Sophia May
Canon City Colorado Whitewater Rafting – White water rafting on the Colorado River is very popular and outdoor vendors work to make a day on the river a safe one. On the Echo Canyon River Expedition in Cañon City, clients wear life jackets and helmets and listen to guides go through a safety briefing before boarding the boat. Echo Canyon Raft on the Arkansas River on Friday, July 26, 2019.
Mention “Colorado” to someone and all the stereotypical outdoor activities come to mind: hiking, camping, hunting, skiing and boating. Tourists, and locals alike, have been making lists of places they want to see and things they want to do. And white water rafting is often on that list.
Canon City Colorado Whitewater Rafting
Hundreds of thousands of people take rafting trips with commercial providers each year, according to a 2018 survey of Colorado outfitting licensing. And like any adrenaline-pumping outdoor activity, this activity has its own dangers and people who will go out of their way to keep others from dying.
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On average, eight people have died each year on Colorado waterways since 2009. Thirty-five percent of those deaths were caused by commercial enterprises. This year’s death toll has been higher than average with at least 13 dead on the Colorado River, according to the US Whitewater agency.
The river advocate’s account does not include an incident reported this week in which a man was found dead in Boulder Creek.
13.8 million skiers visited Colorado in the 2018-2019 season, according to Colorado Ski Country USA. There were four deaths last season, which does not include the Vail Resorts property. Rocky Mountain National Park had about 4.4 million visitors in 2017, and 165 search and rescue incidents and five deaths, the Coloradoan reported.
Along with the thrill seekers come those who work hard to make rafting accessible and a great time, but safe.
Rafts Returning To Royal Gorge Section Of The River
Andrew Neinas has been in the rafting industry for 30 years. He owns Echo Canyon River Expeditions in Cañon City and hosts 25,000 guests annually. He said most of the people were from out of state, and if they weren’t from out of state, they were probably Colorado residents hosting their friends and the family that was visiting them.
White water rafting on the Colorado River is very popular and outdoor vendors work to make a day on the river a safe one. At Echo Canyon Whitewater Rafting in Canon City, clients don life jackets and helmets, and listen to the guides go through a safety briefing before getting on the boat. Owner Andy Neinas has been in the rafting business since 1987.
“We’re the equivalent of winter skiing in summer,” he said on a busy, warm Friday morning in July.
Drivers are busy preparing school buses to transport people to the Arkansas River parking lot. They check the guest list, count the items, and then gather people to load the bus.
Canoncity #whitewater Park Expands — The Pueblo Chieftain
Front desk staff make sure participants are properly dressed and ask about the person’s medical history: heart or lung conditions, breathing problems, asthma and allergies.
When a large group of Boy Scouts from Houston arrived by bus, Neinas greeted them and told them what to expect on their trip. A scout asked how many ships had sunk this summer.
“I always tell the guests not to be so naive as to think their boat can’t go… It’s part of the charm and fun of being on a real rafting trip the Colorado that this is nature,” said Neinas. “This is the real deal. This is not a fun ride.”
“When I see the helmet, I think it becomes very real, very quickly,” he said. “I saw big stones.”
Arkansas River Whitewater Rafting
Marcos Andrade, the father of one of the 13-year-old explorers and the first beam, said that although he was excited about the trip, he began to feel worried when Neinas said that the boat could sink.
Hart Van Denburg/News Whitewater rafting is popular on the Colorado River, and outdoor vendors work to make days on the river safe. At Echo Canyon Whitewater Rafting in Canon City, clients don life jackets and helmets, and listen to the guides go through a safety briefing before getting on the boat. Drivers will be loading raft trailers tomorrow Friday 29 July 2019.
Hart Van Denburg/News Whitewater rafting is popular on the Colorado River, and outdoor vendors work to make days on the river safe. At Echo Canyon Whitewater Rafting in Canon City, clients don life jackets and helmets, and listen to the guides go through a safety briefing before getting on the boat. Guides receive a stack of rafts for the route on Friday, July 26, 2019.
