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The serious stuff

While Bob's Kitchen Whitewater and Music Festival is a lot of fun, there are some serious issues to understand and agree to before attending.

Split Rock risk disclaimer

Split Rock Outdoors is just a few friends that put a website together and made some stickers. We are not an outfitter, tripping company, or an event-hosting organization. We do not charge for these events nor are providing any contractual services. Split Rock is no more a legal entity than a neighbourhood hopscotch club. There are no contracts and no legal responsibilities between parties beyond that expected from friends you go paddling with. Since Split Rock is not a legal entity, it cannot be held responsible for any injuries. 

Before participating in whitewater paddling at Bob's Kitchen, you must understand that it is inherently a dangerous activity that comes with risks. In good faith, we will provide some instruction to help you learn to paddle in whitewater, and provide you with the safety theory, however, we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness of any instruction provided. You must take responsibility for your own safety on this trip. 

If you don't personally take water safety seriously (like if the idea of canoeing in a helmet seems funny, for instance) than the trip might not be for you. When someone puts themselves in a difficult situation, it endangers others who may need to rescue them. 

Whitewater learning

You are also responsible for your own learning. As a group of friends, we cannot guarantee that you'll pay attention to the paddling instruction or do the pre-reading about whitewater safety. Whitewater paddling is incredibly fun, but you need to do the learning-work to know how to do it. 

It is expected that everyone will review the following learning materials on this website and take the safety quiz to communicate their learning.

1. • Communication

   • Managing risk

   • Setting up a run

   • When things go south

   • Safety and rescue

   • Whitewater safety quiz

Other safety expectations

1. Everyone will wear their helmet and life jacket when 

• approaching whitewater

• running whitewater

• on the shore beside whitewater

2. Everyone will follow instructions from the trip leaders regarding safety. 

   • This could mean the order of boats going down a rapid, waiting for a signal to proceed, being assigned non-technical roles if a rescue situation arises, etc.