The History of Whitewater Rafting
Earliest traces of whitewater rafting can be found as far back as 1811. That was when the first attempt was recorded. The target was the Snake River in Wyoming, but without proper equipment and training the river has proven to be too difficult, hence it got the nickname the Mad River. In 1840 the first rubber raft was created by Horace H. Day and Lt. John Fremont. However it took a hundred years for the first commercial rafting trip to take place.
In 1940, a successful trip through the Snake River was led by Clyde Smith. Shortly after that John D. Rockefeller Jr. constructed a resort in Grand Teton National Park that started to offer float trips in the 1950s. It took about 10-20 years for the sport to grow and for the first time in history, whitewater rafting was included in the Munich Olympics in 1972.
The Four Disciplines of Rafting Explained
Now that we covered safety let’s have a closer look at the four rafting disciplines. Rafting consists of four disciplines: sprint, H2H, Slalom and downriver.
The sprint is a fast, hard, short burst of speed race. It usually takes about 2-3 minutes of hard paddling and is always done first. Teams go off one by one therefore they are racing the clock, not each other. The H2H on the other hand is quite different. It is the most exciting to watch as two teams are pitted together in a fast sprint to the finish line. The teams are set of together and the one with the better time wins. The slalom is the most technical discipline of them all. It demands high teamwork and technique to navigate the raft through the gates. The downriver is the star of the show. It consists of about an hour of racing through sections of powerful rapids and it by far the most endurance challenging discipline.
The Best Places to Go Whitewater Rafting in Bend, Central Oregon
If you are looking for a Whitewater Rafting Oregon experience – especially in Bend, we have good news for you. There are numerous White Water Rafting Central Oregon options that you should consider. In order to help you out find the best White Water Rafting Central Oregon locations – we’ve combined a short guide on how to find them.
The First Whitewater rafting Oregon trip you should make when in Bend, is in fact the Rogue River. This Whitewater rafting Oregon trip is amazing for those who are beginners and they want their first time to be in Bend.
Another great Whitewater rafting Oregon option is of course, taking the Northwest Whitewater adventures. This trip in Bend is an excellent option for the family, and although somewhat challenging, there are all sorts of ways where you can feel the Whitewater rafting Oregon experience without endangering the youngest ones in Bend.
The third Whitewater rafting Oregon option you have is the Oregon Ridge & River Excursion. It is the prefect one for a raft trip outfitter who went to Bend.
Of course, the last option for when you are looking for a great Whitewater rafting Oregon experience with fishing in Bend is the McKenzie River or the Deschutes River. You can go fishing with your family and friends, and enjoy a nice time in Bend.
So, regardless of what type of a rafter you are – an experienced one or just a beginner, you can have the time of your life in Bend just picking any of these choices.