Rafting and everything you need to know about it. Rafting for beginners, rafting on mountain rivers Rafting is

In order to understand what rafting is, you need to imagine before your eyes a stormy river, carrying its waters along the banks at a dizzying speed, feel a thirst for adventure and a desire to gain joy from overcoming obstacles that arise in the way of the river's flow. It may seem that it is accessible only to trained professionals and there is no place for a beginner - but this is not entirely true. Everyone can get an adrenaline rush under the guidance of an experienced instructor. But to get started, it’s worth knowing what rafting is.

A little history

The concept of “rafting” comes from the word raft (“raft” in English) and means both an active recreation and an extreme sport, the participants of which raft on small boats along natural and artificial water channels. Official rafting championships and competitions are held, World and European Cups are awarded, there is even a Rafting Federation.

There is a legend about how rafting appeared. It says that rafts first appeared during the Vietnam War and were used to transport vital cargo along river arteries. And one day such a raft broke away from its leash and went with the man into the rapids. The soldier who survived this episode did not at all become afraid of the rivers, but received a wave of adrenaline and pleasure because he survived such an ordeal. And this fun spread very quickly, because a soldier’s life is not full of entertainment. And here everything is at hand - water, rapids, brothers-in-arms, ready to fight the elements together. Since then, as the story goes, this entertainment has existed, which, without thinking twice, was dubbed rafting.

Rafts were also used in World War II by American special forces during the Normandy landings in 1944. Alas, then the attempt to land on the coast was unsuccessful.

The first rafting competitions took place in 1989

About rafting

Whatever rafting was at the time of its inception, now it is both a commercial entertainment available to everyone and a serious, sometimes dangerous sport.

The floating device itself, although called a raft, is very different from it. The raft has the appearance of a three-dimensional inflatable boat, made of modern synthetic materials, characterized by wear resistance and strength. The raft body consists of independent compartments that form the outer frame, and the inner one consists of inflatable transverse tanks that form stiffening ribs (many people confuse them with seating areas). The design has proven its reliability in rafting on high mountain rivers - the steepest and most dangerous routes for this sport. What also distinguishes it from ordinary boats is the presence of a self-draining drainage system, which helps to immediately get rid of excess water in it. Hence the strict measures to prevent the raft from being overloaded - in this case, the system may not work efficiently and this could lead to an accident.

Another feature that distinguishes a raft from other water vehicles is single or paired foot rests at the bottom of the raft. They effectively fix the feet of the rafting participants, holding them on steep rapids and helping them row. A special coating that prevents your feet from slipping also helps prevent you from falling overboard. Not all rafts have it, but if it is equipped with it, the grip on the cylinder will be excellent.

In case the rower does fall overboard, there is a rope that encircles the perimeter of the boat. It is fastened with steel rings and forms an integral part of a modern raft.

The number of people participating in the swim varies from 4 to 16, depending on the design of the raft. Their dimensions vary in width from 1.8 to 2.5 meters, and in length - from 3.5 to 6 meters, and the type corresponds to the difficulty of the route, the height of the rapids and the fullness of the river. The smaller the raft, the more maneuverable it is and the narrower and more complex the river it can navigate. Medium and large rafts are used for relatively light rafting on large deep rivers.

It is impossible to distinguish clear types of rafting, but it is possible to distinguish a clear purpose of the alloys themselves. There is such a classification:

1. Hiking rafting. Tourist commercial rafting, which can specifically include even simple walks on calm waters. But for adrenaline lovers, they may include sections with rapids and obstacles.
2. Sports rafting. A sport in which competitors complete tasks and are awarded points according to the results achieved.
3. Expedition rafting. A scientific trip by a group of people with special training.

Rafting is also used in rescue operations.

Types of rowing and tours

The types of rowing in rafting are divided into 3 main types. The first is using ordinary swing oars, which are mounted on a special frame. A rowing method is also used, as for a canoe, in which the rowers are evenly positioned along the perimeter of the sides. They sit on gondolas, and their legs are fixed in special loops at the bottom of the raft. The most experienced participants are at the back, acting as helmsmen, and give commands to the others. Sometimes this is done by one person who is the commander of the group. There is also a combined method, when rowers on oars are assisted by canoeists.

But no matter what method is chosen, the main thing is the coordinated action of the entire team, synchronized work to keep the raft in the desired position and strict subordination, which will help to successfully complete the rafting.

