Blog
This Is How You Swim Rapids — Whitewater 101
This video highlights: Foot entrapments & how to avoid them — 0:12 Default swimming position — 0:29 Aggressive swimming positions — 0:49 Swimming in shallow water — 1:54 Swimming in big waves — 2:08 Swimming over ledges, drops & waterfalls...
This 'go beyond blanket roll lower leg splint' that's shown in the video below, is one of the best ways we've found to stabilize both the knee, and the ankle. This is a great splint to use if you patient...
If you need to help someone who’s injured in the backcountry, the solo roll onto tarp and pad is a great technique to have in your back pocket. If somebody is injured or unconscious, and can't move on their...
How to become the perfect adventure buddy Author: Willa Mason, Boreal River Rescue We aren’t very fast, but we like to laugh. I’m lucky to have a fantastic cross-country ski partner. We’ve spent many days training for the Canadian Ski...
Simulation debriefing—for wilderness medicine and rescue courses
Author: Dr. Steve Truong Simulation training is a technique for practice and learning that is used in many different fields.[1] Wilderness first aid and wilderness medicine are no different and in my experience most wilderness first and wilderness medicine courses...
3 Keys To Fuelling Your Winter Adventures
Expert Marc Godbout weighs in on finding the right foods for cold weather activity. Author: Willa Mason, Boreal River It’s finally happening. You look up to see the first snowflakes float from the sky and sigh as you pack away...
Carabiner & Webbing for Your Swiftwater & Whitewater Rescue Course
For any Swiftwater or whitewater rescue course with Boreal River, you'll need a locking carabiner and a 4 to 5-metre strand of tubular webbing for the first day of your course. These two pieces of gear, together known as a...
How To Throw A Throw Bag: The Handful Method
Minimal Risk for near shore rescues Author: Willa Mason, Guide and Instructor Throw bag techniques can be divided into two different categories: full bag and split bag. Using a split bag technique, rescuers throw a shorter length of rope into...
How to Carry Your Webbing Flip Line — For Whitewater
If you do anything around whitewater—if you can carry a strand of webbing and a locking carabiner with you on your body—you'll have two very 'multi-use' pieces of gear on hand when you need them. But...anytime you carry gear...
2 Ice Water Rescue Techniques For First Responders
The Pick 45 and the Tethered Swim are ice water rescue techniques for first responders. These methods are quick to deploy and require minimal resources. Both the Pick 45 and Tethered Swim ice rescues are effective for quickly establishing contact...
Fundamentals of Ice Fishing Safety
By Willa Mason, Boreal River Ice is dynamic. Your safety approach should be too. Wind, weather, and currents cause ice conditions to change in a matter of hours. This is why it’s essential to assess (and constantly reassess) ice for...
11 Steps To Do A Hypothermia Wrap (Hypo Wrap)
Hypothermia wraps, also known as hypo wraps, are a great way to keep someone warm in the backcountry. Whether you are dealing with mild hypothermia, severe hypothermia, or someone with an immobilizing injury at risk of getting cold, the hypo...
6 Fundamentals of Ice Assessment
By Jamie Orfald-Clarke, Boreal River Rescue - ice rescue instructor Table of Contents Check the ice quality Know the Ice thickness guidelines Test the ice thickness Anticipate thin areas Understand crack anatomy Determine your acceptable level of risk Links and...
How To Self-Rescue If You Fall Through Ice
Table of Contents Prepare for ice travel What to do if you fall through the ice How to get out of the water onto the ice What to do when you get yourself out of the water Hypothermia — assessment...
Coming together during Covid-19
Jennifer Kingsley is a writer and radio producer based in Ottawa, Canada. She’s also a professional guide and a National Geographic Explorer who has applied her training with Boreal River in many countries around the world. By the time I...
Photo Gallery: Costa Rica Wilderness First Responder Course
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Read the full Costa Rica WFR course description and get info on the itinerary, what’s included, rafting and lodging in the jungle, learning outcomes, topics covered, and more.
Key safety points for whitewater Only affix a throw bag onto your body with a quick release belt or harness, even when walking on shore. When clipping the full bag to yourself or your craft to carry it around, use...
By Jamie Orfald-Clarke, Boreal River Rescue instructor Foot entrapment is a dangerous and potentially life threatening situation that no rescuer wants to encounter. The focus should be on prevention, and effective coaching of people who are new to moving water....
The Magpie River - from Lac Magpie to the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, in the traditional territory of the Innu Nation - is one of the few remaining major rivers in Quebec free from large hydroelectric dams. It is a...
Anchors on Loads: Kayaks, Rafts, Canoes
When tying rope or webbing to a boat or any other load in the river, it is best to attach to at least 2 points if there is going to be a lot of force applied. Anchors on loads start at 02:24 of this video:...