Woman overboard! Get swept away rafting Gauley River

 

The raging Gauley River has just bucked me off 

my raft and sucked me into its depths, swishing me around like a 

mouthful of Listerine before spitting me out downstream. 

I emerge unscathed, exuberant and feeling deliciously alive. 

It's a ride I'll never forget.

For just six weekends every fall, the floodgates on the dam at Summersville Lake open, 

stoking 25 miles of world-class West Virginia rapids. 

This year's season starts Sept. 5 and runs through Oct. 19. 

So you've just got time to grab a paddle and take the plunge. 

Based on an overnight trip I took last September, here's what you'd be in for.

Full of butterflies, I report with about 45 other rafters at 8 a.m. sharp to ACE Adventure Resort 

near Beckley, W.Va. 

With me in my testosterone-heavy crew, ranging in 

age from 15 to 50-something, are my ...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 recovered," said Zach Collier, who guided our 12-foot raft down this new stretch of river. "Unless you knew the story, you'd never ...more

Euro Rafting Champs 2016

 

We’ve recently seen the 2014 R4 Euro Champs being held in Slovakia, 

and the 2015 R6 Euro Champs are being held in BiH in May next year. 

This fits in with the WRC schedule which sees the R4 event 

being held this year and the R6 next year.

So 2016 will be an R4 year. 4-man rafts

 present a great opportunity to show...more

So who is Nada?

 

Many of you may have been getting emails from someone called “Nada” and wondering who she is, especially as she asks so many questions! So we thought we’d turn the tables and interview her for a change! So lets get you all familiar with her

Nada – how did you get into rafting?

“I started dealing with competitive rafting in 2006. In 2008 I was in a Serbian team paddling in the back right position. I participated in the Euro Cups in Bulgaria, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia and was active paddling at them until 2012. I was also part of the national team at the 2009 and 2010 WRC as well as the Euro Champs in Italy 2010.”

And you stopped competing – why was that?

“After several unpleasant experiences in the competitive rafting world in 2011, I decided to withdrew from active paddling. But since I’m hooked on this sport and cannot live without it I didn’t stop being interested in what happens in the ...more

New Women’s European R4 Champions – Mistral, Slovakia

 

We are all already familiar with this team who have been at the top of the rafting honours for over 10 years now and have just swept up the title of R4 Euro Champions in the Open Women’s category. We’re talking about the well-known team – Mistral Bratislava of Slovakia. We’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate them on their latest success.

We wrote about them before they headed off to compete at the 2013 WRC in NZ where they just missed first place by a mere 7 points.

This time, team Mistral competed with the following composition: Hana Svarcova,Veronika Kvetakova,Zuzana Cunderlikova, Monika Benusova and ​Julia Pavelkova​.

Julia Pavelkova talks to us about the WRC 2013 in New Zealand and R4 Euro Champs at home in Slovakia.

- We have not had a chance to talk to you after your success in New Zealand. I know that you invested a lot into it and you won two golds, one bronze and a ...more

Also posted on playak.com

WRC Brasil – Info letter #2 (from I.R.F.)

Here is the latest information from Brasil - Information letter #2 - with regards to the 2014 World Rafting Champs being held there.

Remember – teams must register by the 31st August – only 3 weeks away! You need to email Brasil team admin to get your password so you can do the online registration.

For more visit

- See more at: internationalrafting.com

- for the pdf  visit info letter

Business Floods In For Inflatable Dinghy Company

 

 With a population of 1.35 billion it is hardly surprising that there are plenty of customers for the growing number of tourism attractions in China, as these snaps of tourists hiring inflatable dinghies at a newly opened activity centre show.

Ever since doors opened for dinghy hire outside the city of Sanmenxia, which lies on the Yellow River in western China’s Henan Province, business has quite literally been flooding in.

And with very few rules governing the way the rafting companies operate, it has led to a mass of boats being launched onto the river with little regard for how many are already on there and how many are coming after.

In the recent summer heatwave those looking for something cool as a way of spending the summer has brought an additional flood of people to the river, many of whom said they were hoping to escape the crushes on ...more