There are a total of six levels (categories) of difficulty for rafting tours, from the simplest to the most difficult, respectively. Up to the third level, tours involve the participation of people who do not have special training; they sit on the sides of the raft, following the instructor’s commands. In some cases, the rowers are located inside the raft, right on the stiffening ribs, which also serve well as ottomans. Starting from the fourth level, the requirements for admission to passage become more stringent, and only experienced professionals can pass the sixth level. Personal safety is ensured by protective equipment: helmets, life jackets. If rafting is carried out in cold water, then neoprene shoes and wetsuits are added.

The popularity of a particular route is influenced by many factors, the main ones being:

1. Since the whole point of rafting is to pass obstacles, the number of interesting sections and the degree of difficulty come first.
2. The presence of attractions (water and historical) that can be seen while covering the route.
3. Location and opportunities to get to the starting point. After all, some tours may take place in the most remote places on the planet, which not everyone can reach.

But even on the simplest route, river rafting does not cease to be an extreme activity. And it carries with it both a fair dose of adrenaline and impressions, and a certain amount of risk. There is an opinion that complete beginners can do this, without the advice and guidance of an experienced guide - it is completely wrong. It is exciting and safe (the return trip is relatively safe) only if you follow the safety rules, have an experienced guide and prepare the river section accordingly. Of course, compared to paddling or kayaking, which require long training, rafting seems to be a relatively easy and gentle way to conquer the river. But this does not interfere with its popularity, since extreme sports fans among non-professionals appreciated it.

In this sport, during direct rafting, there are only 6 teams, due to which the raft moves with the flow:

1. Move - the team makes every effort to move the raft forward.
2. Small stroke - participants row at half strength.
3. Taban - back.
4. A hook is a stroke that moves the boat parallel to its current position (perpendicular to the raft axis).
5. A break is a paddle that displaces the raft and is opposite to the toe.
6. Sushi - oars are placed on the knees (rest).

And finally

Rowing in rafting is not an end in itself. This is an opportunity to get those unforgettable sensations and vivid impressions that are unavailable in everyday life. Where else can you feel the mad rush of adrenaline from fighting the merciless elements on steep sections of the path and the subsequent peace and tranquility on calm water? By deciding to take it up, you will be able to experience all the delights (as well as the hardships) of the life of a tourist: you will find yourself in the bosom of nature untouched by man, sing songs with a guitar by the night fire, communicate with interesting and unusual people, fill your memory with memories, and the album - photographs. Or it may turn out that the Rafting Federation is waiting for you if you get serious about it.

Rafting in Russia began to develop rapidly after an advertising campaign from Camel was carried out. Then the idea of ​​this sport was picked up and began to be included in tourist competitions. Most teams did not have their own rafts, so they had to rent them directly at the competition.

As a sport, it was included in the All-Russian Register of Sports in 2003 (code number 1740001411Я).

Commercial alloy. The instructor sits behind

Rafting is fundamentally different from other types of water tourism both in the type of vessel on which the rafting is carried out and in ideology. Rafting is a commercial type of rafting, meaning no previous experience is required to participate in the rafting. All you have to do is pay for the tour and you are in the group. Accordingly, rivers for rafting should be easily accessible, that is, roads to them are laid to the start and finish of the route.

Examples of classic routes:

• Melen 3-4 k.s. - Türkiye;
• Bhote-Bones 4-5 k.s. - Nepal;
• Marsiandi 4-5 k.s. - Nepal;

Rivers with an abundance of rapids, rifts, rifts and waterfalls are suitable for rafting. Such rivers are usually found in mountainous areas or very rugged terrain. As a result, such areas are poorly or not populated at all.

Rafting routes are classified on a six-point scale (1-6) difficulty categories. Specifications are allowed: for example, 3+ k.s. or 5-k.s. The obstacles themselves are also characterized on a seven-point scale (0-6) difficulty categories. Similar to routes, clarifications are also allowed here: for example, an obstacle of 5++ c.s. or 4-k.s.

