# Birthday surprise :-)



## nutts (May 8, 2002)

It was my 40th birthday this weekend and Lou surprised me by taking me (along with a few friends) to the Alps for some white-water rafting and plenty of great food and drink 

The whole long weekend was totally fantastic 8) A few photos below of the rafting and the place we stayed in  And YES, the water was fecking cold and pretty rough... in fact so rough that we capsized (spilling us all out) in some category 3+ rapids. Scariest moment of my life... would I do it again? Damn right I would 8) 8) 8)


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## genocidalduck (May 19, 2005)

Thats looks excellent Mark. Done white water rafting before in Cairns but the water was noway as rough as that i dotn think. What distance did you do down the river? Any ideas? I fancy doing it again but want a river that takes all day.


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## nutts (May 8, 2002)

genocidalduck said:


> Thats looks excellent Mark. Done white water rafting before in Cairns but the water was noway as rough as that i dotn think. What distance did you do down the river? Any ideas? I fancy doing it again but want a river that takes all day.


We elected to do a single 4k run, but you can stay there all day and do multiple runs and they supply lunch, etc 

I was probably in the water for about 100m... Lou went downstream for about 500m  although she wasn't dragged under at all 

Â£25 for the single run per person ain't bad and the equipment is top notch.


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

Sounds like a great Bday treat, I did Rafting down the Zambizi river in Vic Falls last yr for my 40th Bday treat (Cat 4/5+ rapids :wink: ) , best adrelerin rush I've had only donwside was the walk out of the valley.



> Any ideas? I fancy doing it again but want a river that takes all day.


Vic Falls has to be one of the best Rafting experiences in the world, I did a full days rafting and was well worth it

JOnah


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## Sim (Mar 7, 2003)

Happy Birthday.

Nice pictures. I have done a bit of rafting in Scotland but nothing like that. Must have been 

8) cabin too.


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## thehornster (Apr 29, 2005)

Looks awsome Mark    Excellent pictures too 8) :wink:


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## kingcutter (Aug 1, 2003)

Hapy birthday Mark looks great.


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## ronin (Sep 6, 2003)

You certainly have some mineral doing that!
Well thought out present, how were the pictures taken?


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## nutts (May 8, 2002)

ronin said:


> You certainly have some mineral doing that!
> Well thought out present, how were the pictures taken?


I had a remote camera on a wire that followed our every movement, taking photos every 5 seconds or so :wink:

<Seriously>The facility employed a photographer and he dumped 50 hi res images onto a disk for Â£20  

We headed straight for the bar when we got off. Rob had a 6" bruise on his back and I ended with a duff knee, a sore neck and a bad back


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## ObiWan (Sep 25, 2005)

What about your underwater experience Mark, no pictures of the capsize? :wink:


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## NaughTTy (Jul 9, 2003)

Happy Birthday Mark - mine in July - don't think I'll be off doing that though - much as I'd like to 

Must have been terrifying capsizing in that - I've been over in category 2 in a kayak but nothing like those pics


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## ttroy225 (May 18, 2002)

Wow!  You must have balls the size of.....

Fantastic! Happy birthday mate..


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## t7 (Nov 2, 2002)

ttroy225 said:


> Wow!  You must have balls the size of.....
> 
> Fantastic! Happy birthday mate..


What? Me as well :wink: ??

Lou


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

Man that water looks cold.....But fun.


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## nutts (May 8, 2002)

Cold? Nah :wink: Fecking nadger shrinking freezing? Oh YES!  :lol:

As I went under for the first time, the water just seemed to push all the air from my lungs and the sudden cold immediately disoriented me. I tried to concentrate on the thought "feet first, on my back"... then I realised that I was going down stream head first. Managed to turn round and was heading straight for a big rock. Tried to dodge it, but went under as I approached banging my knee... I can't have been under very long, but it was long enough with no breath 

I was jostled for another 80m or so and seemed to hit every (just) submerged rock.