Hart Van Denburg/News Whitewater rafting is popular on the Colorado River, and outdoor vendors work to make days on the river safe. At Echo Canyon Whitewater Rafting in Canon City, clients don life jackets and helmets, and listen to the guides go through a safety briefing before getting on the boat. Molly Neinas signed up as a guest on Friday, July 26, 2019.
Cañon City Is Transforming From Industrial To Recreation Economy
Hart Van Denburg/News Whitewater rafting is popular on the Colorado River, and outdoor vendors work to make days on the river safe. At Echo Canyon Whitewater Rafting in Canon City, clients don life jackets and helmets, and listen to the guides go through a safety briefing before getting on the boat. Owner Andy Neinas has been in the rafting business since 1987.
Hart Van Denburg/News Whitewater rafting is popular on the Colorado River, and outdoor vendors work to make days on the river safe. At Echo Canyon Whitewater Rafting in Canon City, clients don life jackets and helmets, and listen to the guides go through a safety briefing before getting on the boat. A group of Boy Scouts from Texas listen to their group leader before boarding their bus to ride the Arkansas Rover on July 26, 2019.
Hart Van Denburg/News Whitewater rafting is popular on the Colorado River, and outdoor vendors work to make days on the river safe. At Echo Canyon Whitewater Rafting in Canon City, clients don life jackets and helmets, and listen to the guides go through a safety briefing before getting on the boat. Driver Richard Pazourek, center, talks to rafters as his bus heads toward the Arkansas River on July 26, 2019.
Hart Van Denburg/News Whitewater rafting is popular on the Colorado River, and outdoor vendors work to make days on the river safe. At Echo Canyon Whitewater Rafting in Canon City, clients don life jackets and helmets, and listen to the guides go through a safety briefing before getting on the boat.
Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival
Hart Van Denburg/News Whitewater rafting is popular on the Colorado River, and outdoor vendors work to make days on the river safe. At Echo Canyon Whitewater Rafting in Canon City, clients don life jackets and helmets, and listen to the guides go through a safety briefing before getting on the boat. Driver Berto Wright, center, prepares for a day on the Arkansas River Friday, July 26, 2019.
Hart Van Denburg/News Whitewater rafting is popular on the Colorado River, and outdoor vendors work to make days on the river safe. At Echo Canyon Whitewater Rafting in Canon City, clients don life jackets and helmets, and listen to the guides go through a safety briefing before getting on the boat. Driver Berto Wright, center, gives his team a quick tour around the paddling course before heading down the Arkansas River on Friday, July 26, 2019.
Hart Van Denburg/News Whitewater rafting is popular on the Colorado River, and outdoor vendors work to make days on the river safe. At Echo Canyon Whitewater Rafting in Canon City, clients don life jackets and helmets, and listen to the guides go through a safety briefing before getting on the boat. Then the fun begins. Echo Canyon Raft on the Arkansas River Friday, July 26, 2019.
Neinas does not deny the risks and says that public opinion will affect the industry. But he believes that much of the responsibility for the safety of the participants rests with the rafters themselves, who should sign up for trips that match their abilities.
Lost Paddle Rafting (canon City)
“The selection process, or determining the right experience for the guest, starts with the consumer,” he said. “It didn’t start with us.”
Abby Leeper, with the Colorado Office of Tourism, said she encourages people to use the “Know Before You Go” principle. Colorado residents and visitors should contact their local ranger station, National Forest Service or reception center for information and travel arrangements.
“They can provide up-to-date information on water levels, road conditions and other related information,” he said. “We want people to make sure they do their research and check the situation – be very careful when recreating.”
“We are in a tourism area. This is a customer service business and we want to make sure we meet our guests’ expectations.”
Echo Canyon River Expeditions
According to a study by the state’s Department of Regulatory Agencies from 2012 to 2016, the most the state spent in a year inspecting commercial clothing was $110,028. That amount dropped by about $27,000 in fiscal years 2016 to 2017 because there was a period when one of the positions was vacant. Three of these positions are seasonal guards who work with the safety coordinator on the ship.
White water rafting on the Colorado River is very popular and outdoor vendors work to make a day on the river a safe one. White water rafting in Echo Canyon
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