowlineNice to haves:First aid kit
Split paddles
Group shelterNeed to order kit for the weekend?Radical Rider can deliver your orders to registration on Friday. Just put ‘Deliver to SWSW’ in the order notes. A small selection of safety equipment will be also be available on the night.If there’s a piece of kit/boat you’d like to look at, please call Radical Rider in advance and they’ll bring it along

Accommodation

Some participants have pre-booked accommodation at the North London Mountaineering Hut, just above Bryn Glo car park. If you're staying at the NLMH, please also bring:- Sleeping bag
- Pillow
- Anything else you need for a basic bunkhouse stayA camping chair is also a good idea if you have one, particularly for hanging around outside in the evenings.The bunkhouse is for sleeping, not partying. If you're planning to stay out late, please head to one of the local pubs/bars/woods and let the bunkhouse remain a peaceful place for people to wind down and sleep.If you have booked your own accommodation, please make your own arrangements for getting to and from the various meeting points.If you’re still looking for accommodation, Plas y Brenin will do nice bunkhouse beds for £30/PPPN - Click here to book

Transport

We'll be organising transport around the different ability groups and paddling locations.Coaches will provide some transport where possible, and we'll also use student drivers to help get everyone where they need to be.Please provide the following information in your registration form:- Where are you travelling from?
- What time do you expect to arrive on Friday?
- Are you driving?
- How many passengers can you carry?
- How many kayaks can you transport?
- Are you happy to take other students with you?
- If so, how many?We'll do our best to organise transport so that everyone knows who they're travelling with and where they need to be by Friday evening.

Other useful info

Everyone attending the weekend will need to complete the event registration and agree to the event T&Cs.We'll do this at registration on Friday evening.If you're unable to attend Friday's registration, please let us know in advance and we'll arrange for you to complete the registration online or on Saturday morning.Emergency ContactYou'll be asked to provide an emergency contact who:- Is 18 or over
- Is not attending the weekend
- Can be contacted in the event of an emergencyPlease provide:- Name
- Relationship to you
- Phone number
- Email addressAlcohol & Evening SocialisingThe main focus of the weekend is whitewater safety training and meeting other student paddlers.That said, we appreciate that people may want to have a drink and socialise in the evening. Plas y Brenin has a bar which will be open until 23:00, and there's also the pub at Tyn-y-Coed.If you're planning a night out, please make use of the local pubs/bars/outdoor areas rather than bringing the party back to the bunkhouse. The accommodation is shared and there'll be people getting up early to paddle the following morning.In short: have fun, be sensible, and please let people sleep!

If your plans change or you have any questions

Before the event?Email: [email protected]During the event?We'll have a participant WhatsApp group for the weekend.Please use this if:- Your travel plans change
- You're running late
- You have a transport problem
- You can't make a planned session
- You have any concerns during the weekend
- Something else unexpected comes up

Any questions?