Rafting is a rather dangerous hobby, especially when it comes to routes of the 3rd and higher difficulty categories. The main dangers are:

• overcoming powerful rapids and waterfalls;
• getting fused into “barrels” and rubble, underwater pockets;
• injury, hypothermia;
• remoteness from civilization and, as a rule, lack of communication with rescue services;

The most popular rafting destination in Russia is Altai:

• Katun (difficulty category 1-4)
• Chuya (difficulty category 5)
• Argut (difficulty category 6)
• Bashkaus (5-6 difficulty category)

History of rafting development

River rafting is an activity known to man since time immemorial. There is evidence that hundreds of centuries BC, ancient peoples traveled along rivers in canoes. With the development of civilization, timber was floated down rivers, and gold miners and geologists were transported across mountain waters in various boats.

In extreme rafting on mountain rivers, the most noticeable mark was left by the Englishman M. Jones, who laid the foundation for modern ideas about kayaking. He organized the first kayak ascents of the Blue Nile in Africa, the Orinoco River in South America and the Dudh Kosi River in Nepal. Among the Soviet and Russian athletes who have done a lot for the development of the extreme rafting movement are raftsmen V. Brezhnev, V. Mustafin, V. Govor, M. Kolchevnikov, A. Krasnov, G. Leontyev. Most of the first ascents of the most difficult rivers in the territory of the former USSR are associated with their names. Catamaran operators S. Kirillov, A. Volkov, S. Lagoda, S. Chernik are recognized experts in the field of first ascents on catamarans across reservoirs with the most difficult and dangerous obstacles.

The rafts themselves appeared during the Vietnam War, where these vessels were used to deliver cargo along waterways to American army bases.

In the USSR, rafts were first seen in Altai during the international competition “Chuya Rally” in 1989. This representative forum, which brought together 350 watermen from all inhabited continents and one and a half thousand spectators, became the stage in the birth of Russian rafting. 144 crews of vessels of various classes from 14 countries took part in the launches. Crews from Zambia, Nepal, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Austria, New Zealand, the USA and other countries performed very successfully at the competition; “Bronze” went to Great Britain, “silver” to athletes from New Zealand, and a “gold” medal of the highest standard to athletes from the USSR.

An amazing feature was noted then by the chief judge of the competition, M. Yu. Kolchevnikov, that the superiority of foreign colleagues in the production of rafting equipment lies not in ideas, but in technology. These technologies have allowed rafting to become the most popular means of rafting in the world. By the middle of the twentieth century, rafting on mountain rivers began to become a separate type of sports skill. Various “water” festivals began to be held, in which participants competed for the title of best. By the beginning of the 90s, the development of the international raft movement began to require the unification of the rules for holding competitions. In 1997, the International Rafting Federation (IFR) was formed, and a year later, in 1998, the Russian Rafting Federation (RFR) was created under the leadership of Alexey Viktorovich Rumyantsev. RFR is a member of the European Rafting Association and the International Rafting Federation.

The International Rafting Association consists of 28 countries (South Africa, Chile, Canada, Czech Republic, Norway, USA, Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, Austria, Slovenia, Germany, Russia, etc.).

World and European rafting championships are held once every two years.

In March 2000, the World Rafting Championship took place in Chile on the Futaleufu River. Russia in Chile was represented by the St. Petersburg team “Neva-Tour”. 14 men's teams and 6 women's teams came to the competition. These were the strongest teams. And yet our team won (team captain Sergei Petrov (39 years old), Vladimir Bykadarov (34), Ilya Korolev (29), Alexander Levitsky (20), Dmitry Karbutov (29) and Dmitry Eremin (28)). Based on the sum of all types of programs, our team scored 840 points out of 1000, the Germans, who came second, had 588 points, the team from Slovakia took third place, and the Czechs took fourth place.

In the same year, the Camel Ak Talai Margan ("Rough Water Challenge") whitewater festival took place in Altai, where 15 teams from 11 Russian cities took part. As part of the festival, a 70-kilometer raft marathon along the river, which has no analogues in the world, was held. Katun. Eighteen metropolitan journalists representing ORT, NTV, Ren-TV, TV-6 and others arrived in Altai to cover the competition.

In 2001, the team from Gorno-Altai State University participated in the Camel White Water Challenge championship in Zambia on the Zambezi River, where it took only 14th place out of 16 men’s teams, and the Neva-Tour team in 1997 took 4th place on the Zambezi among 21 teams.

In 2003, Altai-Raft won the national selection, which was held on the river. Chuya, Rep. Altai represents Russia at the World Championships in the Czech Republic on the Lipno channel, where he takes 6th place due to a series of mistakes. The average age of the team was less than 20 years, and it was clear that with the competent work of the coaching staff, they would still top the podium, which happened first at the Amazon Cup rafting in 2004, and then on the Quijos River in Ecuador at the Championship world in 2005.

