Communication signals for paddlers

 

 These signals can be used in a variety of paddling situations, like on flatwater when there is a great distance involved or on whitewater and the sea where noise of the water makes the communication options limited. The table below contains the most important and most frequently used signals.
You can see the IRF’s complete and ..more

Want a book of memories from WRC 2013 in NZ?

One of the official photographers at the 2013 World Rafting Champs in New Zealand - Garrick Cameron – has put together a coffee table book – 127 pages of beautiful photos!

This is a great way to keep the memory of that awesome trip alive forever. Or would make a great present for one of your team mates or supporters/ coaches.You can preview and order the book here.

 

For the original post and more photos 

visit International Rafting Federation (I.R.F.)

'Entrust rafting at Dubare to Jungle Lodges'

 

MLC M C Nanaiah has demanded the district administration and the government to hand over the complete operation of river rafting in Cauvery river at Dubare to the government owned Jungle Lodges.
In the letters written to Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Anurag Tewari and State government Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee, he has requested to stop the dangerous rafting and harassment of tourists in Dubare. Permission has been granted by the forest department, tourism department and port and inland department to operate six boats for rafting purpose in Dubare. However, over 30 boats are ...more

World Rafting Day

  

At our last Congress, the IRF decided to set aside 12 July to be World Rafting Day. And here are some of the ways that this day was celebrated in Serbia, Iran, New Zealand and the USA.
Drina Regatta – Serbia
This regatta gathers together a large number of fans of the river and of World Rafting Day.
Bad weather conditions did not dampen the spirit of the many lovers of the Drina River who came together again to participate in the Drina Regatta which this year, was held on World Rafting Day. A large number of water sports lovers gathered on this beautiful river to paddle down stream from Rogacica to Ljubovija, a distance of 40 km. The regatta was sponsored by the Serbian Rafting Federation and the  hosts were Ljubovija rafting club “Drinska regatta”.
The race was started by the firing of the cannon that “pirates from Ladjevci” brought to Ljubovija for many years. This year the race was opened by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence and Sports, Nenad Borovčanin. He enjoyed the “flood of optimism, good mood and joy” so much he decided to stay for the full event.  A video of  is ...more

Instructor certification for IRF Guide Training coming up!

This is an ideal opportunity for all those who would like to become an IRF Instructor for guide training.
The Certification Workshop will be:

• held in Tirol, Austria,
• from the 11 to 13 of August 2014.
• It is being organized by the Tyrolean Rafting Association
• and will be run by the IRF Head of Guide Training & Education - Gaspar Goncz.
• For more information – contact Gaspar.

Original posted on IRF's official page

Day One of Euro Rafting Champs

 

The first day of competition went very smoothly and professionally. I cannot wait for Slalom and Downriver! We were fortunate to have more sunny days and by the end of this competition it will look like we have all been on vacation!
Fifteen nations are represented at this competition. U19 Men – 11 teams, Women – 2; U23 Men – 9, Women –  5; Masters Men – 7, Women – 2; Open Men – 22; Women – 13. 
That is a total of 71 teams! It’s ...more

Jackson woman dies in Snake rafting accident

 

The wife of a prominent Jackson Hole Realtor died Sunday in a rafting accident on the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park.
Donna Viehman, 63, did not respond to CPR after her party’s raft flipped upstream from the Moose landing, park spokeswoman Jackie Skaggs said.

Viehman was on a private float with four other people, including her husband, David Viehman, and their daughter.

The raft hit a midstream snag and flipped.

The other members of the party were able to reach a sand bar, where fellow private rafters picked them up and took them to Dornan’s.

But while the rest of party was safe on ...more

Mistral Men’s U23 team – home competition!

I like writing about young athletes who are beginning their careers because I have the opportunity to watch and follow them from their very beginning. The R4 Euro Champs in Slovakia starts this week, and so we are writing about the Men’s U23 team that will represent Slovakia at this competition.

