Went on a tour provided by a guide called "Hannah". The gross negligence, ineptitude and unpreparedness almost cost the life of three rafters the were under the supervision of Hannah.
We were dumped in the river while cross Sunshine Falls Rapids and instead of performing what is called "Swift Water Rescue" as they loudly advertise on the bus on the way to the river.
After almost drowning and having to rescue ourselves because the guide was more concerned with unpinning an UPRIGHT raft, rather than human life.
The river current carried us for a couple hundred meters all while getting water boarded by the current and badly beat up by boulders and rocks everywhere...
After rescuing ourselves, we said we didnt want to continue any longer, but Hannah said this is the only way out of the river. Later on we found out, that's not true, essentially being held hostage on a raft. LOL
We were trapped on more rocks further down and forced to get off the raft and hike next to a section high in elevation and very dangerous, many times we were needlessly navigated through rougher water, after we were dumped in the water.
I reached out to the owner and advised that we were considering legal action from the sheer negligence that his raft guide caused.
As a basic settlement, it was asked that Arkansas River Tours cover the medical copay for my fiance which is $500 plus our money back which was $200 and some change. Essentially just pennies on the dollar.
The owner said he would "consult with his attorney and get back to me" two days passed and I didn't hear from Billy so I sent a follow up email outlining my offer and also mentioning our willingness to sign a release...nobody replied back to the email (of course).
I'm still exploring my options if I want to take up the headache to move forward with filing suit in Colorado Court, but still undecided.
This review is TO WARN YOU. These people take you on tour and have no regard for your life or safety.
RAFT AT YOUR OWN RISK AND BE PREPARED TO SAVE YOURSELF, DO NOT RELY ON BILLY'S POORLY TRAINED TEAM. IT CAN COST YOUR LIFE...TAKE HEED OF MY WORDS. I DIDN'T THINK HAVING TO RESCUE MYSELF WOULD HAPPEN BECUASE THEY REITERATE THAT THEY'RE TRAINED IN SWIFT WATER RESCUE, BUT THE REALITY IS QUITE A DIFFERENT ONE. AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE PIC, IM TRYING TO REACH TO MY FIANCE TO PULL HER IN AND THE RAFT GUIDE IS BUSY ON THE RAFT TRYING TO UNPIN THE RAFT RATHER THAN RESCUE US.
Take your money to AVA Rafting & Zipline, those people know safety
Одговор домаћина
Jan 2021
Dear Jean Pierre,
Thank you for your comments on your outdoor adventure experience. We are sorry that your expectations of a perfectly calm experience on our class IV and V whitewater tour were not met. Running rivers, like life, can be unpredictable and that is why we put so much emphasis on safety protocols prior to getting on the river. In our history we have serviced over 300k happy guests over the last 49 years and through this time we developed extensive professional river training and certification with our guides. Is there a risk of falling out of a raft or intentionally getting out of the raft on a tour? Yes, that is why it is called adventure travel and 99.9% of our guests have tons of fun with us running rivers.
During your pre-trip safety meeting your trip leader highlighted that self rescue is the best rescue when possible. Meaning that if you find yourself outside of the raft then try to get back into the raft or swim to shore based on your guides direction if possible, don’t just keep floating downstream. If self rescue is not possible then your guides will move to best alternative course of action to get you out of the river. In no situation do we want guides or guests intentionally jumping into the river to swim after someone, creating an even bigger situation or possibly leaving behind other guests in an unguided boat. When multiple guests go into the river which can happen when rafting rivers, then our guides do their best to help everyone and keep track of all their people under their care. Again, that’s why guests are given instruction on what to do if these types of situations occur so they are informed on how to work with our guides to keep everyone safe. When our guests and staff work together to deal with variety of rapids and challenges out on the river, the experience if fun, rewarding and exciting.
Since 1973 Arkansas River Tours has been committed to a fun and safe experience. Our guest thinks so too and that’s why we have 100’s and 100’s of 5-star reviews, a very high repeat guest ratio and endorsements from church groups, Scouts, and many more. In our numerous conversations after your trip I offered to help pay for your fiancé’s medical expenses as you had asked and had requested documentation of medical services. You then explained to me that she still hasn’t gone to see medical attention yet with a few months of time since your tour but demanded payment with our without treatment. Again, we are sorry that your river rafting trip experience, our conversation and our offer to pay for a medical claim did not fulfill your expectations.