At the World Championships in 2005 - in the first type of the program, the parallel sprint, ours remained only third, losing to the Czechs and Canadians. However, this result could not be considered bad; The level of the best rafters has increased incredibly in recent years. This is confirmed by the fact that in parallel sprint qualifying, seven teams finished within one second.

In slalom, our team became the first, beating the Czechs and Slovaks in a very difficult match.

In a long race, where more points are awarded, the Altai - Raft team took third place, and this was enough for the final victory. And at the World Rafting Cup, which took place in China, the team from Gorno-Altai State University became the strongest in the crews of four-seater rafts.

The European Championships took place in 2006. He passed on the river. Belaya, rep. Adygea. The competition took place in three disciplines: slalom, long race and parallel sprint. Russian athletes have won two awards, both for men. In the sum of three disciplines, the Altai-Raft team took first place, and athletes from Gorno-Altai State University (GASU) won bronze.

At the European Championships in 2006, women's teams from Russia declared themselves as strong opponents. Russia was represented here by two women's teams, from Krasnoyarsk and St. Petersburg. The teams did not take any prizes, but the Krasnoyarsk team took fifth place in the overall standings; before that, Russian women's teams took places only in the second ten.

Having won the “Amazon Cup” in 2004, the 2005 World Championship and the 2006 European Championship, the Altai team “Altai-Raft” were the first in the history of Russian rafting to receive the title of international master of sports (MSMK), the following athletes: Kalinin Mikhail, Shipulin Konstantin, Dolgov Alexander, Maimanov Makar, Nechaev Sergey and team captain Leonid Menovshchikov.

On May 13-18, 2008, the European Rafting Championships took place in Austria. Teams from 22 countries took part in the competition; athletes took part in raft-4 and raft-6 classes at the following distances: qualification, parallel sprint, slalom, long race. The competition included 25 teams in the raft-6M class, 20 teams in the raft-4M class, 22 teams in the raft-6Zh class and 16 teams in the raft-4Zh class. Among the male crews of raft-4 and raft-6, the first places were taken by Russian teams (“Altai-raft” and “GAGU”); Russian women's teams did not take prizes; The Russian women's team "BZKO" in the raft-4 class took overall only 14th place, and in the raft-6Zh crews the team from Novosibirsk took 20th place; the Krasnoyarsk team eventually took 8th place - for the first time raising Russian women's rafting to the top half of the tournament table.

Rafting as a sport

Rafting is rafting down mountain rivers, passing natural and artificial obstacles against time.

The word “rafting” comes from the English word “raft”, which means “raft”. Rafting is a team sport and each participant performs certain functions during the rafting, and the crew as a whole follows the instructions of the leader-captain.

Rafting competitions consist of four disciplines: Qualification race (according to international rules - Sprint), Parallel Sprint, Slalom, Long Race. The maximum number of points for winning in each event: 100, 200, 300 and 400 respectively. The team that scores the maximum number of points in total becomes the winner in the overall competition - All-around.

Busy place	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Percentage of points	100%	95%	90%	85%	80%	75%	70%	65%	60%	55%	50%	45%	40%	35%	30%	25%	20%	15%	10%	5%

Every year in Russia such competitions are held as: Ak Talay Margaan, Chuya Rally, Russian Championship and Russian Cup, which attract the country's strongest athletes. Competitions are held in two classes: Raft-6 and Raft-4 (divided into men's and women's teams).

The World Rafting Championships are held every two years. Until 2008, only crews consisting of six people took part in the competition, but since the European Championships, competitions between crews of four people have also been held. The Russians became the first champions in four-person rafts.

Rafting technique

In rafting there are 4 teams, due to which the raft moves.

• The move is forward.
• Small stroke
• Taban - back.
• Hook - a stroke with oars perpendicular to the raft axis, during which the raft moves parallel to its previous location.

