Red Lady Rafting readies for world championships

 

Red Lady Rafting is just weeks away from its second world championship competition.
The local women’s raft racing team will compete in Foz de Iguaçu City, Brazil against 10 other international teams during the event, which runs from Oct. 8-19.

“Personally, I’m looking forward to the culture shock of being in Brazil and having the girls on the team have this experience, plus meeting all the men and women from all these countries who love the sport as well, and learning all we can from them,” team captain Julie Sutton said.

The 2014 competition is an R4 year, meaning each raft will have four paddlers. Red Lady Rafting’s current roster is comprised of Shahara Hansen, Hali Sammis, Evangeline Lambert and Julie Sutton.

The biggest challenge is fundraising, Sutton said. Anything the team can’t get donations for comes out of their own pockets, an expensive proposition for international travel. The team is accepting donations online through www.gofundme.com/usa-womens-team.

“We’re always really thankful for anyone who wants to help us and support us,” Sutton said.

Preparing for big water in Brazil with low water in Colorado water has also presented a challenge.The downriver portion competition will be held on the Iguassu River in Iguassu National Park, a waterway Sutton compared to the ...more

Breckenridge- and Vail-based rafting teams underdogs world championships

 

In the world of competitive whitewater rafting, the U.S. men’s and women’s teams are the underdogs. They’re snow makers, ski patrollers, paramedics, current and former raft guides and substitute teachers who try to find time to practice the sport on the side. Everyone has a day job. But when they travel to Brazil in October for the annual World Rafting Championships, they’ll be up against fully financed national teams with full-time professional paddlers and big-name sponsors.

“It’s tough to have time to elevate to that level of competition,” Matt Norfleet, of the men’s team, said.

While in other countries the ...more

Social Summit: USA Raft Teams host travel fundraisers at Broken Compass

 

The men and women’s USA Raft Teams have been raising funds to travel to the 2014 R4 Rafting World Championships, taking place in Foz de Iguacu City, Brazil. Consisting of time trials, slaloms and head-to-head races, top rafters from around the country and the world will congregate in Brazil from Wednesday, Oct. 8, through Sunday, Oct. 19, with more than 50 teams of male and female rafting experts competing for the championship.

On Wednesday, Sept. 24, a fundraiser for the women’s team was held at Broken Compass Brewing in Breckenridge, with beer flowing and lots of raffle prizes, including paddling gear and an Arapahoe Basin season pass. Julie Sutton, Hali Sammis, Eva Lambert and Shahara Hansen comprise the women’s ...more

Whitewater rafting hit hard by Nymboida Hydroelectric shut-down

 

Operators of a Nymboida River whitewater rafting operation say they have been doing it tough over the past 18 months, due to changes in the Goolang Creek.
The nearby hydro-electric power station was closed in early 2013 after suffering significant flood damage.
The Nymboida Canoe Centre said water flows in the Goolang Creek then fell ...more
 

Rafting Thrills on the Wild White Salmon River

 

HUSUM, Wash. (AP) — The rope swing looked a bit lonely, and more than a little hazardous, hanging over a cliff high above the White Salmon River.

Three years ago the swing would have dropped you safely into the deep waters of Northwest Reservoir, while today it would result in broken bones or worse during an 80-foot plummet into the gorge of this transformed Columbia River tributary.

The lowest section of the White Salmon has changed in many ways since the removal of Condit Dam in September 2012. It replaced a century-old reservoir with a totally new stretch of river, restored salmon runs and made historical landmarks out of old rope swings.

“The crazy part is how quickly the river has ...more

Whitewater rafting aiming for 2024 Olympics

MCHENRY, Md. (AP) — The world’s best whitewater paddlers are preparing to compete in western Maryland.

State officials say the championships could help bring the summer Olympics to Washington in 2024 by showcasing the region’s ability to play host to an international event.

Athletes from 46 countries are participating in the canoe and kayak whitewater slalom world championships beginning Thursday at the Adventure Sports Center International in ...more

The thrill of rafting

 

Kodagu district is synonymous with adventure. Be it ardous treks in idyllic forests, rappelling down awesome waterfalls, climbing up treacherous rocks or rafting down rivers, the district beckons the daring.

Rafting in the Cauvery is an exhilarating experience at Dubare near Kushalnagar. Rafting would start once the inflow into the Cauvery increases and the level rises. A raft is a rubberised, inflatable boat with different carrying capacity.

Waterflow has come down in the last couple of days and rafting in the Cauvery at Dubare may not be as thrilling as when it is in full flow, says Ratish, one of the nine raft company owners who operate in Dubare. He charges Rs. 500 per person for a seven-kilometre journey, which would take about two hours. The rafters are brought back by road.

The tranquil water may be a deceitful thing along the course of the Cauvery as one hits the rapids (a section of the river where the water moves very ...more