Safety should always be a raft guide’s number one responsibility when taking guests on a trip. Sometimes safety looks different depending on what river you’re on or where you are in the world. The way we run safety on the White Salmon River is pretty standard and understood by the surrounding companies. All of our guides are very educated on the matter, and take it very seriously.
Swift water rescue
Most everywhere guides are required to have some sort of Swift Water Training. A course based around “how to rescue someone in an appropriate manner, in water faster than 1 knot”. It involves a lot of real-world situations and scenarios that can happen on a whitewater river. Guides should be able to handle all kinds of situations and always be prepared for anything that can happen. The course includes things like what to do when there is a fallen tree in the water, rescuing someone with a foot entrapment, how to walk through fast currents, live baiting, rope throwing, and swimming whitewater. Knowing what to do during these events is something anyone dealing with whitewater should be aware of.
Safety at Husum Falls
When it comes to the middle White Salmon, we use the majority of our safety training at Husum Falls. We set up lots of safety for the falls because the river can decide to sabotage a boat at any moment! The system used involves all the guides on the trip and everyone knows their job. One or two people stand under the Husum bridge ready with ropes in case anyone were to swim. We have a traffic coordinator above the falls, they use the universal signals to tell the next boat if it is safe to go, or if we need to stop. We go through a lot of training for our Husum Falls set-up. When we open it up in July, everyone knows their positions. Sounds a little complicated but we have the routines down to a T!
Gear
Guides also carry a lot of safety and rescue gear. Every boat that goes down a river has a throw bag. Guides should always have a knife in their PFD (personal flotation device), carabiners, and a piece of webbing we call a guide strap. Every trip is required to have some sort of safety kit, with the important supplies needed if anyone were to get injured. All of these things are just to ensure you are prepared for any situation thrown at you. Most guides bring a lot more gear than what is listed. Guests also always wear helmets and PFDs, along with the guides. These are to protect you from rocks and to make sure you stay afloat if you were to ever fall out.
Whitewater rafting is an adventurous activity we think everyone should try! Your safety on the White Salmon River is always our number one priority here at Zollers Outdoor Odysseys. You should always be able to trust your guide and their ability. They are trained and ready for anything the river throws at them.
She is a lover of the river and what the Pacific Northwest has to offer!