Results of international competitions

World Championships

Year	Host country	Class	Team	Qualification	Parallel Sprint	Slalom	Long race	All-around
2011	Costa Rica	R-6M	Altai-raft	13	28	14	12	14
2011	Costa Rica	R-6ZH	Krasnoyarsk	8	4	4	7	6
2010	Netherlands	R-4M	GASU	1	4	6	8	5
2010	Netherlands	R-4ZH	Krasnoyarsk	7	2	7	9	8
2009	Bosnia and Herzegovina	R-6M	Altai-raft	15	3	11	3	4
2009	Bosnia and Herzegovina	R-6ZH	Krasnoyarsk	4	4	6	8	7
2007	Korea	R-6M	Altai-raft	X	9	3	2	4
2007	Korea	R-6ZH	BZKO	X	11	13	12	12
2005	Ecuador	R-6M	Altai-raft	X	3	1	3	1
2005	Ecuador	R-6ZH	BZKO	X	13	10	13	12
2003	Czech	R-6M	Altai-raft	X	11	5	4	6
2003	Czech	R-6ZH	Women's team	X	10	9	9	9
2001	USA	R-6M	Neva-tour	X	7	2	5	4
2000	Chile	R-6M	Neva-tour	2	1	3	1	1
1999	South Africa	R-6M	Neva-tour	1	5	4	2	2
1998	Costa Rica	R-6M	Men's team	X	7	8	7	7

World Championships

Unlike its Indian and other ancestors, a modern raft (translated from English as “raft”) looks more like a large inflatable boat or even a synthetic mattress. And it is able to overcome long distances and rather dangerous obstacles through water without loss. From four to two dozen people can sail on it with a sufficient degree of comfort and safety, even on the most turbulent river.

Based on the number of layers, rafts are divided into one- and two-layer. The advantage of the first, lighter and more compact ones, is the ease of preparation for rafting. The main advantage of the latter is considered to be greater reliability and stability on the water.

Ancient rafting

Modern rafting is not very similar to the classic wooden raft, but rafting itself has been known to mankind since time immemorial. And the same dashing “German” Indians who bravely fought with the white conquerors in the movies were probably not the pioneers of rafting, but adopted the science of controlling their boats on a far from smooth and quiet river from the former inhabitants of local reservoirs.

Similar assumptions are confirmed by archaeological excavations. In their opinion, canoe boats, which look great even on the most terrible river rapids, have been known to people for a long time and were used specifically to overcome natural water obstacles. Rafting was used to raft not only warriors, as well as expeditions of gold miners and hunters, but also to move bulky objects for industrial purposes. For example, wood.

By the way, sometimes something unimaginable is called rafting. If only there was something moving on the water that resembled a raft and could pass at least some obstacle without loss.

Sports rafting

As people mastered rivers and various ways to overcome them, rafting, along with rowing slalom, began to turn into a truly extreme type of water sport. It is capable of injecting a real sea of ​​adrenaline and energy into the blood of participants.

In sports documents, such movement of people in helmets and life jackets on rafts, or rather rafts, is called the scientific phrase: “Team rafting on mountain rivers for a time with the obligatory overcoming of natural and artificial water obstacles.” The crew of such a raft is, in fact, a professional team. And its captain also functions as a coach, responsible not only for the result, but also for the safety of his teammates and the raft.

The sport of rafting consists of four separate events: the sprint (or qualification), for which a team can receive up to 100 points; parallel sprint (200 points); slalom (300); and finally the so-called long race (400). The winner of the tournament is the team with the maximum number of points.

Tourist rafting

Inflatable and convenient both for transportation and carrying, the synthetic “raft-boat-mattress” is very popular among extreme tourists who love risk and excitement. It is especially in demand in early spring, during the time of snow avalanches descending from the mountains and rushing along river beds, or so-called white water with abundant foam and fountains of ice spray.

The main obstacles for rafts are considered to be individual stones, dangerous rapids (areas with a large difference in water level) and no less dangerous barrels that threaten to overturn (areas with a reverse flow that occurs where the water falls). The rapids that rafters overcome are divided into six categories. Amateurs and beginners usually compete on rapids of the third or fourth categories. Professionals - fifth or sixth.

The maximum task for many tourists, especially beginners, is a kind of swimming in the icy water of a wildly chaotic stream. But for more experienced rafters, the same task is different - to defeat this terrible flow, cope with it, subjugate the “white water” and survive...

Rafting - rafting (usually in a group) through rough (white) water, often associated with a powerful adrenaline injection. Sometimes rafting refers to any activity on the water using rafts as vessels. For example, fishing from a raft.

