Trip Safety
General Trip Safety:
Packraft Adventure Canada is dedicated to providing a safe wilderness experience. Please read about some of our safety procedures and standards below.
Our guides:
Each guide at Packraft Adventure Canada maintains industry-leading certifications applicable to wilderness travel and whitewater river safety. Each trip offered by Packraft Adventure Canada will have at least one guide with the following certifications:
Wilderness First Responder
Whitewater Rescue Technician
Bronze Cross or National Lifeguard certification
Most of our guides are also certified by ORCKA or Paddle Canada as whitewater or canoe tripping instructors. At this time there are no nationally or provincially recognized certifications specific to packrafting - but we hope to change that!
Along with these industry-leading qualifications, each guide has years of experience running rivers and delivering paddling instruction. All guides undergo staff training specific to Packraft Adventure Canada and participate in springtime courses and programming. Our guides are friendly and approachable and great fun to travel with in the wilderness! Don’t hesitate to ask them to help you learn and grow, or for assistance if you feel uncertain about something on trip.
Our planning:
All our trips carry extensive wilderness first aid kits which allow our guides to deal with injuries in the field, should they occur. We are careful to make considerations for guests with specific needs and prepare our guides accordingly.
All our guides are trained to execute emergency evacuations in a worst-case scenario. Every trip carries a Garmin InReach emergency communication device, and an Iridium Satellite Phone. Our pre-trip preparation involves reviewing evacuation points and emergency contact lists, testing our communication devices and reviewing evacuation procedures.
Our priority is to prevent any accidents from occurring - our guides are experienced and trained to manage risks on a wilderness excursion. Though rare, accidents can occur on wilderness trips, but with proper planning and care we can work to minimize their frequency and impact.
What you can do to help:
Please let us know in your application package if you have any medical or physical conditions that may affect your safety on trip. We are unable to assess your fitness before a trip commences and recommend that you consult with your doctor if you are uncertain about your ability to participate in a wilderness trip.
Outdoor activities carry inherent risks and ultimately you are responsible for your own safety. Our guides will do everything within their power to create a safe trip environment. Please listen to any directive or instruction the guides give you. The trips that Packraft Adventure Canada offer are designed to give you a wilderness experience that is both thrilling and memorable, but our main priority is bringing you home happy, fulfilled, and unharmed. Our guides are trained to make decisions with your safety, and that of the whole group, in mind.
Before leaving and during the trip our guides will outline safety and communication procedures for you to follow. Please keep them in mind when making decisions on trip and be responsible for yourself.