How it Cycles

Rafting or kayaking for the first time? Wondering - what is it going to be like? - what services are offered? - when is the best time of year to go? - and is the river really dangerous??

Whitewater rafting requires that safety is always the first concern. We use the best whitewater lifejackets available, made just for rafting. The equipment and procedures we use are always being updated to insure that the level of skills and knowledge is always being improved upon. We are an active member of the Alberta based professional rafting association. Our guides are trained in First Aid and CPR , River Rescue, and with extensive river skills built up over the years. They are also lots of fun too, knowing when to play with the river and when it demands respect.

Over the years of rafting, we have had no major injuries just a few bruises and scrapes and maybe a few achy muscles the next day.

Well, we can list our services and procedures, but with more than 15 years of experience we put on a top notch production. We have taken a wide range of group sizes, ages, physical abilities and special interest groups.

There are lots of photos to give you some guidance in how to prepare and what to expect whether you are rafting or kayaking. Examine the photos and you will find from the wide age range of the participants, that this is fun for all ages.

When you view the photo's, notice that many shots are taken at the same set of rapids so that you can tell the water level varies a lot over the season. Generally, high water appears like chocolate milk whereas lower water is clear with lots of blues and greens. A general rule is that June is High water month, with the peak volumes occurring June 11-17, depending on mother nature. But at this time of year, the air temperature is cooler being so close to the mountains and there may still be some ice on the banks of the river in the shady spots. The river is more demanding of your paddling power, this helps keep you warm too.

Compare the following two photos of Big Rock at different water volumes.

August		June

The photo on the left is taken in August, lower water, but warmer weather. There is more people playing in the water, less clothing for warmth and protection from the elements. The photo on the right, in June - quite a difference in the ride and how you have to behave on a powerful river.

As the power of the river drops over the course of the season, we are able to play with the river more, rather than just being powered downstream. Mid or late season allows people to cliff jump, swim, body surf or just play in the river more. As the rivers power drops we can even get your raft surfing in some of the river holes, just as a surf board rides a wave in the ocean, a raft can surf on a stationary wave on a moving river. GREAT FUN but kinda hard to do because of the teamwork required of all the paddlers to get into the hole.

High Water

Often we can have high water level happening at other times of the year. Why?? There can be lot's of rain in the mountains, which never makes it out to Red Deer, Edmonton or Calgary. People got a very unexpected trip! So, it's very hard to judge what the river conditions are like from Alberta's major cities. To find out what the river levels are like, watch the weather reports for Banff, which affects the Red Deer's river levels for both run-off as well as glacial melt.

In the photos, notice also what are people wearing. Generally, early in the season they can be warmly dressed in layers and then later in the season, there often is just wetsuits under the lifejackets. There is also more people playing in the water later in the season.

But notice, even if it just rains all day on you, you are still going to have a GREAT DAY! (You are going to get wet no matter what the weather).

Getting Wet

If you have been out on the Red Deer River before, consider going at a different water level or time of year. Some people have been surprised at the totally different river at another time and water level. People often alternate early season one year and late season the next, both times have there benefits as well as their rewards and levels of excitement and FUN AND, THIS IS A FUN BUSINESS.

Kayaking		Great Fun

There are more and more kayaking pictures showing up in the site. These inflatable kayaks are a blast. They are so stable and very hard to flip. And being low in the water and light weight, they are very easy to handle and an incredibly FUN ride. The feedback on using them is that it "requires more upper body strength than rafting, but most youths and older could manage a half day". Check out the photos, Kim seems to have such a great time whenever she's in the kayak!