Raft- a type of inflatable vessel (for 4-12 people) without any frame elements, used for rafting on mountain rivers. Consists of a main balloon and inflatable cross cans. There are single-layer and double-layer. The first ones weigh less, are easier to use and are made of gas-containing fabrics on a durable basis - they just need to be inflated before use. The latter take longer to assemble, but are more resistant to tears and cuts, and are easier to repair: two-layer rafts consist of a shell made of durable fabric (based on lavsan, a coating of polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride) and an internal pneumatic chamber - even an inexperienced rafting operator can cope with sealing holes on such vessels.

Participation in rafting involves constant proximity to rough water, so you should always be guided river difficulty category. According to international standards, there are six of them:

The first and second level rapids are the simplest and do not require any special skill or physical endurance.

Rapids of the third category are considered more difficult because they require some level of preparedness of the event participants - both physical and technical. The loads increase, and you have to use more skill when maneuvering on the water. Various extreme situations are possible, but they do not threaten anything other than a powerful adrenaline rush.

The fourth and fifth levels are already a real extreme, when you don’t care about natural beauties or other distractions. All thoughts and actions are directed towards one goal - to pass the next threshold, jump from the next “barrel” (this is when a powerful water flow passes over a large stone or a deep depression) with the least losses. The main task is to pass the foam shaft as fast as possible. Instant reaction, skill and experience - this is what a thrill-seeker requires when undertaking a water trip on such rivers.

The rapids are of the sixth level of difficulty - only seasoned professionals can handle them. It is no coincidence that the “six” routes are sometimes called “the straight road to hell.” It’s clear why: not everyone dares to challenge unbridled nature. This is mortally dangerous, even physically strong and resilient people who do not have sufficient experience in dealing with water flows quickly break down when caught in the terrible meat grinder of the “six” river.

In recent years, water tourism has become increasingly popular in Russia - traveling on various vessels along rivers, lakes, seas and reservoirs. This is largely due to the fact that our country, like no other, is surprisingly rich in the most interesting and beautiful water routes. Russia, with its diversity of bodies of water, allows you to make trips of any category of complexity - from the simplest, suitable for inexperienced tourists, to the extremely complex - for true professionals of water extreme sports.

Rafting, like many other sports, has sports and amateur branches. The history of sport rafting may not be so rich, but literally in a matter of years this type of water extreme has become extremely popular.

History of rafting

The rafts themselves, strange as it may seem, are a product of the Vietnam War, where these vessels were used to deliver cargo along waterways to American army bases. They were actively used in the USA for commercial rafting. But the history of sports rafting is inextricably linked with Russia. In 1989, Barnaul residents and Americans organized the Project Raft rally on the Chuya River, and then held similar competitions in the USA. These were the first rafting competitions in the form they are held now. There was no commercial rafting in Russia at that time, and for the entire world rafting elite it was a complete surprise that both of these competitions, which were actually the World Rafting Cup, were won by athletes from Russia - “Team Gorky”. Now, by the way, these same guys are organizing adventure and extreme tours around the world. The Gorky team also won the second World Cup, which took place in 1990 in the USA, and at the third, in Costa Rica, the guys took third place.

The Camel brand, known for its contribution to the world of extreme sports, grabbed the idea of ​​​​a new - water - Trophy with both hands. In 1995, the first Camel WhiteWater Challenge was held on the Zambezi - in the rank of the unofficial world rafting championship. The launches were also held there in 1996 - 1997. And in 1998, the CWWC was held in Costa Rica, on the Reventazon River.

Simultaneously with the holding of commercial branded rafting competitions, the organization of the International Rafting Federation (IRF) took place. The first proposals to create a federation appeared in 1995, and in 1996 it was already registered in Johannesburg (South Africa). From the very beginning, Russia took an active part in the organization and work of the International Rafting Federation. Thus, Sergei Trofimenko, one of the Camel Trophy activists, is a member of the board of directors of the International Rafting Federation.

The development of rafting in Russia is closely connected with the name of Alexey Rumyantsev. In 1991, on his initiative, the Moscow Rafting Club was formed, and in 1994 the Moscow Rafting Federation was created. In 1996, the Russian Rafting Federation was registered, which immediately became a member of the International Rafting Federation, and in 1998 it was officially recognized by the State Sports Committee.

Along with the process of officialization of rafting, our athletes competed at international competitions. After the success of “Team Gorky” there was a short break in success, and in 1995, in the absence of restrictions on the representation of teams in Zimbabwe, the teams of Tyumen and the RAFT club “Turin” (Moscow) performed, which took 16th and 12th final results, respectively places among 26 teams.

