Canoe Rental & Shuttle Service
Cliff Speer (L) teaching a learn to canoe class at Lakeview Lake before launching the canoes ©canoeski
Learn to Canoe Mini-Courses
These short 4-hour beginner canoe lessons conducted in Saskatoon are for paddlers with compressed time schedules and wanting basic paddling strokes and safety tips to get started canoeing. Questions these canoeing lessons answer: What are the legal requirements for safe canoeing? How to safely enter and exit a canoe? What strokes are used to move a canoe in a straight line? How to make a canoe turn? What to do if a canoe tips? How to coordinate your strokes with your paddling partner to make the canoe go where you want it to go?
We will cover all these questions and more, plus have a short time to practice. The Learn to Canoe Mini-course schedule does not allow enough time to introduce a wider range of paddling skills and knowledge. The more comprehensive Learn to Canoe Plus course or our 1-day Beginner Canoeing Workshop are better choices if that is your goal. All canoeing and safety equipment is provided.
Recommended minimum age is 14.
| Weekend Morning Mini-Courses | May 26 (Sun.) | 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
| June 16 (Sun.) | 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | |
| July 6 (Sat.) | 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | |
Cost: $125 per person plus 5% GST (all courses have identical content, just different dates)
Location: Lakeview Lake
To Register: Call 306-653-5693; email: cliff@canoeski.com or email the Registration Form
NOTE: All canoe courses are taught by nationally certified Paddle Canada instructors. CanoeSki has been offering canoe lessons since 1990 when the company was formed.
Learn to Canoe Plus
Students in the Learn to Canoe Plus course practicing canoe over canoe rescue on Lakeview Lake ©canoeski
Here’s your chance to get started canoeing with confidence.
This comprehensive 12-hour course of beginner canoeing lessons, conducted in Saskatoon, will cover paddling techniques, canoeing safety, and equipment considerations. The canoe lessons are offered in a weekday evening or weekend format. The first part of each course is conducted on Lakeview Lake where we start with paddling safety practices and legal requirements for canoeing followed by a morning session practicing basic strokes. We break for lunch at the nearby Lakewood Civic Centre. The afternoon session introduces more intermediate strokes and canoeing manoeuvres, plus practice in slalom paddling. We finish up the day with a session on rescue procedures.
The second part (day 2 of the weekend course) involves a day trip on the beautiful South Saskatchewan River learning additional safety skills related to river travel and canoe tripping, like paddling in currents and wind, using maps for navigation, and water-proofing gear. It will be a chance to practice in a “real life” environment the strokes learned earlier on the small artificial lake. At the end of the course you’ll feel confident to launch on your own day trips on the South Saskatchewan River or similar “beginner friendly” Saskatchewan waterways.
The canoe lessons include all canoeing and safety equipment and participants’ take-home course manual. Recommended minimum age is 14.
| Evening Course | May 21, 23, 28, 30 | 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. |
| Weekend Courses | June 8, 9 | 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
| July 13, 14 | 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
Cost: $275 per person plus 5% GST (all courses have identical content, just different dates)
Location: Lakeview Lake and the South Saskatchewan River
To Register: Call (306) 653-5693; email: cliff@canoeski.com or email the Registration Form
Canoeing Tales of Discovery
It rarely happens on a learn to canoe course, on a quiet little lake, and it certainly wasn’t Barb’s fault. But when the bottom of her canoe decided to look skyward, she did not walk on water! Little did Barb know that it was preordained she would be the ideal shoe-in for an impromptu demonstration of a swimmer and a canoe T-rescue. She survived, learned more than the rest of the class, and ended up buying a couple of Souris River canoes from CanoeSki! Read her entertaining story here.
Learn to Canoe students “spreading their wings” on a South Saskatchewan River day trip ©canoeski
Paddling Workshops
These 6-hour workshops will concentrate on developing efficient paddling techniques.
Beginner Canoe Lessons
caters to novice paddlers and those contemplating a summer canoe trip, but who are not confident about performing all the basic strokes efficiently.
Intermediate Canoe Lessons
reviews the basics and develops advanced strokes. It will appeal to paddlers with some experience or learn-to-canoe “graduates.”
Advanced Canoe Lessons
is a prep course in advanced tandem and solo techniques for paddlers wishing to pursue certification or to simply enhance their overall paddling competence.
| Beginner | June 8 | 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Cost: $150 + GST |
| Intermediate | June 15 | 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Cost: $160 + GST |
| Advanced | June 16 | 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Cost: $175 + GST |
Location: Lakeview Lake. All canoeing and safety equipment provided
To Register: Call (306) 653-5693; email: cliff@canoeski.com or email the Registration Form
South Saskatchewan River day trip downstream of Beaver Creek ©canoeski
Private Canoe Lessons & Custom Trips
The beautiful South Saskatchewan River viewed from the Trans Canada Skywalk Trail (now closed) at Outlook ©canoeski
Individual or group canoe lessons or custom canoe trips can be arranged according to your needs and personal schedule. Group bookings are eligible for discounts.
For more info on canoe lessons or trips, contact Cliff Speer:
Tel: 306-653-5693
email: cliff@canoeski.com
