News

IRF

We are river family – meet Dragan Babic

This week we meet larger than life, character of a thousand words and improvisations, and master of hilariously bad jokes (especially when he translates them from one language to another), Dragan Babic. Many will know him from racing in Bosnia and Herzegovina OM but also he’s quite often behind a whistle, stop watch or clipboard

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Guide / Safety

We are river family – meet Vedat Vural

In our final River Family interview for 2018, we meet Vedat Vural – a pioneer of rafting in Turkey. Before 1990, he worked as a mountain and expedition guide, always getting excited every time he saw rivers carving through the mountains and valleys.  It all seemed a mystery. Where does it go? Which places does

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IRF

We are river family – meet Graham “Fredi” Maifredi

If you haven’t met Graham “Fredi” Maifredi, you’re either brand new to rafting or been living under a rock for the past 25+ years. One of the biggest characters of our River Family, this week we meet the one and only (and let’s face it the world is not ready for more than one of

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IRF

We are river family – meet Kianoosh Mehrabi

Cast your mind back to 1985, now imagine the Persian Gulf, the seaside port of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. Somewhere out there on the water is a young Kianoosh Mehrabi! For many years he’d watched videos of white water rafting and kayaking but didn’t know how or where to get into whitewater sports. So

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IRF

A fond farewell to Uncle Vláďa

With a heavy heart we share the news of the passing of Vladimir Naděje. The legend of Czech and international judges, to all he was simply known as Uncle. Uncle Vladimir is on the other bank … At 73 years old, Vladimir left us on November 22. A long-time rafting judge, co-author of the first

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IRF

We are river family – meet Stan Hájek

A very familiar face to the European Raft Race scene, with a paddling career spanning 53 years, Stan Hájek started paddling as a child, later meeting his girlfriend (now wife) whilst paddling in the Czech Republic and East & West Europe. At the time, sport expeditions were the only way to look outside the Iron

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Guide / Safety

We are river family – meet Tim Marshall

Owner/operator of Ultimate Descents in the land of the long white cloud (New Zealand) since 2002, Chair of the New Zealand River Association since 2014 and trip leader since 2000, this week we meet Tim Marshall. No stranger to the raft race circuit nor the IRF Guide Training & Education system, Tim is a senior

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IRF History - Augsburg meeting
Development

What did it take to start the International Rafting Federation?

As we ready ourselves for our 17th IRF World Rafting Championship, we take a look back at what it took to create this global phenomenon which started 21 years ago and boasts membership from over 50 nations across six continents, runs inclusive worldwide raft race competitions several times each year and can lay claim to

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IRF

International Rafting Federation is proud to partner with Aquapac

The International Rafting Federation is proud to announce a long term partnership with leading waterproof bag designers Aquapac. As a market leader in the design and production of waterproof bags since forming in 1983, Aquapac have grown and developed with sporting, rescue and recreational water based activities. Recently they made the jump into rafting with a

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