History of rafting

The first rubber raft was made by Lt. John Fremont and Horace H. Day believed to be built it the 1840s. They planned to survey the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. Although invented back then, it wasnʼt until the turn of the century that the first commercial rafting trip took place. On June 9, 1940, Clyde Smith lead a successful trip through the Snake River Canyon. In later years, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. constructed a modern resort hotel in Grand Teton National Park. In the late 1950s the lodge began offering float trips. They used surplus war rafts that were 8 ft wide by 27 ft long. Less than 500 people went that year but the demand started increasing. It wasnʼt until the 1960s and 70s that whitewater rafting companies started forming. In the 1972 Olympic games in Munich, whitewater rafting was included for the first time. Now whitewater rafting has risen to a popular sport and hobby, growing more and more every year.
Rafting as sport :
Rafting is a competitive sport in which the objective is to navigate downstream on river rapids using an inflated raft. It is considered as an extreme sport which is highly challenging and risky, and requires a great deal of teamwork. Rafting is also an extremely popular recreational activity practiced in most countries around the world.

All rafting races are team races in which 2 - 8 riders take part. Regardless of the type of race, the objective is to complete the course in the fastest time possible.

The International Rafting Federation is the highest governing body for the sport which conducts competitions and is also responsible for popularizing the sport. The World Rafting Championships is the highest level event conducted for rafting, in which, races are conducted the open category and also for riders of different age groups, for both men and women.