In 1996, based on the results of the first qualifying competitions in Russia, a national team was formed from watermen from Moscow and St. Petersburg, which took 11th place among 16 teams.

In 1997, based on the results of the national selection, the best club team in the country, Irbis / Neva Tour (St. Petersburg), went to Africa, taking 4th place in Africa among 21 participants.

Subsequently, there was a systematic ascent of Russians to the highest positions in world rafting. In 1999 we became silver medalists at the world championship, and in 2000 we won the world championship in Chile on the Futa Le Fou river. The champions were the guys from the Neva-Tour team from St. Petersburg. Since then, Russian teams have never fallen below the top places. Russian teams won the European Cup in Norway, the Amazon Cup in 2004 and the Chinese Cup in 2005.

Readers of MirSovetov often ask what rafting is, how it works and how safe it is. In my article I will try to talk about our rafting experience.

Rafting is a type of active recreation in which those who wish to raft down a mountain river on a special inflatable vessel called raft. Rafts come in different capacities - from four to twenty people. We rafted on a twenty-seater. This was the first rafting in our lives, and the rest of the participants were just as inexperienced. Therefore, we rafted along a section of the Belaya River in Adygea, where there are no rapids or waterfalls and the river flow is relatively calm. The length of our route for beginners was 10 kilometers.

Clothing and equipment

Since there is a high probability of getting wet during rafting, if it is not forty-degree heat at this time, it is advisable to wear a wetsuit. Wetsuits are rented by raft owners who organize the rafting. True, there were no large-sized wetsuits to fit our curvy bodies. I had to swim in my own clothes - jeans and a T-shirt. Our trip took place in early May, and it was quite warm, 20 degrees. But as soon as we rowed out into the middle of the river, it started to rain heavily, and within 10 minutes we were wet through. Our feet got wet as soon as we got into the raft; at the bottom of it splashed water that had come from nowhere.

All rafting participants are required to be given helmets. This is done so that if the raft overturns, people do not hit their heads on the rocks at the bottom (the river in this place is not deep at all, huge stones are visible in the shallows. All rafting participants are required to be given life jackets in case they fall into the water. And, Of course, each participant in the rafting is given a paddle (except for small children and old people who sit in the middle of the raft, and not at the side, and float simply as passengers).

Who can participate in rafting

Children from 7 years of age (accompanied by parents or other relatives) and elderly people no older than 70 can participate in rafting (precisely the simplest route). Before the rafting begins, the instructor explains safety precautions to everyone. For example, you cannot jump from the raft into the water, get up and walk around the boat while swimming.

A special instructor is in the boat throughout the entire route and commands who to do what: “the left side rows - and again, and again, the starboard side rests.”

How safe is it?

We rafted along the simplest route, which did not require any special preparation. A life jacket and helmet insured everyone in case they got into the water.

Emotions and impressions

Despite the pouring rain, lightning and wind, we received vivid and unforgettable impressions. We rowed, obeying the instructor's commands, the raft maneuvered between rocks and whirlpools. Sometimes the waves splashed directly into the faces of those sitting in front. The instructor ordered who to sit where, so my husband and I were not close. The smarter and bolder men sat in front and, at the command of the instructor, performed the duties of helmsmen.

So we floated along the seething river under the rumble of thunder, and the forest on the shore waved wet branches after us. A grayish haze rose above the river and hid the distant mountains.

Suddenly the raft began to turn across the current. “Left side, row!” the instructor commanded, “and once, and once, and once...”. The raft leveled its course, but unexpectedly caught the bottom of the rocks and ran aground. “Let’s jump!” the instructor shouted. We didn’t understand where to jump and why, then he himself jumped on the inflatable floor of our boat, and we slowly moved forward.

Around the bend in the river, small craters awaited us. Our ship flew forward, showering everyone sitting in it with icy spray. Suddenly the raft leaned menacingly to the left side, and we all instinctively leaned to the right. “That’s right,” the instructor praised, “and continue to do so.”

On the river bank we saw tourists sitting near a tent. They waved their hands at us, and we felt like seasoned sea wolves. Suddenly the river made another turn, and we moored to the shore. The ten-kilometer route suddenly ended. It’s a pity - I would have loved to swim another ten kilometers! We'll definitely go again. Perhaps we’ll choose a more difficult route...