- Riverboarding
Riverboarding is the
North America n name for aboardsport in which the participant is prone on the board with fins on his/her feet for propulsion and steering. This sport is also known as hydrospeed inEurope and white-water sledging inNew Zealand . [http://www.extremedreams.co.uk/white%20water%20sledge/] Riverboarding includes recreational and theswiftwater rescue practice of using a high-flotation riverboard, designed for buoyancy in highly aerated water.Origins
Riverboarding is believed to have originated in the late 1970s. It is claimed to have originated in France, when raft guides stuffed a burlap mail sack with life vests and went down rapids. [http://www.frogz.co.nz/] . However, as no "boards" were involved in this practice, true riverboarding may have been invented by American Robert Carlson. [http://home.comcast.net/~robert.carlson4/blue.htm] . During the 1980s, Carlson began running
rivers inCalifornia using an oceanbodyboard . He felt that the boards sank too much, so he made his own board that was thicker and more buoyant, and with handles and a slick bottom. Soon, riders adapted a personal submarine shell for their molds and the plastic version of the riverboard was born.European riders also developed a foam version (called a hydrospeed or
sledge ) of the plastic board to reduce weight and avoid injuring each other during collisions that sometimes resulted from one rider travelling downstream and another facing upstream while surfing a hydraulic. Today, homemade foam hydrospeeds are very popular among European riders. It didn't take long for the plastic version to find its way to New Zealand where the sport gained in popularity and is known as sledging.Though still a sport with a small number of participants, riverboarding has grown in popularity from media exposure and the emergence of commercial operators running riverboard trips.
Equipment
Riverboarders typically wear fins to provide the thrust to navigate in river currents, while a personal flotation device provides additional buoyancy.
Wetsuits ,gloves , booties,helmets , andknee pads are worn as protection from the cold and from rocks. Additionally, shin guards, and thigh andelbow pads are sometimes worn for extra protection on shallow rivers. Instruction, board design, and gear continue to improve, making riverboarding safer, and opening up the possibilities of rapids that can be run on a riverboard and new tricks that can be performed while surfing.Rescue use
In rescue use, the board is used to support both rescuer and victim in the water during rescue. In rescue use the rescuer is often tethered to a control line, as in a "live-bait" rescue. The rider must engage both mind and body -- thinking about the best way to go down a river while using their fins for the propulsion to get out of harm's way.
Rivers
Several companies run sledging excursions in
New Zealand near Queenstown,Wanaka , andRotorua .See also:
*
Kern River
*American River (North, Middle, and South Forks)
*Truckee River Records
Mike Horn currently holds the record for the tallest waterfall riverboarded with his descent of a 22 meter (72 ft) tall waterfall on the upper reaches of the
Pacuare River inCosta Rica . Fact|date=May 2007ee also
*
River surfing External links
* [http://www.rockymountainriverboards.com Rocky Mountain Riverboards - RiverBoard manufacture and sales]
* [http://www.carlsonriverboard.com - Riverboarding originator Robert Carlson's Web site]
* [http://thegearjunkie.com/riverboarding-green-river-utah Riverboarding the Green River in Utah]
* [http://www.frogz.co.nz/ Frogz White Water Riverboarding (Wanaka / Queenstown NZ)]
* [http://www.kaitiaki.co.nz/about_sledging.asp Kaitiaki Adventures - Riverboarding in Rotorua, NZ]
* [http://www.raftabout.co.nz/index.php?action=sledgeawesomegorge Sledgeabout - Riverboarding in Rotorua, NZ]
* [http://www.ripboard.com Ripboard Riverboard manufacture and sales]
* [http://www.facelevel.com Face Level Industries - Riverboarding & Hydrospeed information, pics, videos, & entertainment]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.