Holiday river and bike trips take us into many of the beautiful and remote backcountry areas of the Colorado Plateau. These trips are relatively accessible for a wide range of ability levels, however there remain some essential eligibility criteria to keep yourself and others safe. Below find a list of what may or will be asked of you while on a trip with us. You know your own body’s abilities and limitations better than anyone and as such it is up to you to assess your ability to participate. The following criteria apply to all potential trip participants uniformly; that said, we are committed to making all reasonable accommodations for people with a disability, so long as it does not fundamentally alter the nature of the trip or impact the safety of others. If you fail to discuss a potential accommodation ahead of time with our office staff, our guides have discretion to remove you from the trip.
If you need to discuss a potential accommodation, or have follow-up questions, our office staff is always available! (801) 266-2087
Whitewater Rafting Criteria:
- Must fit into a U.S. Coast Guard–approved PFD. (Personal flotation device.)
- Maximum 52” chest or belly size. (A leg straps may be required to ensure proper fit.)
- Minimum weight of 50 lbs.
- Must be able to get on and off the boats, including onto uneven, steep, muddy, sandy, or rocky ground. (Somewhat similar to stepping over a bench or ottoman.)
- Must be able to quickly shift your body-weight off one tube and onto another tube. (In the event of a ‘high-side’ scenario: where the boat begins to ride up on a rock or obstacle and needs to be pushed back into the water to avoid flipping.)
- Must be able to grip ropes and straps to hold on in whitewater rapids.
- Must be capable of understanding and following verbal and non-verbal instructions.
- Must be capable of performing a certain level of self-rescue behaviors while in the water, such as:
- Swimming in a given direction
- Reaching for a throw rope or raft
- Ability to assist a rescuer in pulling you back into the raft. (somewhat similar to using your arms and core to push yourself up and out of the deep end of a swimming-pool without the use of a ladder.)
- Must be able to carry your dry bags across uneven, steep, muddy, sandy, or rocky terrain either on your own or with the assistance of friends/family.
- Must be able to remain well fed, hydrated, and properly dressed so as to avoid environmental injuries such as hypothermia, heat related illness, sunburn and frostbite.
Additional Biking Trip Specific Criteria:
- Must be capable of biking 4-6 hours per day and covering 20-30 miles on unpaved trails/roads (which is more physically challenging than paved road riding).
- Must be able to ride (or walk a bike for short sections) on trails/roads that may include loose rocks, sand, mud, rock ledges, gravel, steep climbs and descents.
- Must be prepared to ride in all kinds of weather, including (but not limited to) strong wind, rain, cold and hot temperatures.