As parts of the world start easing COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and other restrictions the big question in rafting operators’ minds is – how to start getting back onto the river and running trips safely? Properly managed outdoor activities are among the safest activities to engage in as the outdoor environment presents fewer opportunities for the virus to spread when compared to indoor activities. Rafting trips can be one of the more challenging adventure activities to manage during this pandemic.
The IRF has solicited ideas and advice from our Guide Training and Education (GTE) Committee and various rafting tour companies around the world to help raft tour operators, and even recreational rafters and racers, to negotiate this first descent towards the ‘new normal’ of running river trips. If you have solutions to any of the problems that rafting operators are facing in getting people back on the water please do let us know. You may download a PDF version of this article in ENGLISH and in SPANISH for printing and sharing. (Will be updated when needed. These versions are 20200528.)
Get familiar with the RIGHT information:
Keep up to date on the latest information from trusted sources, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and your local and national health authorities.
In addition to following WHO guidelines, it is also essential to follow your local legal restrictions that govern activities of this nature (which any operator, guide and trip leader must familiarise themselves with before offering a trip).
Preparation for the ‘new normal’
Develop a clear plan to address the typical risks associated with rafting and the heightened risk created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Know what to do if someone becomes ill with suspected COVID-19 at any stage of the trip.
Minimize opportunities for transmission by instituting sign-up and check-in procedures that do not require physical contact.
Check with your liability insurance providers for any changes to liability insurance policies as a result of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Create or edit your liability release waivers to include any social distancing guidelines that should be highlighted to the participants prior to the commencement of a trip.
Have a plan for postponing or canceling your trips if conditions, such as local infection rates or local guidelines change.
Consider the financial implications to you and your participants if your government or local authorities suddenly or unexpectedly implement more restrictive measures.
Provide participants with clear information regarding deposits and refunds which explains what will happen if a participant is unable to begin or to complete a trip due to illness or a change in local requirements.
Determine how you will communicate schedule changes to your participants and ensure that you have accurate contact information for each participant.
Carabiners are not only an essential rescue tool on the water, but one of a boater’s most versatile pieces of equipment. From unwrapping boats to attaching equipment to hanging a hammock boaters keep several of these at had at all times. In this article, we are going to break down why carabiners are important as well as some tips on how and what to select. If you are trying to understand what is out on the market we have a helpful buyer’s guide at the bottom of the page otherwise you can find more info about carabiners below.
Carabiners are such an ubiquitous and important fundamental of boating life, unfortunately in the boating world we spend far too little time discussing their use and implementation. Many boaters climb as well and it is important to note that although rope work, anchors, fundamentals of force, and implementation of equipment has many parallels; applying every principal of climbing to boating paints an inaccurate picture of what the focus is on the water.
Parts of a Carabiner
Satan’s Carabiner
Carabiner Gate
This makes the whole system work. There are 2 major styles of carabiner gates locking and non-locking. There are a couple major styles of non-locking carabiners; wire gate and solid gate.
Unlike carabiners for climbing where non locking gates are often used, in boating a non-locking carabiner is the devil.
Given the number of impacts that occur on the river, the constantly shifting gear, and sometimes flying people; there is no place on a boat for a non-locking demon carabiner. The potential to fly into a carabiner during a surf or a flip, then getting your PFD caught in it, only to hold you underwater, or against a rock is just too much of a risk.
Having a non-locking carabiner is worrisome enough, however most boaters tend to store carabiners within easy reach or on the lapel of their PFD during use. Both scenarios at all violate the clean principal and can put people at risk as well as turn a rescuer into a victim.
Locking carabiners are more safe, effective, and common among boaters. There are 2 major styles of locking carabiner that are available (they go by many names): manual locking and auto locking. Continue reading A Boater’s Guide to Carabiners …
DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, viewpoints or official policies of the IRF.
Gustavo Timo of the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) feels that “Covid-19 brings unprecedented challenges to the tourism industry and that means the Adventure Travel sector as well. However, Adventure Travel might be better equipped to recover and reboot faster simply because of the DNA of the experiences we offer – small groups, nature-based, and set in rural environments and communities. Our industry is resilient and serves a more intrepid traveler that might be willing to come back to travel before others. But no matter what, we need to adjust and adapt to the new normal.”
So what is it that the adventure travel sector can do to turn this lemon into a lemonade? The ATTA pulled a team of experts together, who, in collaboration with the ATTA global community prepared the topics below.
