Rafting is in Central Europe has become popular since the mid-1980s, recreational sport. In this type of water sport, a river is used for a dinghy draft. Usually, white water of higher degrees of difficulty is traversed. Rafting is operated by commercial providers.
Vehicles
Rafts are usually available for two to twelve people. They are made of very robust multi-layered rubberized fabric with several independent air chambers. The length usually varies between 3.60 m and 5.80 m, the width between 1.60 m and 2.50 m. To differentiate is between different boat forms. In Europe, the symmetrical raft, which is controlled by the staking paddle at the rear, is the most common. Other types are the asymmetrical flowed rudder controlled raft and the symmetrical raft with a central rudder Engl. Oars, belts’. Rafts are moved forward with the staking paddle or the oars. A special form, the inflatable kayak Ducky,
Rafting competitive sport
In the Rafting Rennsport, since the founding of the International Rafting Federation (IRF) in 1997, official World Championships in the six races have been held every two years. From 2010 onwards, the four-seater Rafts are changing to the six-seater boats in straight years, mainly on artificial white water systems to prepare for the Olympic Games Olympic class. The disciplines are time trials 1-3 minutes, parallel sprint head to head 1-3 minute, slalom with up to 14 goals 3-4 minutes and the departure 20-60 minutes according to the rules of the IRF, There are European and World Championship titles for each individual discipline as well as for the overall evaluation.
Security
Rafting has become a relatively safe leisure pleasure thanks to the now highly developed safety measures of the main commercial suppliers. Depending on the target area, there are sometimes quite strict security measures for public providers: This extends from the obligation to inspect the operators and boat owners, through the regular inspection of the boats, to clear rules regarding the equipment to be carried. Rafting is not an above-average dangerous sport if the usual safety regulations are observed.
Rafting relation to nature conservation and others
Like all nature sports, rafting is a conflict between nature conservation and nature conservation. By rafting, as a rule, no river landscape is destroyed, since the entry and exit are usually determined by the authorities, and accordingly bank shoulders are only slightly loaded.
Rafting as an economic factor in many alpine regions contributes to the fact that the further drainage of rivers for the production of energy is not allowed and the rivers as habitat for fish and for the canoeing remain.
In the past, problems arose among fishermen and raiders, but they were largely offset by compromise solutions such as restrictions on the annual and daily travel times.
Canoeists and rafting providers have largely similar interests. Canoeists benefit from the infrastructure of commercial rafting, such as entry and exit points. A raft is a considerable risk for a canoe due to its size. Rafter often meet at the descent on whitewater canoes, which play on a wave. The kayak must avoid since the draft is sluggish and has the right because it comes from above. A large part of the raft guides boat leaders is themselves active whitewater paddlers. They know both sides and behave ruthlessly.
Both canoeists, as well as rafting and nature conservation associations, are committed to the elimination of hazardous, superfluous artifacts of river flow such as crutches, old reservoirs and bridge piers to make the rivers passable for fish and boats and to increase the safety of the canoe and raft. some canoeists complain that rafting operators, in collaboration with municipalities and tourism organizations, undertake dredging and blasting operations in natural river beds to eliminate safety risks in the river. In fact, these measures generally last only for a short time, since a river bed is subject to permanent changes and interventions are often negated with the next large flood.
Sources – Wikipedia