SVK 1 team will compete under the famous name of “Mistral”. The honour and privilege to defend the colours of their country goes to:​ Martin Janata, Matúš gewissler, Juraj Skákala, Matej Krempaský with coach Juraj Halama.
Will you have white paddles like the more famous Mistral women’s team?
“​No, we will have plastic blue paddles, that we were given when we were 14 years old at a world cup in Germany. Although we finished 6th they gave us those paddles because of our skills at such a young age. (That was with different members in the team)​”
The team started in June 2014, BUT already with big ...more

Body of Idaho Falls man who went missing while rafting found 20 miles downstream

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — The body of an Idaho Falls rafter who went missing in the South Fork of the Snake River two weeks ago has been recovered near Roberts.
Jefferson County Sheriff Blair Olson tells ...more

MBNA donation helps Scouts fund rafting adventures

 

A scout group in Wrexham is enjoying life in the water after Chester-based MBNA supplied them with £1,000 towards new rafting and water-sport equipment.  Bishop’s Own Scout Group received a grant from the MBNA Foundation – the lender’s charitable giving arm – and used the money to purchase rafting barrels, water-sport helmets, paddles, life jackets and throw lines.  Louise Davies from MBNA’s Fraud department applied for the donation on behalf of the Scout Group, as part of a £90,000 investment into community projects from the MBNA Foundation in 2013/14.  She said: “My two boys are members of the Beaver and Cub sections at Bishop’s Own, and it’s great to be able to give something back through a grant that will really make a difference to all of the members.“  Adrian Bryan, Scout Leader at Bishop’s Own Scout Group, added: "On behalf of all the Scouts I’d like to ...more

Huge Whitewater Rafting on the Ottawa River

 

“The water is huge right now” our whitewater rafting guide KT said with a giddy smile. “I love hitting it big, so we’re going to try to catch every big rapid we can.”

 The Ottawa River is world renowned for it’s big white water. Guides from all four corners of the earth come to play in its rapids. It seems that wherever we’ve been in the world, one guide or another has been on the Ottawa River. For the next two days, we’ll be conquering rapids with OWL Rafting and we’re not afraid to admit, we’re a bit nervous!

Staying at Owl Rafting in one of their chalets was an excellent way to relax and unwind before hitting the waves. With Muskoka Chairs lined up on the lawn over looking the calm portion of the ...more

2014 Sourdough Raft Race

 

 The Dutch Rudder team use humour and a water sprayer in their quest to win the 55th annual Sourdough Raft Race along the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton, Alta., on Sunday, July 13, 2014. The race runs...more

2014 Season starts with good weather and high flows

2014 look like a great one for River Rafting on the Androscoggin River.  Although the weather has been generally great it has been punctuated by very heavy thunderstorm over the 1046 square mile watershed which keeps the storage lakes near brimming. Since regulation keep Umbagog Lake levels at one height during Loon nesting season a lot of water is spilled into ...more

Firefighters respond to rafting incident

Bend firefighters were called to the Colorado Avenue dam on the Deschutes River on Saturday afternoon, after someone reported that a person on a raft washed over the dam. When the crew arrived, they saw that bystanders had helped the rafter ashore but two good Samaritans were still in the river. The Fire Department used a “ladder rescue technique that we have used and trained on several times” to rescue the two individuals from the river, according to a department press release.

The rafter sustained minor injuries and was not taken to the hospital. The Fire ...more

Eagle River Rafters Face Rough Waters, Rescued With No Injuries

 

Just after 4:30 p.m., emergency dispatchers sent out an alert for a water rescue near the Eagle River campgrounds. A swiftwater rescue team was deployed to the area, where a group of rafters were found trapped in their raft on the water, and another rafter trapped in a log jam nearby. Anchorage fire crews were also on hand at the scene.
After nearly 30 minutes, the man was freed from the log jam, and ...more

Deschutes River rafting: Boxcar or Oak Springs, which rapids is best?

 

 

Is it Boxcar, or is it Oak Springs?

In the 10-mile "splash and giggle" section of the Deschutes River, those rapids are the two biggies. Because of them, mostly, thousands of summer vacationers flock to the Deschutes River to join guided paddle raft outings.
They were there on Friday, by the hundreds. They will be there again most every day for the next six weeks, prime season for rafting the ...more