News

Guide / Safety

A Boater’s Guide to Carabiners

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

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Guide / Safety

IRF GTE Instructor update in Costa Rica this September

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.

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Guide / Safety

Rafting Magazines Gear Shed – Arch Rival Drysuit

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

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Guide / Safety

Reviewed, refreshed and renewed – IRF GTE Instructor resources

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.

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Guide / Safety

4 Types of Guides You Will Meet Rafting

OK so you booked a whitewater rafting trip with your friends on an awesome river. You’re super stoked to be going on an amazing whitewater adventure. You show up at the outfitter’s camp, they give you a safety orientation, and introduce you to your guide. Now you really want to make the trip special, but

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Guide / Safety

Knot your business

It’s rare that I write a personal article but lockdown has given me plenty of time so as I while away the hours and days, I’ve found myself reviewing the last few months and in particular being assessed for the New Zealand raft guide qualification. During lockdown I’m living at the rafting centre where I’ve

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Guide / Safety

The principle of SMILE

By Mark Hirst of Lapin Koskikoulu The principle of Smile & the big 3 During this brief post I wanted to share the tips I use to reduce the chances of my raft customers panicking during a swim. I am getting on a bit now, I will be 43 this year! I first went kayaking

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Rafting Operator Accreditation (ROA) launch
Development

Rafting Operator Accreditation (ROA) – what is it?

The Rafting Operator Accreditation (ROA) Committee has now achieved this stage and is ready for input from stakeholders. The IRF has for many years discussed the merits of developing an accreditation for operators that offer whitewater rafting guided or instructional services. Simply put, this process would provide a means of recognizing operators that meet or

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