Learning with Purpose

This isn’t a guided trip around Pictured Rocks — it’s a learning experience.

GLSKS is about helping paddlers develop skills, confidence, and humility to explore on their own.

GLSKS OVERVIEW

Build skills, confidence, and community on Lake Superior

The Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium is designed to help paddlers grow at their own pace through small coaching pods and intentional challenge levels.

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Challenge Levels

At GLSKS, challenge levels aren’t about difficulty — they’re about where you’ll learn best. The water is our classroom. Each level is about finding the conditions where you have the space to think, practice, and progress — not just to manage.

Learning Tracks

We’re providing space for those who are new to sea kayaking. This pod’s schedule is similar to that of a Water, Bumpy Water, or Bigger Bumpy Water pod, but with a focus on foundational skills for success. This might not be their first time paddling, but they are new to sea kayaking!

This is the core of the symposium! We work in challenge-level pods based on guided self-assessments. These pods will have coaches who will help facilaite learning on the move as we use the environment in Grand Marais and along pictured rocks to develop and grow. Each pod makes their plan for the week based on the group’s desired outcomes.

Water

This is where the Magic Happens!

CONDITIONS Winds up to 10 knots | Flat to 1 foot chop | distance 0-8 miles

ADVANCED SKILL REFINEMENT: Self-rescue | towing | precision boat handling | scenarios

THE TOOLS FOR SUCCESS: love of the sport – gear that fits and works – a smile and open attitude to learning

Bumpy Water

Let’s See If It Works. . .

CONDITIONS: wind 10-15 knots | seas 1-3 foot | 1-2 foot surf | distance 0-15 miles

POSSIBILITIES

ROUGH WATER PROGRESSION -> effective boat handling in wind and waves | leadership | intro to surfing | rescues and towing

HARD SURFACE PROGRESSION -> caves, break walls and rock gardening

THE TOOLS FOR SUCCESS: rock solid assisted rescues and progressing self-rescue | completed paddles of 10-15 miles

OWN IT! -> YOU, YOUR SKILLS, AND YOUR GROUP

ACA 2 – 4

Bigger Bumpy Water

You’ve Got The Dream Date, Not What?

CONDITIONS: winds 15-25 knots | seas 3-6 feet | 2-4 foot SURF

THE TOOLS FOR SUCCESS: Dependable roll in conditions | assisted rescues in under a minute | the “bumpy water” is just “water”

Choosing your challenge level isn’t about how big the waves are — it’s about where you’ll learn the most. You’ll explore and reflect with coaches on Thursday to find your fit.

WEDNESDAY
Check-in begins at 6:00 pm in the Community Center. Street taco dinner followed by sorting our gear and rentals.

THURSDAY

We will ALL play together in Grand Marais. The morning we’ll paddle in randomly selected groups exploring the harbor while providing the info for you to make an informed choice as to what challenge level you want for the rest of the symposium. Think of the challenge levels as where you’ll be best able to reach your goals for the weekend. You can read more about the challenge levels and how pods are formed. You’ll work with your team and coaches to help reflect with an honest self-assessment.

During lunch, we’ll form the pods for the rest of the weekend.

After lunch, we’ll have demo boats on the beach for you to explore. We’ll assign pods based on challenge levels and introduce you to your coaches. In the afternoon you’ll paddle in your pod and refine rescues and come up with a plan for the following day. Every group will explore rescues together as you build pod connectivity (plan to be in the water)

Dinner is on your own tonight, there a few options locally. We’ll enjoy informal sunset paddle for those who want to get back on the water or you can walk out on the breakwall and enjoy the sunset from land.

FRIDAY and SATURDAY

These days we’ll be in our pods. On both days you’ll have your liaison coach plus a different coach each day.

Destinations for your pod can be locally in and around Grand Marais Harbor, or to Pictured Rocks and Grand Island. You’ll work with your pod to set goals for learning and development and work together in beautiful locations to grow as paddlers. Each pod will the the opportunity to choose to go into the Picture Rocks National Lakeshore one of these days and you’ll stay local the other day.

Friday dinner is the best local fish fry and Saturday we’ll wrap with the best pasty’s in the UP (we think so anyway).

SUNDAY

We will be offering half-day classes on Sunday. You will be able to sign up for these sessions on Saturday night. Some sessions could include One-on-one coaching sessions, rolling, Personal Video Analysis, SUP, and Paddling for FUN. We intentionally ask for feedback from coaches and participants on what they’d like to explore on Sunday.

Check out the great lineup of coaches you will have the opportunity to work with.

Choose your track at registration: Learning on the Move or It’s New to Me, or Just Paddling. By completing this ahead of time, it allows us to better set up our coaching staff.

*Challenge levels for Learning on the Move are determined up in Grand Marais, MI, on Thursday based on your discussion with coaches after exploring and playing together.