River Boogie

Running rapids in a big, rubber raft ain’t so tough. A foot and a half of rubber and air between you and those nasty rocks and scary rapids does wonders for your self-confidence.

On the other hand, running rapids on a glorified body board, with all your precious bodily parts from the waist down exposed to rocks and rapids? Now we’re talking.

Riverboarding has a long way to go before it catches the popularity of rafting or kayaking, but for getting up close and personal with whitewater, it can’t be beat.

“When it gets you into the surf, your first sensation is you’re on a Jet Ski, because you’re right down in the water,” said Doug Hyldahl of Logan, Utah, after taking a riverboarding class recently on Clear Creek in the Golden whitewater park.

“It’s not like when you’re rafting on a river and you just sort of hold on for dear life,” he said.

Shane Bolling is riverboarding’s patron saint in Colorado. He’s the president, CEO and chief instructor for RipBoard, a company he started in 1999 after trying out riverboarding in New Zealand, where it’s known as sledging.

“What I like about them is it’s real simple,” Bolling said. “When you’re kayaking, you have to be able to roll over — it’s a lot of learning. I didn’t have the attention span for that. With this, I could just jump on the river.”

RipBoard’s riverboards are similar in some ways to kayaks.

They’re made out of the same tough plastic, and the sides come up around the boarder to offer some protection from impacts and additional flotation (some riverboarders do use conventional foam body boards, or a larger version intended for river running).

Before sending them down the river, Bolling puts his students in sleeveless wet suits, life vests and short swim fins, plus helmets, shin guards and knee pads.

The body armor suggests riverboarding will be a rough ride and it certainly can be. On the other hand, the boards seem to get caught in holes (where a rapid crashes back on itself and sends paddlers through the spin cycle) less often than kayaks.

“I think I hit every rock on the river,” said Roxanne Vidal, after completing her first run through the Golden park.

She survived the trip — the trick is to use the board as a shield and then spin away from the rocks — but her husband, Rick, took a knock on his knee that left him limping.

Because boarders lie right on the waterline, they can’t see as far downstream as rafters and kayakers, making planning ahead and scouting rapids much more important, Bolling said.

Kicking with fins can be more work than paddling, too. A lot more.

“You think you’re fit and this thing kicks your butt,” said Rick Vidal.

But the rewards make it worth the effort. Boarders can surf along waves in the river just like body boarders do in the ocean.

Except river waves never end.

Plus, when your head lies a few inches above the water, running even the tiniest riffle feels like an adventure.

“This is awesome,” said Priscilla Repton, who was taking a class with her husband, Simon. “I think I might just have found a new thing.”

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0275 or awineke@gazette.com

JUMP ABOARD

What: RipBoard offers four-hour lessons daily on Clear Creek in Golden. Weekday lessons are $50, weekends are $60.

Phone: Call 1-866-311-2627 or go to ripboard.com for more information. Cost: Riverboards cost $339 to $529, and you can also rent them from Golden River Sports (806 Washington Ave., Golden, 1-303-215-9386) for $30 a day.