Raft Guide Training School For The Dedicated And The Amateur

By Author: Dirk Perry
Total Articles: 11
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Whitewater rafting BC is an inherently risky activity.

To reduce the risks, many Commercial River rafting companies offer raft guide training courses for preparing river rafting guides, fishing guides, and other interested whitewater enthusiasts.

Increasingly, participants attend who have no desire to work as raft guides for commercial river rafting companies. These men and women are interested primarily in learning new skills. Some own their own rafts and participate in the sport without the services of a commercial operator.

In 1975, Bernie Fandrich offered British Columbia’s first course in reading and running whitewater in a raftrafting BC. Offered through the Continuing Education program at Langara College in Vancouver BC, the course covered the basics of river running. Bernie was a Communications Instructor at Langara at the time and had recently pioneered whitewater rafting on the Thompson River.

The course included classroom lectures and a day of river rafting in BC on the Chilliwack River located an hour’s drive away from Vancouver.

Every year since then, Kumsheen Raft Adventures ...
... Ltd. operated a raft guide-training course for new river guides at their headquarters and rafting resort near Lytton BC.

The Raft Guide Training School is currently twelve days long and has attracted participants from all over BC, Canada, the USA and as far away as Indonesia. It is recognized as one of the best in Canada.

The Guide School teaches river dynamics and “reading” whitewater, safe river navigation and raft control, river safety and river rescue, general knowledge of rafts and rafting equipment, and an understanding of the whitewater rafting BC industry.

Participation in the Raft Guide School is required for all aspiring Kumsheen river guides, regardless of their previous experience. Kumsheen guides, carefully selected from participants in the program, then continue for an additional six weeks of training until senior Instructors are confident of their proficiency. Written and practical examinations and Instructor observation verify competency and expertise.

Fish camp operators also recommend Kumsheen’s Guide Training School to their fishing guides to learn how to read whitewater rafting BC. This skill is essential for many fishing guides who take clients on Whitewater Rivers, usually in a raft or dory boat set up specifically for fishing. Although their primary purpose is to escort fishing clients, guides must also have the skills necessary to negotiate whitewater on many rivers. Learning to handle river rafting in BC provides an excellent foundation to those looking to expand their recreational skills in many areas, from whitewater adventures to fishing outings.

Much more information about the rafting guide training program is available Kumsheen.com (link to http://kumsheen.com/packages/specialty/guideschool/) and on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/kumsheenrafting#p/u/1/ccCk56sA3Xc).

Author Info:-

Whitewater rafting is an excellent way to get away from the worries of daily life and experience a new adventure on the water. You can find tons of info about white water rafting online with Dirk Perry. He writes on a wide variety of travel related subjects. Check out some of his write-ups on the White Water Rafting scenario in Canada with specific inclination to BC and river Thomson.