Exactly one year to go to the 2019 IRF World Rafting Championships (WRC) which are to be held on the Tully River in Queensland, Australia.

This past weekend saw the wrapping up of the Pre-Worlds there, where the organisers had a chance to test their systems, and rafters got to test the course! It was also the Australian National Selections, so all the Australian teams that were first in their categories will be racing in the WRC next year – and there is nothing better than a home competition to bring the best out in paddlers!

The river was at a great height thanks to the controlled letting out of the water by Kareeya Hydro Electric Power Station.

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Teikei Japan – Slalom

Awesome surfing . . . → continue reading . . . Pre-Worlds showcases what a great WRC river the Tully is!
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Situated along the breathtaking shores of Lake Wakatipu on New Zealand’s South Island, Queenstown is often hailed as the ‘adventure capital of the world’. This incredible tourist mecca offers innumerable adventure experiences to suit everyone’s imagination. Adventure options include everything from bungee jumping, mountain biking, and horseback riding to being the gateway to many of New Zealand’s Great Walks. Among these fantastic adventure opportunities however you will find some of the world’s best whitewater nestled in this incredible corner of New Zealand.

This is the home to the Shotover River, located in the Otago region of the South Island. The river carves its way south from the Southern Alps though the awe-inspiring gorges of Skippers Canyon. The Shotover watershed drains a rugged stretch of 7000 foot snowcapped peaks between . . . → continue reading . . . The Shotover – Queenstown’s majestic whitewater
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Nine young women, who took up white water rafting at Lee Valley White Water Centre following the London 2012 Olympics, have been selected to represent Great Britain and are now heading for Slovakia in July and Argentina in November to take part in the European and World Rafting Championships.

All of the team members, who make up the GB1 and GB2 U19W squads, are members of Lee Valley Paddlesports Club, based at Lee Valley White Water Centre. They started training eagerly last year to be selected and to be given the opportunity to take part in these prestigious IRF competitions.

Six members of the team competed at the 2017 IRF World Rafting Championships in Japan where they were proud to come home with . . . → continue reading . . . “Lee Valley Devils” selected to represent Great Britain in Slovakia and Argentina 2018
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By Mark Hirst

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 be a busy 6 days. We had 17 students from around the world descending on the Tara & Piva rivers to participate in an IRF workshop. The candidates had travelled from Austria, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Croatia, Argentina, Romania, Montenegro & Bosnia. The students were made up of Instructor candidates, through to trainees. Read more ….

Spring time in California is an epic and much anticipated season for rafting. California becomes a Mecca for paddlers from around the world. The free flowing rivers begin to roar and rafting companies start up their operations on California’s best whitewater. The Kaweah River is a favourite for many.

This stunningly clear river originates high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near the aptly named Mount Kaweah. The Kaweah races through Sequoia National Park eventually reaching the gateway put-in where paddlers with previous whitewater rafting experience can join an action packed whitewater trip with a commercial rafting company. The Commercial guides out here are all seasoned professionals with years of guiding under their belt. The intensity of the run and the size of the rapids demands that only the . . . → continue reading . . . A California Spring trip? Check out the Kaweah river
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50 teams, 12 nations

The recent IRF Euro Cup (EC) event in Wildalpen, Austria was the second in the 2018 EC series, the first being the Dracula Race in Romania. And it was the first in the 2018 World Cup series, with the second event being the Pre-Worlds in Australia (9 – 13 May).

The Euro Cup and World Cup Series were the brainchild of Stan Hajeks – he wanted a series of races which were open to all clubs no matter their experience, where they could come improve their skills and enjoy the social aspect of rafting, which – let’s face it – is the key ingredient in a great event!

Nearly 50 teams from . . . → continue reading . . . Rafting clubs launch their bids in Austria to win the World Cup series
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Getting recognition for the sport of rafting has been a long journey. It’s taken years of forging friendships, alliances and building on successes we’ve built together as one global rafting community. Your strength, passion and devotion to rafting as a community, a fraternity and way of life are what have gotten us to where we are today.

In line with our objectives of promoting rafting across all paddlesports disciplines, promoting rafting as a healthy lifestyle activity and gaining the acknowledgement of the wider sporting community, we have now completed the mammoth task of applying to GAISF/SportAccord. It’s taken some time to get to this point but we are now well on our way to getting rafting to the Olympics.

The IRF has been coordinating and guiding the sport of rafting on an international level . . . → continue reading . . . You asked – we’re delivering – GAISF/Sport Accord membership
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Heading to Australia for IRF WRC Pre-Worlds this year or IRF WRC next year? Why not extend your trip to include Tasmania!

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Australia is one of the greatest gems of the Australian wilderness The Franklin River. This incredible river is no place for the casual adventurer and represents one of the most remote commercially run rivers in the world. The Franklin is typically run as an 8-10 day expedition where the only way out after you put in is either downstream or via helicopter.

The Franklin River flows for 78 miles (125 kms) from the Cheyne Range to the Gordon River through the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, a part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage . . . → continue reading . . . Franklin River – Australia’s hidden gem
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As far as international rafting festivals go, Ziyuan is well on it’s way to leaving big boots to fill.

In a country that boasts over 50 diverse ethnicities before considering any foreign influences, China has a changing environment and growing economy that defies the odds compared to what the rest of the world has grown to know. China is a country proud of its heritage and keen to show to the world how it can host world class events across all fields of engagement and activity.

This rafting festival is like no other you’ve seen. Bringing teams together from across the globe from as far away as Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and Australia and race circuit familiars in between, this four day festival will see three days of . . . → continue reading . . . Ziyuan Rafting Festival is proceeding at full steam
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#AreYouReady for IRFWRC Argentina!

Argentina organisers have launched a website for the WRC R4 2018 which they will host from November 4-10 this year.

Here you will find everything you need to plan your trip, as well as a tourist guide of the area. Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to reward yourself with a tour of Argentina after a strenuous competition.

All countries have now selected their teams to represent them at this competition. You only need to prepare well and enjoy the hospitality of this beautiful country. This is the first time Argentina are hosting such a competition, so there is no doubt that it will be presented to us in the best light.