Beginner Coaching
Our beginner classes start off with an introduction to the gear, outfitting, and types of kayaks in the whitewater world. Then we move on to the lake and learn the strokes, posture, and balance control you will need. Once you are comfortable in your boat and we paddle...
Rolling
Whether you are learning your first roll or working out some kinks we are experts at teaching great roll technique. We’ll be sure to get you started off on the right track. If you are a beginner we will teach you the roll most suited for your style of paddling. If you...
Intermediate Coaching
Intermediate paddlers are boaters that have a solid on-side roll and can competently navigate Class III whitewater. Many folks at this level want to perfect a certain skill or need guidance on the Ocoee. Perhaps, you desire to dial in your freestyle kayaking. Perhaps...
Advanced Coaching
Advanced coaching is almost always 1:1. Students typically desire to learn specific techniques of freestyle and creek boating such as cartwheels or boofing. Your goal may be to paddle the Gauley, Cheoah, Tallulah, or Green and you need our coaches to show you the most...
Creek Boating
Why do kayakers enjoy creek boating? It may be the thrill of kayaking over waterfalls, or perhaps it is the adventure of paddling through beautiful, deep canyons. To some, it is the challenge of kayaking Class IV-V whitewater. To most creek boaters though, it is a...
Our Instructors:
Joseph (Joe) Gudger
Kayaking and the lifestyle that accompanies it have led me to see some of the most inspirational places and to meet some of the most inspirational people. It is hard to express in words exactly what has drawn me to the rivers so strongly, but I am thankful for that...
Lynn Barlow
While in college, Lynn began working in the outdoor industry as a raft guide and spending her winters teaching skiing. She enjoyed raft guiding, but it prevented her from kayaking as much as she liked. On a kayaking trip to the southeast she met Joe, of ACE kayaking...
Nick Fiedler
In1996 the summer Olympic Games were held in my hometown of Atlanta, GA. All of the whitewater events were held on this river a couple of hours away called the Ocoee. I’d been whitewater rafting there a few times and absolutely loved being outside on the water
Brandon Beaty
I didn’t start Kayaking until my late 20’s. I spent my first year of kayaking mostly swimming my way down the Hiwassee before deciding I needed some help. That help came from Jeff West at Ace Kayaking
Jen Maxwell
I LOVE Kayaking! I remember the first time I was in a boat, I got flipped upside down to “wet exit” and came up with a huge smile. I knew it was meant to be. I have been paddling for 6 years and every year I find something new I want to accomplish. In 2011, I decided...
Morgan Wright
Four years ago a friend convinced me to go to Georgia State University's raft guide school. A few weeks later, I was offered a summer job working for a small rafting company on the Ocoee. By the end of my first summer, I had fallen in love with whitewater and couldn't...
Jake Trotter
I started working on the Ocoee in 2009 as a raft guide and that is when I found my true passion for whitewater. I grew up interacting with water and learned early on to appreciate it. Fishing and tubing on the creek behind my house and the Hiwassee River with my family
Kirk Eddlemon
My dad cultivated a deep respect and appreciation in me for wild places and adventure when I was just a boy, where we spent lots of time exploring the mountains and rivers of the world. In 2000 I started paddling whitewater regularly with a core group of like-minded friends. I’ve been a hopeless river-soul ever since