would you take your kids whitewater rafting? UPDATE #76

[A&A]

Would you take your kids whitewater rafting (using a rafting company)?

Assume you have kids my kids' ages -- 7 and 13.


Thanks for the opinions.

(PS. Life jackets would be worn, of course)

[mamadelbosque]

Sure. Depending on the river and the class of the rapids. But generally, if your going with a rafting company they're pretty used to kids and know what different age groups can handle, so yeah. Why not?

[LVale]

Yes, if they knew how to swim, and for the 7 yr a life jacket. But then again I had free range kids (now 32 and 29), and they did stuff nobody else was allowed to do. If you are comfortable and they want to do it, along with proper instruction in white water rafting, I say go for it!

[A&A]

Originally Posted by mamadelbosque

Sure. Depending on the river and the class of the rapids. But generally, if your going with a rafting company they're pretty used to kids and know what different age groups can handle, so yeah. Why not?

near Yellowstone, class II and III rapids.


I was fine with it until I read on the website where they say, "You probably won't fall out of the raft."

[GuildJenn]

Yes, as long as they meet the company guidelines, the company runs a family-style rafting trip, they can swim, and most important, they follow directions well most of the time. No, if those criteria were not met.

What would make me hesitate were if your 7 year old were at the absolute bottom of the appropriate age range - I might wait a year in that case.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by LVale

Yes, if they knew how to swim, and for the 7 yr a life jacket. But then again I had free range kids (now 32 and 29), and they did stuff nobody else was allowed to do. If you are comfortable and they want to do it, along with proper instruction in white water rafting, I say go for it!

They really, really want to do this. Dh really wants us to do this, too.


PS. I love the term "free-range" kids.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by GuildJenn

What would make me hesitate were if your 7 year old were at the absolute bottom of the appropriate age range - I might wait a year in that case.

You have to be at least 50 lbs. He weighs 60-something, and he's only a few weeks away from being 8. He's still learning to swim, but he'd be wearing a life jacket.

[GuildJenn]

Originally Posted by A&A

near Yellowstone, class II and III rapids.


I was fine with it until I read on the website where they say, "You probably won't fall out of the raft."

Well... class III might make me hesitate a bit actually. Have they been on similar adventures?

[One_Girl]

No I would not. Even professionals die in white water, we had a very experienced one die here last year and his body was never recovered. There was also a family that lost a coulple members last year when they went on water they shouldn't have been on. I am leary of rivers though because I almost drowned in our really calm one when I was snagged on a tree branch under the water. I would probably let my child float with a life jacket on a mild river when she is a stronger swimmer and she has an adult who is a strong swimmer with her, but not white water.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by GuildJenn

Well... class III might make me hesitate a bit actually. Have they been on similar adventures?

No, they haven't.

[A&A]

Dh is a very adventurous kind of parent, and I'm always the one holding back, worried about the safety issues.

We try to meet in the middle, but sometimes it's hard for us to know where that "middle" is, yk?

[southernmama]

yes- took dd 6 and ds 3 on a four day raft adn camp trip with friends (experienced rafers have their own rafts)- the class iv would be a lot but you can always walk around a rapid. kids loved it- was very safe if you do it smartly and have someone who really knows the river.

[A&A]

Ugh, I want to protect them but not overprotect them, yk? I want to raise ambitious, confident kids. So I often find conflicts in what I want to let them do, and yet don't want to let them do!!

If we do go, I'm going to have them wear helmets as well as life jackets.

[GuildJenn]

Originally Posted by A&A

Ugh, I want to protect them but not overprotect them, yk? I want to raise ambitious, confident kids. So I often find conflicts in what I want to let them do, and yet don't want to let them do!!

If we do go, I'm going to have them wear helmets as well as life jackets.

I was just talking to my husband about your dilemma and we agreed our first step would be to call the company and get a human being and talk to that person about what it's like and any concerns they might have. I think more information would be good. The WW rafting trips I've been on that were organized by companies all included helmets as far as I remember.

[mamadelbosque]

Sure, class 2 and 3 rapids are really fairly minor - enough to be fun, but not really dangerous yet, IMO, so long as you have some idea of how to swim and have a life jacket on (which you *ALWAYS* will when rafting *regardless* of age, unless your an idiot!!).

[A&A]

Originally Posted by GuildJenn

I was just talking to my husband about your dilemma and we agreed our first step would be to call the company and get a human being and talk to that person about what it's like and any concerns they might have. I think more information would be good. The WW rafting trips I've been on that were organized by companies all included helmets as far as I remember.

I did just call.

Good idea! He said it would be safe for my 7 yo., and they could provide helmets for me if I wanted. But their website pictures don't show helmets.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Class III is absolutely NOT MINOR. I was knocked unconscious in a class II rapid and suffered a traumatic brain injury even with a helmet. Granted, I was in a white water kayak, not a raft, but just want to put it out there that the water in class II can be moving pretty swiftly, and eddy lines are very difficult to navigate, especially if you do not weigh a whole lot. Make sure all of you have life jackets and helmets on. I don't think I would bring my child, but my past experience gives me a little bit of a bias.

[Teensy]

Does your 7 year old follow instructions well? Is he inclined to stay calm in an emergency? If he does fall out, would he remember and do what he was told (something like to float on his back with his feet downstream, for example)?

I would have taken my oldest on those types of rapids at that age, but probably not my middle child.

I would call the rafting center and discuss you concerns with them.

I loved the few times I've been whitewater rafting and look forward to taking my kids at some point - I was considering taking all three on a class II trip (ages 5 and up permitted ) this summer, but the cold water temps in Washington state (where we are going on vacation) have me reconsidering.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin_Pie

Class III is absolutely NOT MINOR. I was knocked unconscious in a class II rapid and suffered a traumatic brain injury even with a helmet. Granted, I was in a white water kayak, not a raft, but just want to put it out there that the water in class II can be moving pretty swiftly, and eddy lines are very difficult to navigate, especially if you do not weigh a whole lot. Make sure all of you have life jackets and helmets on. I don't think I would bring my child, but my past experience gives me a little bit of a bias.

Oh scary!!

Things like this make me want to scream "No!" but then I think about the 13 yo. scaling Everest and the 16 yo. sailing solo around the world, and I think "let your kids live a little!"

So my brain is going crazy trying to decide.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Originally Posted by A&A

I did just call.

Good idea! He said it would be safe for my 7 yo., and they could provide helmets for me if I wanted. But their website pictures don't show helmets.

I absolutely would not go with a company that did not require helmets. Dangerous and not worth the risk. Do you really want to be on a boat going down a river with the possibility of a fellow rafter falling out of the boat and smashing their head wide open on a rock? Think about the "fun" pictures you see of a boat with one end up in the air and then judge the distance you would fall out of that onto a ROCK. You could absolutely die falling from that height, or at the very least be knocked unconscious and be washed down river. Not a reputable company if they don't require and provide basic safety equipment.