Making adventures safer

 

Every time a tourist stands on the edge of a cliff, steps into a harness or grabs a paddle they take a calculated risk.

In adventure tourism, risk is inherent and in the past unregulated activities arguably led to a series of fatal incidents. But those days could be over with the introduction of a new safety regime.

It is more than six years since one of the darkest chapters in the annals of Queenstown tourism. British backpacker Emily Jordan, who was 21, died when she was trapped by submerged boulders in the Kawarau River during a Mad Dog River Boarding trip on April 29, 2008.

Her death and other fatal incidents prompted a Government review of the adventure tourism sector, and new rules designed to enhance safety come into play in a matter of weeks.

Operators who "deliberately expose participants to a risk of serious harm" must be externally audited and ...more

O.A.R.S. Releases River of Eden by Filmmaker Pete McBride

 

For the film, McBride traveled into the highlands of Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu 

to explore the Upper Navua River and find out why the locals said “no” to easy money 

from resource extraction, and instead, turned to tourism to fund a conservation area. 

What he discovered was not only one of the most beautiful rivers on 

Earth—a “mini-tropical Grand Canyon”—but a low-impact commercial rafting operation

 in the Upper Navua Conservation Area that has given 

more than $1 million back to local communities in the last 15 years.

The Upper Navua Conservation Area was established in 1998 when Rivers Fiji,

 with the dedicated support of O.A.R.S. president and founder,

 George Wendt, and an unlikely group of local entities including two villages, 

nine mataqalis (land-owning clans), a logging company and a government organization, 

opted for long-term sustainability through tourism. To protect the area’s natural assets,

 the group banded together to set-up a 25-year land lease that precludes logging,

 road building or mining in the ...more

Valley residents representing US at raft worlds

 

Forty countries will have teams representing them at the World Rafting Championships in the Itaipu Canal this week. For many of the competitors, it will be an entirely new experience.

The Itaipu Canal has never hosted a World Rafting Championships. It will be only the second time in history a World Rafting Championships has used a four-man format. But for the Americans, the World Championships in Brazil will be an especially different experience as the team itself is all new.

In the past, the U.S. was represented by the Eagle Country based team “Behind the 8 Ball,” which won the national championship many years in a row. That team has ...more

Junior World Champions are declared!

 

It was a very early start for the athletes today as they headed for the Downriver race held below the Iguaçu Falls. The reward for all their efforts of the last few days was the privilege of starting just below one of the Seven Wonders of Nature. There were 27 teams and 108 athletes.
In the U19 Male category Brazil ranked first with a time of 13:24:68, followed by the Russians (13:39:08) and Argentina (13:39:08). In the Under-19 Female catgeory Russia took the best with a time of 14:13:65, beating Australia (14:35:37) and Brazil (14:42:90).
The U19 Women’s race was won by Russia with Australia come in next and then Brazil and Russia. Australian girls were surprised but pleased to have beaten the Brazilian’s on their home ground.
The Under 23 Female team from Japan did a ...more

Second Israeli tourist found dead in Peru river

 

A rafting accident in the Apurimac River of southern Peru last week has taken the lives of two young Israeli tourists. The second body, of the two who had been reported missing after the incident, was found on Saturday, reports Peru’s Foreign Ministry.

Attempting to maneuver through rapids, a raft containing six tourists and a guide tipped over on ...more

Forget Online Dating — Rafting does the same !!!

 

Yahoo Travel profiles readers who came back from a trip with the best souvenir ever — true love.

Who: Clark and Jacqueline Kotula 

Where we met: Cusco, Peru 

When: 2001 

Relationship status: Married


(As told by Clark)

In 2001, I was living in Peru working as the head guide for an expedition outfitter. 

It was an adventurous job, and I led whitewater rafting, trekking, mountain biking, 

and cultural tours throughout Peru and South America. Jacqui came to Peru 

on vacation from Glasgow, Scotland with one of her girlfriends 

as a sort of bucket list trip to check-in on where she was in life and where she was going. 

