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ESSENTIAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

AzRA’s Essential Eligibility Criteria 

Introduction

A Grand Canyon rafting expedition is, by its nature, an extremely active trip. It takes place in a remote backcountry setting, where unpredictable and often harsh weather extremes can occur up to 24 hours a day. The daily activities alone, such as setting up camp, loading rafts, taking down/setting up tents, packing/unpacking gear and getting on/off the boats many times a day, is exhausting for folks of all ages.  There are very few people who, in their daily lives, will experience the activity level that is a daily part of a Grand Canyon rafting expedition. It is hard to overstate the cumulative impact of the challenges of a river trip that are more fully described below. Challenged sleeping, rigorous activity, challenging terrain, weather extremes, individual limitations, and even unanticipated minor injuries could add up to be more than these challenges are individually.

Regarding weather in Grand Canyon, temperatures commonly reach over 100 degrees F from May through September in the bottom of Grand Canyon. These high temperatures require bodies and organs to work extra hard metabolically. Likewise, the low temperatures guests can experience (particularly in spring and fall, but also other times) when the weather turns cool, or the combination of cold water and deep shadows or inclement weather, coincide, can be challenging for some. Thus, regulating and maintaining equilibrium of our body’s water, salt, electrolyte, glucose, and hormone levels become more challenging in the harshness of outdoor environments, both hot and cold. Guests will have little or no respite from the heat (other than getting wet) or from the cold (other than adding multiple layers of appropriate cold weather clothing/gear) on most Grand Canyon rafting adventures.

About Essential Eligibility Criteria

Rafting at Arizona Raft Adventures (“AzRA”) is open to all individuals who meet the following essential eligibility requirements, including recommended minimum age and chest size limitations (for proper fit of the required Personal Flotation Device, a/k/a PFD). AzRA does not discriminate on the basis of disability. AzRA has developed the following Essential Eligibility Criteria (“EEC”) which are applicable to all participants on AzRA rafting trips.

The purpose of EEC is to help potential AzRA participants identify the skills and abilities necessary to participate in an AzRA rafting trip. If a potential guest is unable to meet the EEC listed below, with or without an accommodation, that person will not be able to participate in the activity.  The EEC are applied uniformly to all potential rafting participants, irrespective of the presence or absence of any disability. The criteria exist for your own safety and that of all activity participants and AzRA guides.

As you read through the EEC, if you think you will only be able to meet the EEC with an accommodation or modification, please let us know, and we will discuss with you the potential for providing a reasonable modification or accommodation for the rafting trip. It is imperative that we discuss any necessary accommodations at the time of booking – if we are not notified of your need for an accommodation at the time your reservation is made, we may not be able to allow you to go on the trip. A reasonable modification or accommodation is one that does not fundamentally alter the nature of rafting or the services that AzRA provides, that does not pose a significant health or safety risk to the participants or AzRA staff, or one that would not cause an undue burden or hardship on AzRA, including undue financial or administrative burdens. Please carefully consider the EEC below and speak to your physician prior to registering for a trip. Of course, the AzRA office staff is always happy to answer any questions you may have.

If you plan to use an assistive device, i.e., a hearing aid, during a raft trip, please notify AzRA at the time of registration for the trip or as soon as practicable.

For an AzRA multi-day raft trip, each participant must be able to meet the following General/Universal, Whitewater Rafting, Tent Camping, and Hiking EEC with or without an accommodation, including with the reasonable assistance of a companion who accompanies the participant:

General/Universal EEC

  • Be in reasonably good health and fitness.
  • Be able to breathe independently without any assistance from medical devices and/or trained professionals.
  • Be able to perceive, understand, and recall the inherent risks and hazards of the activity, including but not limited to those previously identified by the guides.
  • Be able to stay alert and to focus attention for several hours each day for the duration of the trip including during guide instruction and trip activities.
  • Be able to independently perceive, understand, and follow both verbal and non-verbal instructions given by the guide(s) in all situations and to effectively communicate with trip guide(s) and other participants. During stressful, dangerous, or emergency situations, participant must be able independently to immediately and quickly perceive, understand, and follow both verbal and non-verbal instructions given by the guide(s). In addition, one must be able to effectively notify a companion, guide(s), or other participants of personal distress, injury, illness, or the need for assistance, including in adverse or challenging weather or environmental conditions.
  • Be able to perform self-care and participate in all activities of daily living such as:
    • eating, hydration, personal hygiene, toileting (including bladder and bowel control), and dressing. Toileting on the river does not include running water or flushing toilets, but instead includes the use of “groovers” (custom-made portable receptacle boxes with a toilet seat on top and placed upon potentially uneven ground), as well as possibly using “cat holes or “wag bags” (plastic bags designed for waster in the backcountry) for toilet facilities.
  • Be able to manage all personal medications, including dosing and administration.
  • Be able to adequately eat, hydrate, and properly dress for the desert and river environment
  • Be able to remain active and manage personal care for extended periods of mobility and exertion of potentially over 10 hours per day.
  • Be able to enter and exit a multi-passenger vehicle, which may include a bus, van, SUV, or mini-bus.
  • Be able to stay balanced and seated in a multi-passenger vehicle transporting up to 26 passengers, while the vehicle is moving, up to eight hours in a single day.
  • Be mentally and physically able to participate in a group setting without negatively impacting or jeopardizing the health or safety of the other participants or guide(s).
  • Be able to properly wear and use all required protective gear and clothing including wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) with a maximum chest size of 52 inches.
  • Be able to meet the demands of the trip within the time limits set by the variable daily trip itinerary and trip guides.
  • Be able to tolerate water temperatures that could be below 50 degrees F for 10 minutes or more.
  • Be able to endure exposure to diverse and changing weather conditions, including temperatures potentially below freezing (32 F/0 C) and likely above 90 F or 100 F/37 C degrees, extremely dry and/or humid environmental conditions, high altitude, intense sun exposure, and potentially rapidly changing weather conditions such as dry, hot conditions to intense or extreme rain, wind, lightening, and thunderstorms, including monsoonal rain, hail, sandstorms, and flash floods.

Whitewater Rafting EEC

  • Be able independently to stay balanced and seated in a raft on a raft tube or equipment with significant jostling and motion while simultaneously being able to maintain a strong grip and hold on to the raft with both hands.
  • Be able to enter/board and exit/disembark a raft four to ten times a day, either independently or with the reasonable assistance of another person. Entering and exiting a raft, which is either partially beached or in the water, requires personal flexibility and balance in a shifting and moving raft and requires being able to step over the side of and into the raft from land or the river; move over a raft floor or tubes which can be soft, uneven, and flexible; and step and crawl over raft tubes and other equipment before being seated on a raft tube or equipment.
  • Be able to safely navigate shoreline and trail terrain on foot including boulders, trees, low branches, and other vegetation; slippery, uneven, steep, sandy, rocky, or muddy surfaces; and maintain focus and balance walking along ledges and cliffs.
  • Be able to swim 50 yards independently while wearing a PFD, clothes, sandals, or other shoes.
  • In the event of a capsize, be able to exit from the watercraft and participate and assist in your own rescue, including being able to:
    • keep your airway passages sealed while underwater and regain control of your breathing while being submerged through waves or currents;
    • position yourself in the water to different swimming positions;
    • swim aggressively to a boat or to shore in rough waves and strong water;
    • receive and grip a rescue rope, paddle, or human assistance, and possibly let go of the same;
    • the strength to push oneself away from and get out from under an overturned raft or craft.
  • Participants will be provided some instruction, but not practice, on what to do in the event of a capsize, rescue, or unanticipated swim prior to the launch of the trip and during your trip.

