After a deadly weekend on the Colorado rivers, the rafting enthusiast emphasizes safety

IDAHO SPRINGS — A woman died Thursday after a rafting accident along the Poudre River in Larimer County. The raft he was in hit a bridge pole, according to investigators.

It was the first known rafting fatality of the season.

A few days later on Saturday, one man died and another man is missing after a rafting accident along the Colorado River in the Yarmony Rapids area.

The Grand County Coroner’s Office has identified the man who died as Brent Boulter, 56, of Aurora.

Thomas Russell, a 61-year-old Littleton man, was identified as the man who is still missing Sunday evening.

According to the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, preliminary reports indicate that neither man was wearing a life jacket at the time.

The Grand County Sheriff’s Office urges anyone recreating in the Radium or Rancho Del Rio area to report any sightings of Russell by calling or texting 911.

The tragedies of recent days have whitewater rafting enthusiasts stressing the importance of water safety.

“Someone lost a friend or a relative, a family member. And that’s very hard. And it’s an accident, you know, so it’s sudden,” said Alan Blado, who owns Liquid Descent Rafting, a company that has been around for 17 years with locations in Idaho Springs and Kremmling.

Blado said every summer he is saddened to hear that people have died while rafting in Colorado.

“Rafting is inherently dangerous,” Blado said. “The best way to reduce most of the risk is to ride with a professional, ride with equipment licensed by the state of Colorado.”

Blado said in Colorado, rafting guides must have 50 hours of certified training, CPR certification and first aid instruction. He requires his guides to have at least 100 hours of training.

More water rescues in Colorado this past weekend

“The more years you’ve been on the river, the more things you’ve seen, the more qualified you are to deal with situations,” Blado said.

Blado said safety starts with gear — and that hypothermia is a big concern this time of year in Colorado because the water is so cold.

“We use thermal suits. We have splash jackets. If it is very cold, we use woolen jackets. And then, of course, personal flotation devices and headphones. But also with boats, you know, you want to use high-quality rafts that won’t set or break, you want to have foot cones in the seats. It’s kind of like a seatbelt that will reduce the number of people falling into the water,” Blado explained. “You have to have protocols in place because if you have swimmers, you have to have a plan to get them out of the water. water as soon as possible. This may involve shore safety, people with ropes on shore, or safety kayaks paddling next to rafts to assist in a rescue.”

Blado insisted that the most important safety feature is the guide on the raft. He recommends calling a company before booking a trip and asking questions about the quality of the equipment and guides.

“You can also check safety records through the state, the Colorado Department of Wildlife and State Parks is the one that licenses the providers and they have the records. Whenever an incident occurs on the river, an accident report is completed and sent to the state. So they have records of all of that,” Blado said.

Blado said there was a solid snowpack this year, which means the rivers are running at higher levels and the season will last longer. Still, he hopes it means Coloradoans will take the proper precautions before getting on a raft.

Blado’s heart goes out to the families and friends of those who died on the water in recent days.

After a deadly weekend on the Colorado rivers, the rafting enthusiast emphasizes safety