“They are a set of recommendations that reflect the role of Adventure Travel in promoting the health and safety of our teams, travelers, and the communities we visit.” says the ATTA team.
1. Reassess your market, consider all the options. Covid-19 has severely impacted society in many different ways. You need to check how your market has been affected and consider other opportunities. We suggest the following approach: local, regional, domestic, international short haul, international long haul.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, viewpoints or official policies of the IRF.
Over the past week several countries have started lifting COVID-19 stay at home orders and other restrictions in a phased way even though the pandemic is far from being over. Re-openings are taking place due to various reasons, while health experts warn that the virus will likely continue to be a health risk for many months or years.
IRF Guide Training and Education (GTE) Instructors are looking at resuming GTE guide workshops in some of these areas, and so the GTE Committee is developing an action plan for minimising the spread of COVID-19 as part of the overall GTE policy (this can now be found under Instructor Resources). As a general policy, the IRF always puts the health and safety of our employees, athletes, instructors, volunteers and event participants above all other considerations.
In the interim, before a specific COVID-19 policy for GTE workshops is codified, several GTE Assessors have offered advice on conducting workshops during these difficult times. This advice is for informational purposes only and is not offered as official advice by the IRF, nor intended to supersede potential conflicting advice from any codified IRF policy, nor the advice and instructions of local and international health authorities: Continue reading Advice on IRF guide training workshops as COVID-19 restrictions are eased
In these testing times we find ourselves and our loved ones in situations we would likely never have considered. Many of us in the rafting industry are under increasing pressure with not just personal situations but tourist operations and employees affected by lockdowns and vast swathes of people cancelling their holidays and travel plans. It’s times like these that we need to come together as the #RaftingFamily and continue to support the rafting and tourism communities.
You might be good at setting up mechanical advantages, but how do you teach someone else to do it?
The IRF GTE will be holding an Instructor update 30th September – 2nd October 2020 for all existing IRF instructors who are able to travel to attend the update on the Sarapiqui river in Costa Rica.
The aim of the update is for IRF instructors to share current global best practice within the rafting industry. The update will also give the instructors the opportunity to update their knowledge of the IRF GTE system & standards.
The update is free to join for all existing IRF instructors. Any donations to cover the expenses of the workshop will be highly appreciated. The update will be hosted by Sarapiqui Adventures & IRF GTE assessor Mark Hirst. The update will consist of both theoretical & practical water based sessions.
Shell Fabric: 3-layer waterproof/breathable shell with 100% nylon taslan face fabric treated with C6 DWR (durable water repellent) finish
Fabric Weight: 181g/m²
Waterproofness (mm h₂o): 30,000
Breathability (g/m²/24h): 4000
Front YKK® AquaSeal® entry and releif zipper
Seat and Knees reinforced with abrasion resistant Devil’s Club nylon taslan 3-layer 240g/m² fabric
Latex neck and wrist gaskets with neoprene over cuffs to aid in dryness and gasket preservation
Adjustable webbing belt to keep your suit snuggly on your hips
Low maintenance latex socks
Weight: 3.9lbs (62.4oz)
Arch Rival Drysuit Review
As I unrolled the Immersion Research Arch Rival Drysuit at the put-in for Slab-Creek I wasn’t sad about putting away my old drysuit. For the last few years it had been more of a damp suit with replaced gaskets, microholes and general leakiness. I had stretched that thing to, and past, the end of its usefulness and was ready to end the day with dry underlayers.
So I was stoked to try out the new Arch Rival. I hadn’t used any gear from IR previously but had heard good things from kayaker friends who had. Could this kayaking brand make a drysuit that performs well for rafters too?
Turns out, this mid-priced drysuit would live up to my expectations. The first thing that struck me was how light it was. The 3-layer nylon Taslan fabric is lighter than any drysuit I had previously used. If you wear your drysuit often, the lightness and comfortability is a big plus. Also for all you instagrammers, it looks damn good. The cut was much more form fitting and the fabric color layouts makes it the coolest looking drysuit for that price.
Ideal Conditions for the Arch Rival Drysuit
This drysuit is not extremely thick, but it can stand up in the colder conditions while also performing on warmer days. I’ve worn it in both frigid temps and without any underlayers on more temperate days. This drysuit can handle just about everything.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, viewpoints or official policies of the IRF.
