European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 28, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Rafting a rafting party from Avi Noab handles the White water on the soca River. European style Byj. Kin Cruger Northern Italy Bureau when it comes to rapid transit it s Tough to beat White water rafting. So great is its allure that in the United states alone hundreds of thousands of adventuresome people have started White watering during the last 20 years. Before 1965, fewer than 4,500 people had Ever travelled the fabulous Colorado River through the grand Canyon. Now the watercourse turns into a flooded Turnpike in summer. While America s West with its big league rapids legendary Gorges and we Klong rafting trips represents rafting at its Best Europe h3s some butt kicking Rivers of its own. However Moit european rafting trips Are of Short duration usually no More than a Day because of limited rafting territory. The rafting craze caught on less quickly in Europe but it has mushroomed in recent years with White water outfitters popping up All Over the place. Outfitters Supply you with a raft Tough inflatable and usually about 20 feet Long plus suitable equipment such As a life jacket wet suit and protective helmet. There Are dozens of ways to run Rivers from simple rafting to slalom kayak racing. If you re pretty much a landlubber who just  know what it s like to go Over White water rafting is your Best bet. As a passenger on a raft you la be asked literally to pull your own weight but you ii have to know Little More than How to swim and Basic paddling. Each raft is piloted by a trained guide who is Able to read the language of the. River and suss out the holes haystacks chutes and eddies. Rafting trips in Spring generally Are the most exciting for the Rivers Are highest and extremely fast in Spring melting snows especially on Alpine streams can turn a mild Stream into a raging torrent that s too wild to raft until the Spring Runoff is Over. That s Why Start up times for various rafting operations Are not chiselled in Stone. The armed forces recreation Center runs White water rafting trips out of its centers at Garmisch and Berchtesgaden Germany trips from Garmisch go by bus to the inn River outside Innsbruck Austria. The rafting takes place Between inst and Haiming. The inn is fed by a Glacier in Switzerland so it is always cold but rafters Are supplied with wet suits and Spray jackets and have everything needed to stay warm said Nigel Bacon a rafting coordinator for arc Garmisch. The trip on the inn gives an action packed ride pretty much the whole Way Down. There Are some flattish sections but the sets of rapids Are enough to keep the adrenalin going Bacon said. Rafters rate rapids on either of two Scales. One the so called Western scale ranges from 1 to 10 and is the one used on a number of Rivers in the american West. The other the International scale ranges from i to i and is used throughout Mostof North America Europe and elsewhere. Grade i is an easy Ripple in a Stream Al is a swirling maelstrom of boulders and Falls and White water that stands in permanent fury As High As a Rafter s ears and is virtually Unrun Nable. Where we go on the inn can reach in but is usually Iii getting up to in. The upper Section of the inn in Switzerland is quite technical difficult and below that there is a Section that s impossible Bacon said. Water flow volume is extremely important when it comes to rafting. The Rule of thumb is that the higher the flow the scarier the run although some Rivers and sections of them become easier As the flow increases. 10 stripes Magazine april 28, 799-1