Hard Water Sports

Tony did a great job introducing my wife and I to ice climbing. He was encouraging while providing tactical guidance during the climbing. He has all the gear and made it easy for us. Thank you!

My partner and I shared a tandem kayak and it was a blast! This was my first time white water rafting. The guides were very experienced and passionate about delivering a positive experience. Tony the owner is very serious about safety and makes sure to give the best possible tour that river conditions allow. I will be back to try ice climbing and a larger raft during higher water!

My girlfriend and I went ice climbing with Tony right after Christmas and couldn’t be happier. We were out of state and Tony was very kind to reschedule us one day earlier due to weather conditions. Overall, everything went smoothly and the ice climbing park is only two minutes away from the Hard Water Sports office. Tony is a very experienced climber (over 25 years) and you can totally trust him and the experience is 100% safe. Make sure to have some warm but non-restrictive clothes suitable for active sports. Boots, crampons, axes, helmets, harnesses, and even gloves will be provided. Tony did a great job explaining the basics of ice climbing and both my girlfriend and went up two different ice routes a few times. It was a lot of fun and totally different from indoor climbing we both did. Forget everything you knew before about climbing (except how to tie knots - that still applies here). In the end, we both had a great time and learned something new. If you’re in Minnesota and looking for a memorable adventure - ice climbing with Tony is the way to go. We’d love to come back for some rafting in the summer!

Really fun experience! The river was unseasonably low during our trip so we couldn't do a rafting trip as we had hoped. However, we did get to go on kayaks and our guide, Tony, did a great job of helping us navigate the river. Our family (3 teens, 2 parents) had no trouble and we all had a blast. Highly recommend!

Ice climbing was so cool, and Tony was a great teacher. We found Hard Water Sports online and thought ice climbing would be a great winter activity. We've never climbed ice before, but we got right up the wall on our first try. Hard Water Sports has all the ice climbing gear, and they just coached us on how to do it. We really enjoyed the entire day, meeting the people we climbed with, and we will likely be back quite a few times to climb, as well as in the summer for rafting.

This was our first time white water rafting, and was perfect! Our guides, Jeff, Charlie, & Twig were very knowledgeable and helpful, they had so many stories about the area and even took some pictures and sent us a google drive folder! The bursts of rapids were short, with breaks between to regroup and get instructions for the next. One tip, bring bug spray! All around highly recommend this experience!

Hands down one of the best "close to home" adventures in Minnesota! The Kettle River is beautiful & the guides do a great job on all levels. Just a fantastic opportunity an hour north of Minneapolis!

Tony and Jessica were fabulous guides! We are experienced paddlers and they showed us a great time. Rapids, cliff jumping, water falls, kayak surfing! The equipment provided was well maintained and clean, their tutorials were spot on, and they were accommodating to all levels of paddlers. We highly recommend their river tours!

My dad and I had a blast rafting the kettle river! We used a kayak and it was awesome! Highly recommend, Tony is a great guide. He’s very knowledgeable and made the day extra fun!

I come here every summer. Tony and his Friendly adventurer scout dog are excellent guides. Sometimes we get the river that is too high sometimes too low sometimes in the middle. Safety is important for tony he always warn us how to go where to go. I like the nice area the river is clean no people on both sides. Excellent adventure. No noise pollution. Just the river and us.

Great experience! Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Learned a lot about the area while enjoying the thrill of the rapids. Fun 52nd bday celebration for dad! Would highly recommend!

Did the rafting tour down the kettle river and loved it. Instructor was very knowledgeable and friendly. 100% would do again. Kettle river in the summer is gorgeous. The people at hard water sports were very nice. Great experience to do with family or friends

Whitewater rafting with HWS was fun, well-priced, well-organized, safe, and informative. We learned a lot, from how to paddle a boat and surf a wave to the history of the river. #1 tip for the trip: bring bug spray! We are excited to paddle with HWS again soon.

We did the 10 am tour with Jeff this Saturday, 6/4/22. There was a bit of nervousness in our group, but the team at Hard Water did a great job answering questions so as to settle that. From the moment we arrived to departed, the employees at Hard Water made the experience feel light and fun.
The rafting part was FREAKING AWESOME. I now wish there were more and bigger sections to hit! Already planning a trip back with my son. I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested, we had a blast!

We had a blast on this trip. It was great for kids because the rapids are not too intense. The Kettle River has some beautiful spots that the guides brought us to check out. I would do it again!

Took the intro to rock climbing course with Anders. From beginning to end was a great experience. He was calm and made sure the boys felt safe while on the wall. Was coaching us from the ground and the kids loved it. We were out on the wall for a solid 3 hours.

2 days later did the whitewater trip on the kettle river. Again the guides, Jeffrey and Nate, were super friendly, informative, and made everybody feel safe on the water. Jumped off a cliff into the river and swam under wolf creek falls. It was a really fun trip and well worth the money. 5 stars in all aspects!

We spent the afternoon on the river and had an amazing time. We were in a double duckie and absolutely loved it. The rapids were fun, not too big, but just right. If you have not done this trip, book it now!!!

Had a great afternoon on the Kettle River with Tony (guide) and his dog, Scout. We were a party of 2 and there was another party of 8. We were paired in small 2-person inflatable canoe-like rafts with Tony and Scout in the lead. After a quick check-in/gear fitting it was a short 10 min drive to the launch site. We had a safety overview and quick paddling lesson, then we were off. Tony discussed the best way to manage each set of rapids as we approached, demonstrated it, then faced upstream to coach each raft through as we through. We stopped to “surf” rapids a few times, stretch our legs with short hikes to rocky outcrops for drinks, scenic views, and jumping into the river, and visited Wolf Creek Falls. River was lower so rapids were mild making for a very safe first whitewater rafting experience and learning to paddle with my 11 year old son. Low water also meant a long steady paddle against the wind at the end. The Kettle River is gorgeous and we had a wonderful 3.5 hours on this guided adventure. Thanks Tony!

What a great experience!! The Kettle River is beautiful and the rapids are definitely manageable even for someone that's never done something like this before. Especially with the help of our guides, Jeff and Glen who spent time with our group practicing paddling and explaining what to expect and how to navigate each rapid. I give the experience 10 stars!!

This experience was awesome! We showed up, geared up, and they brought our group to the river! Our guide was very knowledgeable about the area and the equipment. The scenery was BEAUTIFUL. I don’t think there is a better way to view the area. We got to go jumping of a big boulder and see waterfalls. The whole process was very slick and enjoyable for all! Great activity for adventure seekers!