Whether you are white water rafting Arizona or Colorado rafting, most people will never experience the thrill of cascading over a waterfall, and rightly so. It’s both an exhilarating and dangerous feat, one that tests your courage, skill, and faith in the raft. Now regardless if you are going over a 10 ft. or a 40 ft. drop, the process is going to be the same. What follows is going to be a step by step guide on what needs to be done prior to hucking that rubber and ensuring you land as safely as possible.
Before we jump into it, it should be noted that unless you are prepared to take the fall, do not attempt to do so. If in the midst of it, you freeze up or generally act a fool, you are not only putting yourself in danger, but those around you as well.
Tips For Hucking Rubber
1.) Stay Frosty: The very first thing that needs to be done prior to taking the fall, is to gather your wits and compose yourself. Feelings of panic and unpreparedness only brings about confusion and indecisiveness. Both of which should not be present while approaching the drop. You should be very clear and know exactly what is to be done every step of the way. Which in part, is what the remainder of our list will help you with.
2.) Prepare and Situate Body: The second step is to situate yourself in the raft in a preferable position. Regardless of where in the raft you are, you are going to want to lean backwards to give the rear of the raft more weight. This is so when you hit, the nose doesn’t dive into the water and eject everyone from the rear.
Generally if you are in the front of the raft, you are going to want to be on your knees hugging the sides. There are ropes as well that line the outside of the raft which you should be holding onto as well. For those in the middle and towards the back of the raft, you want to sit on your rear and lean backwards and hold onto the ropes. Again, you want most of the weight to be directed towards the tail of the raft.
3.) Watch Your Surrounding: The third step is to consider whats going on around you. Try to look and see that everyone is situated and prepared, if you notice someone is not ready, they may not be able to stay in the raft. If this is the case, you want to brace yourself against being hit from that direction as well. People may not intend it, but when they are trying to avoid being tossed out the raft, they’ll grab at anything nearby. Which in many instances, you may be the one they are grabbing for.
You should also be aware of other contents in the raft, and that they are properly secured as well. This goes for other peoples paddles too. It’s hard to remember in the midst of it that you have a paddle in one hand while the other grips the rope. But many times people will lose their paddle while trying to remain in the raft. This means there are going to be objects crashing around. Even if they can hold onto the paddle, there is still a chance that you can be struck by it. So just be aware not to catch one in the face, usually you will want to look away from where the rest of your party sits to avoid this from happening.
4.) Brace For Impact: The last step is to brace for impact, which all falls back on step 1, which was to stay frosty. As you are falling, you are going to want to lean back, hold onto the sides as well as your paddle, and prepare yourself for the unknown. You may land and everyone and everything is safe, in which case, let the celebrating begin.
Though, at times while whitewater rafting, not everything goes as intended. If you land and you remain in the raft, make sure that everyone else has made it safely as well. If you notice that someone, or multiple people have been ejected, then begin to direct the raft towards them. If you have been ejected, then you will want to face down river and go nose to toes. After that, figure out where the raft is and the direction they will be coming in at.
Hopefully if you’ve chosen to do some rubber hucking, you do it in a safe manner and enjoy it! You will be a part of an elite group, there are not many who have done such a thing. You will certainly have something to brag about. If you are interested in salt river rafting or even an expedition for Royal Gorge rafting, then take a peek at Colorado white water rafting trips offered through Wilderness Aware Rafting. They have many options for both amateurs and skilled rafters.
