Rafting
Rafting is a recreational activity utilizing a
raft to navigate a
river or other body of water. Usually it is done on
whitewater of different degrees of difficulty, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this activity as a leisure sport has become popular since the mid 1980's.
The type of raft used nowadays for recreational rafting is almost exclusively an
inflatable boat. It consists of very durable, multi-layered rubberized fabrics with several independent air chambers. Its length varies between 3.5 m (11 ft) and 6 m (20 ft), the width between 1.8 m (6 ft) and 2.5 m (8 ft). Rafts come in a few different forms. In Europe the most common is the symmetrical raft steered with a paddle at the stern. Other types are the asymmetrical, rudder-controlled raft and the symmetrical raft with central helm (
oars). Rafts are usually propelled with ordinary
paddles and typically hold 4 to 12 persons.
Bill Dvorak was instrumental in establishing the sport of rafting.
Whitewater rafting can be a dangerous sport, especially if the usual safety precautions are not observed. In the past there have been many accidents, but predominantly in private travel. Therefore, depending on the area, legislated safety measures now exist for rafting operators: ranging from certification of outfitters, rafts, and raft leaders, to strict regulations specifying the equipment that must be carried. It is generally advisable to discuss before reserving a rafting trip the safety measures of the rafting operator. Type and scope of the equipment and the qualifications of the raft leader are the essential information to be considered.
Yet as expertise increases, and equipment becomes more durable, the classification changes. The
Colorado River in the
Grand Canyon has swallowed whole expeditions in the past, leaving only fragments of boats, yet it is now run by commercial outfitters hundreds of times each year, with relatively untrained passengers. (
Source: California State Parks)
Like all wilderness sports, rafting has to balance the conflict between nature protection and nature use. Because of frequent problems in the past some rivers now have regulations restricting or specifying the annual and daily operating times.
Conflicts have also arisen with environmentalists, when rafting operators, often in co-operation with municipalities and tourism associations, alter the riverbed by dredging and/or blasting in order to eliminate safety risks or create more interesting whitewater features in the river. Incongruously these measures usually are only temporary, since a riverbed is subject to permanent changes.
On the other hand, rafting contributes to the economy of many alpine regions which in turn may contribute to the protection of rivers from hydro-electric power generation and other development.
Africa
*
Zambezi River in
AfricaAsia/Oceania
*
Bhote Koshi river in
Nepal,
Asia* Ganga (
Ganges River) and its tributaries in
India,
Asia *
Kali Gandaki river in
Nepal,
Asia*
Karnali river in
Nepal,
Asia*
Kawarau River in
New Zealand*
Shotover River in
New Zealand*
Zanskar River in
India,
AsiaEurope
*
Afon Tryweryn near
Bala in
Wales,
United Kingdom*
Tiroler Oberland in the
Landeck and
Imst Region in
Tirol,
AustriaNorth America
*
American River near
Coloma, California in the
USA*
Arkansas River near the
Royal Gorge in
Colorado*
Colorado River, especially through the
Grand Canyon starting at
Lee's Ferry*
Denali National Park and Preserve, start at the
Denali Lodge
*
Gauley River and
New River in
West Virginia*
Kern River in
California*
Kicking Horse River in
Golden, British Columbia,
Canada*
Ocoee River and
Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern
United States*
Ottawa River at Calumet Island in the
Whitewater Region, Ontario*
Salmon River and its tributaries in
Idaho*
New River in
West VirginiaSouth America
*
Futaleufu River in
Chile,
South America*
Paddling *
Swiftwater rescue*
Whitewater*
International Scale of River Difficulty*
International Rafting Federation *
Tennessee Whitewater Rafting 
