PRIVATE COACHING & EXPEDITION TRAINING
Packraft Academy offers private coaching, expedition preparation, and advanced packrafting instruction for paddlers seeking genuine competence on the river — not simply another guided day out.
Whether you are new to packrafting, progressing into whitewater, preparing for remote expeditions, or refining advanced river and safety skills, every program is designed around practical performance, sound judgment, and long-term development in real river environments.
The focus is not only on technical ability, but also on awareness, adaptability, decision-making, and the confidence required to move effectively through dynamic environments.
Every training is built around your objectives, experience level, and progression as a paddler.
PRIVATE TRAINING
All coaching is fully private.
Once booked, your training dates are reserved exclusively for you or your group to ensure focused instruction, direct feedback, and meaningful progression throughout the day.
Available Formats
- 1:1 Private Coaching
- Private Group Training
- Multi-Day Training Programmes
- Expedition Preparation & Skills Development
- Remote & International Coaching
- Family & Youth Instruction
Training can take place on local rivers or at destinations across Europe and beyond.
AREAS OF FOCUS
Each programme is individually designed and may include:
- Whitewater technique and river reading
- Safety, rescue, and emergency management
- Expedition systems and risk management
- Self-rescue and solo paddling strategies
- Family and youth packrafting
- Bikepacking and expedition integration
- Multi-day wilderness travel
- Technical whitewater progression
- Remote river planning and logistics
- Wilderness skills and outdoor leadership
PRICING
Full Day Private Coaching
| Format | Rate |
|---|---|
| 1:1 Private Coaching | €450 |
| Private Group — 2 People | €650 |
| Private Group — 3 People | €850 |
| Private Group — 4+ People | From €1,050 |
Multi Day Programs & Expeditions
Custom quotation.
Travel and expedition logistics outside local training areas are arranged separately.
Equipment can be provided where required, including packrafts, paddles, helmets, and technical safety equipment.
INSTRUCTION & LEADERSHIP
Training is led by Seon Crockford-Laserer — expedition packrafter, rescue instructor, and outdoor leader with decades of experience operating in challenging whitewater and wilderness environments.
Instruction combines modern paddling technique with field-tested expedition systems developed through real-world guiding, rescue, and remote travel experience.
Clients consistently value not only the technical depth of the training, but also the calmness, clarity, and confidence developed throughout the learning process.
Qualifications
- Rescue 3 Europe — Whitewater Rescue Technician Instructor
- IRF Whitewater Guide Instructor Level 3
- IRF Safety Kayaker Instructor Level 3
- IRF Raft Guide Level 3
- NOLS Wilderness First Responder
THE APPROACH
Packraft Academy is built around long-term capability rather than short-term entertainment.
The objective is simple:
to help paddlers move through wild river environments with greater competence, confidence, awareness, and sound judgment.
Effective river travel depends not only on technical skill, but also on adaptability, communication, presence, and the ability to remain calm and responsive under pressure.
Every program is planned directly with you.
No generic itineraries. No mass-market instruction. No automated booking systems.
Due to the highly personalised nature of the training, availability throughout the season is limited.
BOOKINGS
Packraft Academy operates on a limited private booking basis throughout the season.
To discuss your training program or expedition plans:
Email: training@packrafteurope.com
Subject: Packraft Academy
Phone / WhatsApp: +43 681 1056 8682
Following initial contact, we will arrange a short consultation to discuss your objectives, experience level, preferred locations, and the type of training experience best suited to your goals.
Let’s design your ultimate packrafting experience. Get in touch today!
TESTIMONIALS
Surendra - Switzerland
In preparation for our two-month Packraft trip to Alaska, where we mainly want to explore the vaste country by boat, and since we have no previous Packraft experience, we wanted to get into this new sport by doing a short, but intense expedition preparation course. For reference: We do have a lot of experience being outside, but had not much contact with water up-to-now. Since we anyway had planned to buy an alpacka packraft, we reached out to Seon.
From the first telephone contact, we were convinced by his great knowledge, his empathetic nature and his professionalism. And he was really honest in his opinion, that we have a lot of work ahead to get safe trough our adventure in Alaska and that we need an early start. Thus, we agreed to meet beginning in February in Austria for a short, but intense three day course, where we would get an introduction not only in packrafting but also have the chance to test a few boats.
The course was fully packed, intense, fun, challenging and Seon - beyond the technical skills and the deep understanding of river dynamics - showed great leadership and character that set him apart from the usual 08/15 guides. He pulled a three-day course out of the hat, that was exactly tailored made for our needs and with a lot of patience and encouragement he shared his immense knowledge not only about packrafting but also about expeditions. And some crucial part of this was, the exchange on different set-ups that have proven to work under extreme conditions.
Seon has transformed the river into a classroom, teaching us not only how to paddle and read the water but also how to listen to the rhythm of nature, to understand its power, and to appreciate its untamed beauty. In sometimes challenging situations, it’s not just about the paddling—it is about the camaraderie, the trust and he shared sense of adventure.
We cannot enough emphasize, how much we were able to learn in this very, very short amount of time from Seon in so many different ways. But also after the course, during our preparation time, he is always there for open questions and continues to share know-how, input, experience and advice.
Whether you are new to packrafting, need support in preparing for an expedition or want to deepen your knowledge of packrafting, Seon can teach you more than a thing or two in a very empathetic, thoughtful, calm way.