C-Forum

Check out the rafting carnage at the new whitewater park in Columbus, GA. I counted around 10 rafts wiped out at Cutbait rapid and a couple more that spilled their cargo before they made it to Cutbait. Approximately 100 people in the water in less than six minutes!

http://www.westroke.com/blog/2013/5/29/ ... t-carnage/

BIG water! I wonder how me and the little Ion would hold up in that? I might have to give it a go.

Whitewater Distress was what we used to call that particular outfitter... For good reason... Their guide training program was a bit short on the training side... Just sayin...

Yeah,

I'm down here in Columbus GA and getting ready to get back into the sport after a super long hiatus. I'm a former c-boater, ACA instructor, and river guide. I used to guide everything in the NC area....

Cutbait is no joke. It doesn't look that dangerous, just super sticky for rafts in that upper hole.

I'm in the process of getting a gear set and boat together so I can't speak from in the water experience yet... but it's pretty stinkin big. The water is weird down here. You get a daily release like what you see in that vid, but only for around 3 hours a day, in the evening of course. But when it's flowin, it's pretty stinkin intimidating.

As far as Whitewater Express goes... I don't know those guys but they seem to be putting together a pretty good business down here. They're just going through some growing pains initially. I'm certainly willing to cut them a little slack... Columbus GA isn't exactly the best place to recruit river guides... At least not yet. That video is literally one of the first trips, if not "the" first commercial trip they've taken. Plus let's be honest redneck rafters love getting trashed like that. They don't know the difference and just think it's part of the trip. There's another video floating around out there of a dude with a helmet cam on during that trip and when he get's to the bottom, of course swimming at this point, he's like "wow that was awesome...."

By far the funniest part of that video is at 1:10 when it looks like that guide get's trashed like getting into a train wreck...oh yeah and the 3rd raft in the video everyone is already in the water before getting to the rapid... I have no idea what was going on there.... LOL

Tony D.

Tony the thing is this is how Distress runs every river they operate on.

2opnboat1 wrote:Tony the thing is this is how Distress runs every river they operate on.

Well then.. That does make me kinda nervous.

I used to guide on the Pigeon mostly... we'd also take little kids on the Nanny. When I was guide, I remember it being pretty stressful. We were held to some very strict standards and were always ready for a rescue. I wasn't one of those "we'll just see what happens" kinda guides either. It's serious business being responsible for folks who really don't know how dangerous it "can" be.

Well... I look forward to getting back into the sport, but I'm definitely a little older, a little wiser, and don't have anything to prove nowadays... LOL

I wish those guys the best. It's better for everyone if things go well.

NOC is supposed to open up down here also but I think they're waiting to see if the volume of business is there first. Also there's some wierdness going on between the two cities involved. There's a truckload of investment money in this project (like 23 million bucks or something like that).

Tony D.