History of White Water Rafting

History of Whitewater Rafting

White water rafting can be traced back to 1811 when the first recorded attempt to navigate the Snake River in Wyoming was planned. 

In 1840, the first rubber raft was made by John Fremont and Horace Day. The same took place commercially a century after, when Clyde Smith led a successful tour through the Snake River. Earlier they used surplus war rafts which were 8ft wide and 27ft long. 

In 1972, white water rafting was included in Olympic Games in Munich and from then it has risen to a popular adventure sport and hobby, growing more and more every year.

In India following are some famous places to go for White Water Rafting:

1) Rishikesh (Dehradun, Uttarakhand)

2) Zanskar (Jammu & Kashmir)

3) Indus (Jammu & Kashmir)

4) Bhagirathi River (Himalaya, Uttarakhand)

5) Teesta River (Sikkim, Darjeeling)

6) Brahmaputra (Tibet Region, Himalaya, Arunachal Pradesh)

7) Kali/Sharda River (Uttarakhand)

8) Tons River (Garhwal, Uttarakhand)

9) Kundalika River, Kolad (Maharashtra)

10) Barpole, Coorg 

Grades of White Water Rafting:

There is an international scale for measuring the difficulty of river, which is divided in six grades. They range from simple to dangerous level of difficulty.

Grade 1: Very basic skill level, with small rough patches

Grade 2: Requires basic paddling skill, has some rough areas and rocks

Grade 3: Has no considerable danger, with some small rapids and drops

Grade 4: Medium waver, slight drops and rapids with some rocks

Grade 5: Large waves and rapids, large drops and huge rocks, requires precise maneuvering

Grade 6: Considered to be dangerous. One can expect huge waves, rocks and rapids.