Reviewed, refreshed and renewed – IRF Instructor documentation and resources (in English and now also in Spanish)
There is now a wealth of resources that the IRF provides to our certified Instructors and Assessors which are all aimed at assisting them to simplify the processes, administration and implementation of assessing Guides, Trip Leaders and Instructors.
The updated and new documentation includes:
IRF GTE Award System – the overarching document the system is based on
Assessment Guidelines for Workshops – setting out what and how Instructors / Assessors are to assess for each certification
A detailed letter for all Instructors and Assessors explaining the administration processes of the IRF GTE System so that it is clear how it works and can be referred to at any time
A template to create a PDF or poster to advertise courses / workshops
A standard letter Instructors can adjust and send to candidates before they attend their workshops so as to ensure the candidate knows what to expect, what to bring, and how the IRF GTE System works
Templates for recording the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate, whether they are being assessed as a Guide, Trip Leader, Safety Kayaker, Safety Rafter, Site Specific or Instructor certificate
A throwbag test to use during assessments
The minimum content for an IRF GTE compliant Guide Training Program
The IRF GTE award level overview as a Power Point presentation, or as a flow chart
Guide’s log sheets for recording their rafting trips – in pdf format and in excel format
CLAP = Communication, Line of Sight, Avoidance and Positioning and is a tactic used to have a structured river running best practise. This is in a Power Point version, Word doc version and a printable pdf version
IRF Youtube videos on common knots including hitches and prusiks
IRF Instructors and Assessors are continually working to add to the resources available – we thank all those who have translated documents in to other languages, who offer us their instructional videos, and who continually assist us in improving the IRF GTE System in general.
Getting the most out of your next river rafting trip
How many miles is the trip?
An average commercial rafting trip will be between 8 and 15 miles for a day trip. In general the tougher the river the shorter the trip. Some commercial outfitters on particularly tough rivers may only offer a few miles, but Outfitters run all kinds of trips on all sorts of rivers, but some outfitters try to gain advantage over each other by offering more miles. Getting more for your money sounds great, but you’re not buying bus tour. Remember, rafting is a physical workout. Like running marathons? Because that’s what a 21 mile trip is going to feel like. Focus on the river trip as a whole not just the number of miles.
On average, how many hours is the trip?
More important than miles is time on the water. How many hours will you be on the river on average? An 8 mile class III trip can be on the water 1.5 hours or 4 hours. If the river is rated class IV or class V that couple of miles may take all day so they can have extra time to get you down the river in case anything happens. The length of time that you spend on the river is directly related to how much paddling that your guide will make you do. Less time often means your vacation will end up being more work than fun. This all ties into our next point.
Do you have a set take out time?
“Professional” Guides often feel like they are in a race to get down the river. They think that takeout is a time not a place. If the outfitter that you are thinking of using has a set takeout time that is typically a sign the company has lots of arbitrary rules in place for their guides or have a lot of people packed on one date. Continue reading 8 Things to Ask a Rafting Company Before You Book …
DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, viewpoints or official policies of the IRF.
If you are a thrill-seeking nature lover, then there are tons of whitewater rafting spots in California that will give you the best experience.
California is heaven for those who love the waters. There are tons of watersports you can enjoy in the area, from surfing, windsurfing, jetskiing, to kayaking, among others. If you want to experience the thrilling adventure of rapids, there is a lot of that in California too.
Whitewater Rafting Spots in California
A day whitewater rafting in the impressive rapids in California is a must-have experience for an active and stimulating vacation, especially in the summer. It wouldn’t be an experience you will easily forget.
As parts of the world start easing COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and other restrictions the big question in rafting operators’ minds is – how to start getting back onto the river and running trips safely? Properly managed outdoor activities are among the safest activities to engage in as the outdoor environment presents fewer opportunities for the virus to spread when compared to indoor activities. Rafting trips can be one of the more challenging adventure activities to manage during this pandemic.
In these testing times we find ourselves and our loved ones in situations we would likely never have considered. Many of us in the rafting industry are under increasing pressure with not just personal situations but tourist operations and employees affected by lockdowns and vast swathes of people cancelling their holidays and travel plans. It’s times like these that we need to come together as the #RaftingFamily and continue to support the rafting and tourism communities.
If you are a thrill-seeking nature lover, then there are tons of whitewater rafting spots in California that will give you the best experience.
