We went on a 1/2 day afternoon SUP trip through class 2/3 rapids with AVA earlier this week. It was a great experience and we had so much fun that we've been telling all of our friends to try it, too. We've both been whitewater rafting before (class 3/4 rapids) and we've been on SUPs in still water and the ocean before, so we thought this might be an interesting activity to try. You definitely don't need SUP experience to enjoy this trip, but having some practice on the water helps!
We opted for the afternoon trip (1PM, they advise arriving by 12:45PM), since Kremmling was about an hour from where we were staying, and we ended up getting there a little earlier than expected. Once we parked in the lot behind their building, there were signs posted that directed us to remain at our car until a staff member (masked and observing social distancing protocols!) got us checked in. We were promptly checked in, our clothes/shoes were checked for suitability and then we headed inside to use the bathrooms and get our gear. For the SUP trips & kayaking, everyone has to wear a wetsuit (the water *is* cold) and a helmet, in addition to a PFD, and they have changing rooms for you to change into your gear.
Everyone got loaded onto the bus (masks on!), with an extra row between each group for distancing and the windows were open during the entire ride to the launch site, which took about 30 min. The trip guides got everyone off the bus and onto their respective watercraft (rafts, kayaks and our SUPs) quickly, masks were taken off and we were in the river! I hit a rock about 2 min into the trip, but after that it was pretty smooth. It's easy paddling down the river, and the guides let us know when to expect the rapids and how to navigate them. There was even a stop for cliff diving halfway through. Overall, super fun and exciting for us on the SUPs - we stood for most of the trip and knelt for the rapids, and we each fell in once.
Once we got to the end of the trip near Radium (about 2.5 hours on the water), we were the first to get out and the guides got everything packed up and loaded back onto the bus (masks back on!) quickly. The ride back was only 5 min longer than the ride out, and everyone was in a great mood. Shout out to Grayson, our trip lead, and the rest of the team!
My tips, if you're planning on going this summer:
- AVA emails you a link to sign your waivers beforehand. Definitely sign before you get there - and make sure everyone else in your group does, too! It makes check-in a lot easier and faster.
- Bring a cloth reusable mask or gaiter, so it's not uncomfortable when you have to put it back on for the bus ride back.
- You won't be leashed to the SUP, but there are ropes where you can attach your stuff (like a waterproof bag or water bottle) with a carabiner, in case you don't want to leave anything in your car or the bus. You can bring a plastic water bottle on a raft, but there's nowhere to put it on a SUP, so make sure you bring a container you can attach to your PFD or SUP.
- If you're not sure about how long your sunscreen will last in the water, we put on sunscreen and wore rashguard/sunshirts over our wetsuits, which helped with sun protection and keeping cool.
- Plenty of the folks going rafting wore sneakers, but we were wearing tevas & water shoes. You have to wear shoes with straps on the water (no flip flops, crocs, etc.), so why not wear something that you won't have to wait to dry the next day?
- If you wear glasses or sunglasses, bring your chums (or buy them there for $8 like we did).