At the time, she was a dentist in an established dental practice in Scotland and had a serious boyfriend. 

Jacqui had signed up for a four-day whitewater rafting trip on the Apurimac River, 

a five-day trek on the ...more

 

Search team finds body of Israeli tourist killed in Peru rafting accident

 

A helicopter search-and-rescue team found the body of an Israeli tourist who 

went missing in Peru after a rafting accident on Monday, as confirmed by the Foreign Ministry. 

The body was found on one of the river banks by 

an insurance company's helicopter search-and-rescue team, 

which identified the body as that of the Israeli. 

The Foreign Ministry said that an additional helicopter will come to retrieve the body

 from the scene as soon as dawn breaks. 

Another Israeli tourist still remains missing as of Friday.

The rafting accident occurred on October 6 in the Apurimac River. 

Six other Israelis on the raft found their way to ...more

Learning Disaster Management Skills

 

Media is abuzz with the bravery exhibited by our youth during recent flooding in Kashmir. 

Certainly our youth played a commendable role in saving life in the recent devastating flood, 

though many of them were not well skilled in the crisis management operations. 

Alas!

 Some enthusiastic volunteers even lost their precious lives while operating rescue and

 relief works in the flood hit areas. Had these boys been trained by the 

J&K Disaster Management Authority earlier, they might have saved more lives, and 

reached out to more stranded people in time, who were crying for help for many long days?

It is unfortunate that the J&K Disaster Management collapsed at the very first day 

and could not perform at all. 

It is highly appreciable that some active member companies 

of the Adventure Tour Operators Association of Kashmir

 such as Adventure Call, Kashmir Adventures, Highland Excursions O2 Adventures, Mountain Magic, 

and Highland Journeys etc. took the lead. Besides,

 they loaned about 30 imported commercial inflatable rafting boats to district administration in some districts. 

The Tourism Department also put its fleet of rafts to use. 

Later the NDRF and few NGOs also jumped in by rowing their dinghies to the affected areas. 

 These inflatable boats were perfect to tackle the running waters, 

while the traditional wooden boats were not effective in fast flowing water. 

Unfortunately some causality also occurred in those boats. 

Later those wooden boats helped a  ...more

Body of missing Israeli rafter found in Peru

 

The Foreign Ministry on Thursday confirmed that the body of a missing Israeli woman was found, several days after she and another Israeli tourist went missing on a rafting trip in Peru. The woman is a 22-year-old from Ramat Hasharon. 

 An Israeli search team was dispatched Wednesday to help search for the two missing Israeli tourists who disappeared when their raft overturned on a stretch of the Apurimac River in southern Peru Monday afternoon. The search for the second Israeli’s body is ongoing. 

The relevant families have been notified.

The raft contained eight Israelis and a guide. Six of the Israelis and the guide were in good condition in the city of ...more

National Geographic Channel Orders Series On Alaskan Log-Rafting From Gurney Productions

 

National Geographic Channel has ordered a series from Gurney Productions that follows log-rafting Alaskans on the Yukon River. Premiering on National Geographic Channel in summer 2015, and globally in 440 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages, Rafting Alaska will introduce viewers to the log-rafting trade by following a cast of adventurous Alaskans as they  ...more

Nepal anyone?

There is a great opportunity  for white water action in Nepal late November…. firstly there is the Himalayan White Water Festival and straight after that an opportunity to get your IRF Safety Kayaker & Trip Leader Assessments.

The Himalayan Whitewater Festival is fast becoming Asia’s largest whitewater festival. The 4th festival will be run from the 26th to 29th of November 2014.

(Details and schedule)

Nepal is once again becoming the Mecca of outdoor adventures & whitewater paddling after a decade of political instability. In the last 4 years this event has attracted from 37 to 97 participants, both national and international athletes, as ...more

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

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