Riverboarding
Riverboarding is a
Origins
Riverboarding is believed to have originated in the late 1970s. It is claimed to have originated in France, where raft guides stuffed a burlap mail sack with life vests and went down rapids.
European riders also developed a foam version (called a hydrospeed) of the plastic board to reduce weight and avoid injuring each other during collisions that sometimes resulted from one rider travelling downstream and another facing upstream while surfing a hydraulic. Today, homemade foam hydrospeeds are found primarily among European riders. A growing sport in North America, riverboarding has grown in popularity from media exposure and the emergence of commercial operators running riverboard trips.
Equipment
Riverboarders typically wear fins to provide the thrust to navigate in river currents, while a personal flotation device provides additional buoyancy.
Rescue use
In rescue use, the board is used to support both rescuer and victim in the water during rescue. The rider must engage both mind and body—thinking about the best way to go down a river while using their fins for the propulsion to get out of harm's way. Riverboards can offer rescuers a valuable chase option to access victims swept downstream who may not be accessed by hand or rope.
Rivers
Several companies operate riverboarding or sledging excursions in New Zealand near Queenstown, Wanaka, and Rotorua. Several companies also operate guided riverboard trips in the United States near Missoula, Montana; Sacramento, California; Bend, Oregon, and eastern Tennessee. In South America, river boarding is popular on the Rio Fonce in San Gil, Colombia.[4] One company based in Voss, Norway, offers riverboarding in several rivers in the area. In Europe the Soca river in Slovenia is a notable location with more extreme options available for more experienced riders. In Canada, the Lachine rapids, on the Saint-Lawrence river near Montreal, boarding is also offered.[5] A commercial riverboarding operation commenced on the Tully River in Queensland, Australia, in 2014.
Records
Mike McVey currently holds the record for the tallest waterfall riverboarded with his descent of the 31-meter (101 ft) tall Metlako falls on Eagle Creek in Oregon.[6] Mike Horn previously held the record for the tallest waterfall riverboarded with his descent of a 22-meter (72 ft) tall waterfall on the upper reaches of the Pacuare River at Costa Rica.[citation needed]
See also
- American River (North, Middle, and South Forks)
- Clark Fork River
- Kawarau River
- Kern River
- Truckee River
References
- ^ Riverboard Types: SUP, Dirtbag & Hydrospeed-Style Explained!
- ^ White Water Sledging. Extreme Dreams
- ^ Frogz White Water Sledging
- ^ Colombia Rafting
- ^ "River boarding in the Lachine Rapids in Montreal". raftingmontreal.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-29.
- ^ "Metlako Falls Riverboard". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12.