News

Guide / Safety

IRF GTE course in Georgia takes their rafting to new safety levels

The Georgia project had been on the burner for a while. The sport of  Rafting is growing in Georgia. Georgia also recently hosted the IRF Euro Rafting Champs last year.  USaid had kindly sponsored and paid for a group of 13 self taught Georgian raft guides to attend a 9 day IRF Guide certification workshop

Read More »
Georgina Preston
Guide / Safety

We are river family – meet Georgina Preston

Raft guide, raft racer, kayak instructor, environmentalist and river conservationist – there isn’t much that stops Georgina Preston (“Georgie”). This is part one of a two part interview as Georgie sets off on a new adventure – we’ll catch up with her on her return. In part one, we find out what motivates her and how

Read More »
Guide / Safety

Time to stop putting the word crazy in front of the word Russian!

Notes from a IRF GTE workshop in Russia One thing I have observed over the years is that all great white water stories normally start with the sentence “This crazy Russian paddler … ” or “Crazy Russian inner-tube rafts.” I sat back and giggled to myself as my short flight from Helsinki touched down at

Read More »
Development

Guide Training Workshops and Instructor Conference coming up

May and June have seen a record number of IRF Guide workshops being run around the world. These workshops provide rafting guides with an excellent opportunity to improve their river skills and obtain an internationally recognized certification from the IRF.  Here is what is happening in June onwards: 2 – 8 June: IRF and Rescue

Read More »
Guide / Safety

Time to dig deep (an early season workshop in the snow)

IRF Instructor workshop – Bosnia 2018  I had been following the weather in Bosnia for a week prior to the start of the workshop. The forecast did not look good unless you were going skiing, lots of snow was forecast. So I pre-warned the course students to prepare for cold weather. This was going  to

Read More »
Guide / Safety

The Ubaye – gem of the French Alps

Nestled in the southern alps of France lies the incredible Ubaye Valley and one of France’s premiere rafting destinations. This watershed is famous throughout Europe for its powerful rapids and committing gorges. With its headwaters at the Col du Longet over 8700 feet above sea level, on the Italian border, the Ubaye River is one

Read More »
Guide / Safety

Choosing the correct throwbag (a helping hand!)

By Mark Hirst I am commonly advised from reliable sources that British kayaker Peter Knowles introduced throwbags to the market on a wide scale with his green slime throwbags back in the 1980s. Before this time people made their own throwbags ranging from rope stored in an empty plastic bottle to a tennis ball with

Read More »
Guide / Safety

Two month intensive guide course in Nepal

During the fall season of 2018 Lapin Koskikoulu and Paddle Nepal have teamed up to run their first Himalayan River Guide Training Academy. The course will run over 2 months and is open to anybody wishing to travel & explore the rivers of Nepal and learn to become a professional river guide at the same

Read More »
Archives
Translate »