# Commercial Rafting accident on the Roaring Fork



## Gremlin (Jun 24, 2010)

Family safe after rafting trip goes awry near Carbondale | PostIndependent.com

Knowing that cell phones work fine in this area and it is class II water through ranch land and subdivisions, wondering what people think of this. I have never worked for a commercial rafting company and wonder if the newspaper reported this story accurately.

Kudos to the kayaker for helping out!


"I suppose it was really just a matter of being a little offhand about things" - Syd Barrett


----------



## shannon s (Feb 20, 2015)

Whatever you do, don't criticize the guides!! My guess is you'll get a whole bunch of replies calling the kayaker an ass for telling the truth.


----------



## BrianP (Nov 13, 2011)

Hard to say not being there but it's pretty weak to say that it's unrealistic to carry a phone. If it works, why not? On the other hand (and again who knows unless you were there) it doesn't sound like phoning a friend would do much good. Guides should be able to handle their shit. Whether they were or not appears to be up for debate.

We carry a phone on the river. Not for rescue..there is no qualified agency to come for our trips. It's there in case we need to have an ambulance meet us at the takeout.

Sent from my XT1565 using Mountain Buzz mobile app


----------



## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Pretty weak response from the company owner..... especially him saying the individual who died on one of their trips 2 weeks ago was going to die of a heart attack anyway....


----------



## toucan (May 9, 2014)

*My experiance*

I was running West Water with some friends. Coming through Skull, we notice a commercial trip eddied out on the left, they had two customers stuck in the Room of Doom. They were yelling to the two lady's to swim back across, they tried but just kept getting sucked toward the wall. Thank god we showed up and told the guide's that the lady's was there responsibility and they had to go get them. After two have ass attempts to make it over me and one of my friends pushed up into skull and traversed over and retrieved them. Only after we got back did we find out they had a motor rig with them.


----------



## spencerhenry (Jun 21, 2004)

i will say it, the guide seems like an idiot. even his boss said the log was easy to avoid. 

it is quite possible however, that the "crew" did not or would not listen to instructions. i owned a round boat in 2003, i sold it after one last day of a crew refusing to follow instructions. 

that section of river is pretty mild, and the flows are NOT high.


----------



## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

I'm glad everyone is okay. I'm also surprised the owner is so against phone communication. Time of response can make or break a rescue! This is a big part of the claim against an outfitter on the Ark after a death last season.

Heading down Brown's on a commercial trip today. Bringing a cell phone, radio, sat phone, and a whistle.


----------



## Jmannhei (Jun 25, 2009)

This does not make much sense to me this is the second article I have read where the companies were not carrying any form of communication. When I guided on the ark the guide boat always had a radio typically used for communicating with the shuttle drivers but also for emergencies. I do not know what the range is on a radio and a cell phone is most likely not going to work in most places. Also, a radio or cell is not going to be much help in the case of a rescue because it needs too be quick, but in the case where there is an injury that needs medical attention as soon as possible communication is essential and thats the purpose of a radio.


----------



## jimr (Sep 8, 2007)

The owner sounds like a incompetent douche don't book these clowns for a trip. And most of the time a cell will dial out to 911 even without service... Not like you don't have full bars and lte in that area anyways... Surprised the state doesn't require commercial guides to have a form of communication on them. I guess that would take away from the "wilderness experience"


Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


----------



## Paul7 (Aug 14, 2012)

Owner does sound way too corse,


“People expect us to do everything, and they’re not willing to accept any responsibility for themselves,” Ingram said, adding that safety is the company’s priority.

Well yeah that's what they are paying you for! I've taken commercial trips with my family and I do expect the company to take care of us. They are the professionals, it's their backyard run that they do hundreds of times a season. 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Mountain Buzz mobile app


----------



## Gremlin (Jun 24, 2010)

I guess what is confusing to me is why every comment from the owner is so flippant while he is selling a "remote wilderness" experience. It kinda feels like the reporter was rubbed the wrong way and set out to make the owner sound bad. 


"I suppose it was really just a matter of being a little offhand about things" - Syd Barrett


----------



## Soup76 (Aug 19, 2009)

Wow... That owner sounds like a real asshat.


----------



## Rich (Sep 14, 2006)

Nice comment by the owner, "the guy was going to die anyway".
Wonder if he told that to the family?
This is the same guy who thinks he owns the parking lot at the Slaughterhouse put in.


----------



## Schutzie (Feb 5, 2013)

The trials and tribulations of commercial rafting outfits............. I mean, here's this guy, trying to make his nut while the sun shines and the water flows, and a buncha tourists get themselves in a jam and all of a sudden it's his damn fault, like he's supposed to provide cell phones, and have a rescue plan, and guides who are prepared for tourists jamming themselves up.

And then on top of it all the upstarts on Mountain Buzz have the brass to criticize. Jesus Mary!


----------



## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

well just as long as everyone here can second guess after the fact what should have been done. ......

I remember seeing someone flailing around 'swimming' out of an Ik in fairly calm water, they seemed panicked and nearly having an anxiety attack. ( They were not on our trip) The guide in the boat in front of me, finally just yelled at them to quit flailing and stand up....sheepish grin of relief as they stood up in mid thigh deep water. How they could not feel the bottom in the midst of that I don't know. 

I do know sometimes people panic over the stupidest shit. Add in some communication challenges and who really knows what happened.


----------

