White Water Rafting

Messing about on the River

Rafting is open to families on gentler stretches of river or to teens and adults on more challenging stretches of river. The thrill of sailing down river in an inflatable raft as a family or group takes over as the raft hits the first section of white water and screams of excitement take over as passengers start paddling as directed by the guide.

Some raft guides will carry out tricks as they take a group down stream such as a nose dunk, designed to get the passengers wet by dipping the nose of the raft into a hole downstream allowing water to flow into the front of the raft. or get everyone to the back of the raft to perform a rock splat where the raft stands nearly upright on it’s stern hen it hits a rock down stream. This all depends on the river, the water conditions and the passengers and raft guide, and always safety comes first when white water rafting.

White Water Rafting in Belle Plagne

Our guide gives full instruction and you are kitted out with wet suit, helmet and life jacket before setting off to ride the rapids

Grading of White Water

White water rafting has become popular across Europe with many rivers offering different levels of rafting experience from Grade 1: Very small rough areas, might require slight manoeuvring, to Grade 6: Class 6 rapids are considered to be so dangerous as to be effectively un-navigable on a reliably safe basis. Rafters can expect to encounter substantial white water, huge waves, huge rocks and hazards, and/or substantial drops that will impart severe impacts beyond the structural capacities and impact ratings of almost all rafting equipment. Traversing a Class 6 rapid has a dramatically increased likelihood of ending in serious injury or death compared to lesser classes.

Most tour companies will offer a range of services from grade 1 – 3 to give customers an adrenaline rush without the dangers of the more severe river waters.