Company Offering Riverboarding Trips in Blue Ridge and Great Smokey Mountains

Asheville, NC, June 06, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Appalachian Riverboarding in partnership with Face Level Industries is now offering guided riverboard instruction in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Riverboarding is an activity akin to ocean bodyboarding, but on a whitewater river with a more buoyant board. Riverboarders also wear safety equipment such as pads, helmet, personal flotation device (PFD aka life jacket), as well as wetsuits for warmth, and fins for steering and propulsion. Riverboarding offers a more intimate and exciting personal connection with the river than rafting because you are in the water and you control your own board, but it doesn't require you to learn how to roll as in kayaking.

Despite the perception that going down a river head-first is dangerous, it can be quite safe because of the gear worn in preparation to be in the water for the duration of the trip. After receiving instruction on land and in flat water, riverboarders start in class 2 or class 3 rapids to learn how to read water and maneuver. From that point riverboarders can continue their water skills at their own pace on future river trips, and some, when comfortable and competent, begin running class 4-5 rapids. Riverboarders can also play, or surf, as it is called on the river, by facing upstream in certain hydraulics, and “ride the wave” so to speak.

Appalachian Riverboarding guide and owner, Kevin Yount, first took up riverboarding in 2003 and has been guiding others on the water since 2004. He is sponsored as a CORE Team Athlete for Face Level Industries and is also their East Coast rep. Additionally, he represents Faveur clothing, Globe shoes, Steel MX optics, and Tooks headphones as a sponsored rider.

Appalachian Riverboarding conducts adventure trips (class 3-4 rapids) on the Pigeon and upper Green rivers from late spring through the summer. The company also conducts scenic trips down milder sections on the lower Pigeon and lower Green. Yount hopes to secure permits for the French Broad and Ocoee rivers in future years, and also explore a few more scenic rivers suitable for those looking for a milder introduction to riverboarding.

The minimum age for a scenic trip is 8, and participants should be 11 years or older for adventure trips. A minimum of 2 people is required to book a trip, but solo participants can be added onto a trip that isn't full. The company has the capacity to take 4 people on the river at once, but Yount doesn't mind splitting a group up and guiding on back to back runs in order to accommodate a slightly larger group.

For pricing and more information about booking a trip, please visit www.kevinyount.com/appalachianriverboarding.html or contact Yount at 828 514 2374 . For general information about riverboarding, please visit www.FaceLevel.com.

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