Tent Camping EEC

  • Be able to ascend and descend uneven, sandy, rocky, and sometimes steep embankments, to and from the river, carrying a 10-20 pound bag and to navigate a designated camp area which may include physical hazards such as uneven ground, tent stakes and lines, rocks, and other natural and man-made hazards, including in darkness, with a flashlight or headlamp.
  • Be able to enter and exit a tent pitched on the ground, including in darkness, with a flashlight or headlamp.
  • Be able to sleep on the ground (with a pad designed for ground-sleeping).
  • Be able to get down to, up from, and sit on the ground, either independently or with the assistance of a companion who accompanies the participant.

Hiking EEC

Most hikes on AzRA raft trips have sections requiring negotiation of rocks/boulders, loose uneven trails with much elevation gain/loss, and might require scrambling up steep rock sections. Many will have extremely exposed sections where walking will be along or near cliff edges.  A fall from such a cliff edge would likely result in extreme injury and possibly death. Participating in a hike is not required, but participants who choose not to hike will likely be on their own and without a guide.

  • Be able to travel over backcountry trail terrain that may be narrow, uneven, rough, rocky, muddy, has loose soil, or is cactus or sagebrush covered, and which may also have exposed cliffs or ledges.
  • Be able to carry personal gear and equipment for a day hike, either independently or with the assistance of a companion who accompanies the participant. Such gear and equipment may include a day-pack, at least two liters of water per person, extra clothing, rain gear, sunscreen, food and snacks, and other supplies.
  • Be able to hike for up to one hour between rest breaks and longer if the conditions require it.

Additional Trip Details for Potential Participants

Below are some of the factors that can contribute to the increased challenges of a multiday rafting expedition:

  • Bruises and Scrapes: Bruises and scrapes are quite common for everyone on Grand Canyon adventure rafting trips. Some people have thinner or more fragile skin which may increase the severity of such injuries, and may be slower healing or more prone to infection. We have seen evacuations occur due to scrapes and cuts in skin that did not heal in the river environment of Grand Canyon backcountry.
  • Falls: It is important to be aware that trips and falls are common for all participants in all aspects of this adventure, from getting on and off the boats and navigating campsites to the hikes that occur every day.
  • Prescription Medications: Some common medications can contribute to decreased metabolic function, which can exacerbate an already increased challenge of keeping one’s body in equilibrium when exposed to the extreme environments found in these adventures. Blood thinners can also exacerbate the bruises and cuts discussed above.
  • Evacuations: If you become ill or injured on a trip and require medical care, evacuation is usually hours away. In the worst-case scenario, it can even be days away.
  • Treating and/or evacuating injured or ill patients takes time and often results in a change to trip pace and plans.
  • No matter how safe an evacuation scenario appears, there is always a certain amount of risk to the guides, fellow participants, and outside rescue personnel.

Although no one plans to need definitive medical care by means of evacuation, putting yourself, your crew, fellow participants, and rescue personnel at risk by not being capable of a rafting adventure is unwise.

Final Thoughts

We request that you speak with your physician about the rigors of the multiday rafting expedition you are considering, particularly if any of these EEC criteria are of concern to you. We suggest that you and your physician review this letter together and discuss the challenges you may experience before committing to a rafting trip.

If you have concerns, call or email our very experienced staff. We can talk about your physical abilities, concerns, and what might be the best option for you. We have several options to suit the abilities of many, and we want you to be matched with the best adventure type for you.

Additionally, if you have any concerns, it is wise to consider traveling with a friend(s) or family member(s) that can assist you with daily activities. They can reduce your daily physical exertion levels by helping with carrying, packing your gear, and setting up your campsite or tent. If you are travelling alone and require the assistance of a companion to meet the EEC, please contact AzRA to discuss such an accommodation.

Being in the best shape possible for your adventure is going to increase your overall enjoyment, as well as allow you to get out of your comfort zone and truly experience this trip for all its worth. One of our guides created an eight-week training program for all of our rafting participants to use to get in shape for your adventure. We highly recommend completing this program to get the maximum enjoyment out of your once in a lifetime adventure with us!

Please contact our office by phone at 928-526-8200, text at 928-526-8200 or email at info@azraft.com if you have any concerns about any of this.