As I said, it was scary, but I'd still do it again 

When we got back, we had all prebooked a massage... I spent an hour with a blonde (with remarkable fingers) called Kate 8) 8)   :roll: :wink:


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## Mrs Wallsendmag (Dec 13, 2005)

Its my 40th at the end of September we are off to Vegas but I think I'll give the white water rafting a miss ,If only my back was in better shape :wink:


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## The Silver Surfer (May 14, 2002)

Happy birthday, Mark. Sounds like you had an amazing weekend.  The capsizing bit sounds a bit scary though.

White water rafting is on my 'to do' list.


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## genocidalduck (May 19, 2005)

nutts said:


> Cold? Nah :wink: Fecking nadger shrinking freezing? Oh YES!  :lol:
> 
> As I went under for the first time, the water just seemed to push all the air from my lungs and the sudden cold immediately disoriented me. I tried to concentrate on the thought "feet first, on my back"... then I realised that I was going down stream head first. Managed to turn round and was heading straight for a big rock. Tried to dodge it, but went under as I approached banging my knee... I can't have been under very long, but it was long enough with no breath
> 
> ...


That was the good tihng about when i did it in Cairns. When you fell in the water was nice a warm. The Tully River in Cairns apparently has up to Cat5 rapids. However even though i went in the rainy season. They hadt had much rain so the river wasnt as fast and you hit alot of rocks. But it was a 15k run so on the slow part the scenary was fantastic.

Not pictures of me. But pictures of the Tully river and some rafters.(Notice the lack of wetsuits)





































Brings back some good memories.


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## nutts (May 8, 2002)

genocidalduck said:


> nutts said:
> 
> 
> > Cold? Nah :wink: Fecking nadger shrinking freezing? Oh YES!  :lol:
> ...


We were put in just after some Cat 5+ rapids. They are marked on the river map with a skull and cross bones.

Anything above a 5 seems to be Pro territory only... based on my weekend experiences, any rafting experience that promotes going 4 or above for newbies are crazy.

1 - Easy moving water with a few riffles and small waves. 
2 - Easy to Medium rapids with waves up to 3 feet high, some obvious obstacles to maneuver around. 
3 - Medium to Moderately Difficult rapids with high irregular waves, narrow channels, rocks and holes, some maneuvering required. 
4 - Difficult to very Difficult; long turbulent rapids with powerful waves and holes, many obstacles requiring precise maneuvering. 
5 - Extremely Difficult; long violent rapids that must be scouted from shore, dangerous drops, unstable eddys, irregular currents. 
6 - Unrunnable - Don't even think about it!


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## saint (Dec 6, 2002)

How can your birthday be a surpise?


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## Hev (Feb 26, 2005)

saint said:


> How can your birthday be a surpise?


 :roll: 
Smart ass!

Hev x


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## Mrs Wallsendmag (Dec 13, 2005)

Hev said:


> saint said:
> 
> 
> > How can your birthday be a surpise?
> ...


Never seen 40 first dates???


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

Only 40 ? :?


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

Well done skipper, now you see what boats are all about !

Getting ffffrrreeeezin, wet, and costing heaps ! :lol:

Looked fun, bet I am not doing that on my 52nd TOMORROW


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

TTotal said:


> ....... bet I am not doing that on my 52nd TOMORROW


Happy Birthday tomorrow old chap


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

Not the best present though Mark...surely this was:


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## DXN (May 18, 2002)

Kell said:


> Not the best present though Mark...surely this was:


you just tick the shoe every time you have that pair Kell! :lol:

Looks a good way to spend a birthday NuTTs


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## R6B TT (Feb 25, 2003)

It was a great weekend - and yes the water was very cold, but it did sober me up very quickly as I was nursing a slight hangover! The capsize was scary though, and I had the joy of it happening again - I was the second one back in the raft after my Mrs and then when we were trying to retrieve Oars / people it flipped again, I guess because we were imbalanced and rather short of Oars at that time (1 between 3) :?

As Mark mentioned though, it was really disorientating - when you are flipped under and the current gets you, you don't know which way is up, down or sideways for what seems like ages but is probably only a few seconds.

The company we went with was AN Rafting on the road to Thonon, in the Haute Savoie.


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