Rafting Safety
AVA Whitewater Rafting Safety Standards
If you ask us, whitewater rafting is the best adventure in Colorado and a must-do activity that will leave you wanting more. AVA Rafting has been a premier rafting outfitter since 1998, and we’ve always prided ourselves in the superior level of training our guides must go through. There are inherent risks with any outdoor activity, including rafting, but we prioritize safety on our trips, which is why we require 3 times more training than the state of Colorado requires for commercial raft guides.
What to Know about Safety
Safety Orientation
Before you embark on any adventure with us, whether on the water or aerial, you’ll receive a detailed safety orientation. It’s important that you pay careful attention so that you can respond in any situation that might arise. You’ll be enjoying your tour in a natural environment where the situation can change quickly, so it’s important that you know what to do.
Proper Equipment
When you show up for your adventure, you’ll be given safety equipment that matches your tour. This equipment may include a helmet, a personal flotation device (PFD), a wetsuit or splash top, a harness for aerial tours, and more. It’s important to make sure that your equipment fits properly and that you’re wearing that right way. Your guide will help you get fitted and answer any questions you have about your gear.
Whitewater Rafting Guide Training
At AVA, our guides go through 3 times the state-required training for whitewater rafting. All of our guides are first aid and CPR certified and go through continued education even if they have been guided for a decade or more. On average, our guides have 8 years of experience.
Shoreline Safety
Our certified bus drivers at AVA take very good care of our guests on the road and the river. You can find them at the shore with a safety rope to help any swimmer in need of getting to the side of the river. They work with the safety kayakers and rafting guides closely to help guests at any time.
Safety Kayakers
We also have safety kayakers on our class IV & V whitewater rafting trips. During high water, we will have safety kayakers on class III trips as well. The safety kayaker provides an additional line of safety as guides and guests move through rapids, and their potential for swimming in the river increases.
River Level And Age Requirements
We take safety very seriously, and reserve the right to cancel a trip or increase age minimums depending on the water flows at that time. We love rafting more than anyone, but we will not go out on the river during conditions that are seen as unfit for certain ages or potentially anyone.
Is Rafting Safe?
FAQs
AVA uses high-quality, regularly inspected gear for all activities. For ziplining and via ferrata, harnesses, helmets, and carabiners are carefully maintained and checked before each use. On rafting trips, every guest wears a fitted helmet and PFD, with equipment inspected daily. All trips begin with a detailed safety briefing, and guides enforce strict safety protocols to ensure guest readiness and awareness.
All of our guides’ training hours far surpass state regulations. Beside the state requirement of being First Aid and CPR certified, almost all of our guides are Swiftwater Rescue certified and very many of them are EMTs, Wilderness First Responders, or hold Outdoor Emergency Care certification. The State of Colorado requires only 50 hours of training to be a river guide, however our new guide training gives our trainees almost three times this minimum requirement.
Check out what raft guide training looks like with AVA here.
White water rafting is safe, but there are inherent risks on every trip. Your risk on a rafting trip goes up as you get into higher class rapids such as class V. Learn more here.
It’s important to be aware of the risks involved in every outdoor adventure, and ziplining is not without its risks. Ziplining is an extreme sport and, as such, has particular risks that will always be associated with it. With that being said, your guide has undergone extensive training to ensure your safety. In addition to highly-trained guides, AVA also only uses top-of-the-line equipment.
Don't just take our word for it
I had a lot of fun going zip lining there for my 24th birthday and would love to do it again in a heartbeat! Read More »
Drove 1hour to meeting point. Doors locked, they cancelled trip without notifying us. Promised immediate refund. When Viator attempted refund THEY DENIED... Read More »
-bad customer service
-safety issues
-series of problems
I recently came with my 13 year old and a group of their school friends and families. The twelve... Read More »
Laura & Dillon were great Zipline guides! Photos are few and of poor quality. Other than disappointing photos, all AVA staff were awesome!
Streamline process from start to finish. We all learned a lot about Zipline and had fun. We'll return for whitewater rafting! Thank you!
Great birthday activity! We did a package deal for Via Ferrata and Whitewater Rafting! Super Fun full day adventure. The guides, Cody and Birdie with the Via were great and lets not forget Jill! She was an amazing whitewater guide! Will comeback again for more rafting, climbing and everything else AVA offers!
Read More »Alden, Annika and Brooks were amazing. Our large family group of 18 had a lot of first time rafters and they handled us with ease and grace. We had such a blast going down the Browns Valley and can’t wait to come back again. Seriously they were the perfect guides for each of our groups and loved getting to hear part of their stories.
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