As I walked down the steps on to the Tarmac at Leh airport I had that familiar feeling of being short of breath as the altitude hit me. This weeks 7 day International Rafting Federation workshop was to be based at the base camp of Wet ‘n Wild explorations in Nimoo at the altitude of 3500m above sea level on the banks of the lower Indus & Zanskar rivers.

For those unfamiliar with the Northern Indian town of Leh part of the Ladakh region in the Northern Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. Let me explain a little :

First off there is very little humidity due to the altitude of 3500m. So expect your lips & skin to start drying immediately.

. . . → continue reading . . . Rafting on the roof of the world. An IRF Instructor workshop at 3500m in the Indian Himalayas
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Another wonderful sunny day in the Koboke Gorge on the Yoshino River. The last day of the competition was reserved for the king amongst all of the disciplines – Downriver. It has the most points available for the Overall ranking, and so can greatly affect the final championship positions.

The Open and Masters paddled a section in the morning with some challenging class 3 and 4 rapids. The Juniors and Youth were in the afternoon on a section that did not have class 4. The start was a flying start in groups of 5 to 7. This made it very interesting for spectators as the teams battled at the beginning for a good start position.

Japan Open Men had a bad start which put a lot . . . → continue reading . . . Brazil Open Men seem unbeatable!
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The third day of the IRF’s 2017 World Rafting Championship dawned sunny and warm, splashing the countryside with a lovely light as the Open and Masters teams prepared to tackle Slalom. The course had 14 gates, of which gates 2, 4, 7, 10 and 13 were upstream, the rest downstream. In addition to having paddling skills, teams also needed climbing skills to do their scouting as the river banks were strewn with very large boulders.

In the beautiful Koboke Gorge, with mountains covered with breath-taking forests, the Yoshino River makes its way down and produced a great course for today’s slalom. Today was free for the Youth and Junior teams who could use it by visiting one of the most famous temples on the island, there . . . → continue reading . . . A challenging but excellent day of slalom
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The second racing day at the International Rafting Federation’s World Rafting Championship 2017 Japan, Yoshino River, Koboke Gorge, was reserved for Slalom for the Youth and Junior teams. 12 Youth teams and 16 Junior teams competed. The course was upstream from the Sprint course of the day before, just a five minute walk. A lovely day free of rain saw many spectators on the bank.

Fourteen gates, of which gates number 2, 4, 7, 10 and 11 needed to be negotiated upstream. This section of river is quick and wide with a short course making it a real challenge for the youngsters. Youth Women were the first to start and up to gate 6 everything tended to go fine. Some then chose to ignore upstream gate 7 so as to . . . → continue reading . . . A good day for Russia in the Slalom
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The International Rafting Federation’s 2017 World Rafting Championship (IRF WRC) in Miyoshi, Japan has brought together 71 teams from 22 countries across the globe. The adventure began at registration on Monday, 2nd October, followed by the Opening Ceremony that show cased the world’s best rafters to the City of Miyoshi.

Thankfully the rain that started on registration day and lasted almost until the end of Sprint training let up for the Opening Ceremony where around 500 rafters and officials paraded through the city to the cheers and welcome from the residents of Miyoshi City.

The ceremony started with a quick walk from Miyoshi Ikeda General Gymnasium to a holding area in the centre of town. From there the mass of rafters proceeded through a covered . . . → continue reading . . . What’s happened so far at the World Rafting Championship 2017 Japan 
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This first day of the IRF’s 2017 World Rafting Championship (WRC), on the Yoshino River, Miyoshi City, Japan, got under way today with 12 Youth (U19) teams, 16 Junior (U23) teams, 14 Masters (40+) and 29 in the Open division. Each of these divisions has the male and female category as well. 71 teams from 22 countries are competing for the honour of being World Champions.

2017 World Rafting Championships

The Mongolian Open Men’s team were the first to do the Sprint run – a fitting team to start since it is the first time Mongolia has ever been represented at a World Rafting Championship. The Open category was followed by Youth, Junior and finally Masters. First with Sprint then Head to Head (H2H).

The start and end of . . . → continue reading . . . World Rafting Champs 2017 kicks off in Japan
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Being crowned World Champions at the R4 WRC in Al Ain last year certainly adds pressure to the head game. These women have come through adversity this year (broken collar bone to name but one of the injuries) and found themselves fighting fit and ready to give it their all in Japan. This medal winning team has taken on board two members from last year’s GB U19W medal winning team to increase the odds in their favour. Here we meet the team as they prepare for their journey to Japan.

Fieke Reijntjes – Team Captain, Back Right Favourite River Experience: My first downriver . . . → continue reading . . . WRC 2017 – GB Open Womens Team aiming for more medals
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Training hard for this year’s WRC, GB1 Open Men have focused their time and efforts on solidifying their strong Sprint and Head-to-Head previous competitive edge and pushing for cleaner and faster slalom runs. Here we meet the team as they head out to Japan with an aim of getting to the podium again.

Pas Blackwell – Team Captain, Back Right Favourite River Experience: Bosnia 2009 Favourite River(s): Nile, Kawarua, Quijos Championships (attended/competed in to date): Ecuador, Korea, Bosnia, Holland, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Indonesia, UAE, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Georgia, Czech Favourite discipline: Downriver Occupation: White Water Centre Manager Inspiration for this competition: New country, . . . → continue reading . . . WRC 2017 – GB Open Men aiming for the podium
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“The Indonesian Masters Women Team consists of Veronica Moeliono (54), Amy Kadarhutami (53), Diah Bisono (52), Amalia Yunita (50), Mieranda Wimar (50), Tense Manalu (43), Sarah Sagita Harmoun (41) and Inge Sianturi (43) as team manager. The team was trained by Andi Suherli, the national paddler who once raced for Indonesia in the 2007 World Cup in Korea where his team was nicknamed “The Rising Star” – the following year the same team achieved the Runner Up position in Japan”

Here’s their story:

The Indonesian Masters Women Rafting Team have trained together since the end of 2016 and were successful at the National Championship in February 2017. The team trained at Citarik Sukabumi River under Andi Suherli, a former national athlete. (FAJI dock)

There are a number of places you can follow this year’s World Rafting Champs. So, depending on how good your internet connection is and/or how much time you have – here are the options: