Here at Echo Canyon River Expeditions, our outdoor-adventure opportunities aren’t confined to “pure” whitewater rafting—though, of course, that’s the heart-and-soul of our operations. Along with add-on thrills such as ziplining, we offer a super-unique experience ideal for anyone who enjoys some friendly competition—and the incomparable joy of running a wild river: team rafting challenges.
Our Battle of the Bighorn Rafting Challenge is, if you ask us, one of the very best versions of group rafting in Colorado, absolutely tailor-made for family reunions, corporate team-building activities, sports organizations, and the like.
The Challenge at the Battle of the Bighorn
The Battle of the Bighorn goes down in the Arkansas River’s Bighorn Sheep Canyon, a beautiful, wildlife-rich, and wonderfully mid-range whitewater run situated upstream of the world-famous Royal Gorge. Given its crazy-fun-but-not-insane Class II-III rapids, Bighorn Sheep Canyon rafting is our most all-around popular trip, appropriate for beginners and also a blast for more experienced river-runners. It’s significantly more accessible than the Royal Gorge, with a highway lacing the canyon’s length, thus allowing for all the associated contest activities and easy riverside viewing of the race.
Well, we call it a race—and it is, partly—but there’s more to it than that. What makes the Battle of the Bighorn unique compared to other rafting challenges? It’s basically an obstacle course combined with whitewater rafting, and a first-place finish doesn’t necessarily guarantee a team the win, depending on what points and penalties it’s accrued in the process.
From the reliably crowd-pleasing “Guide Draft” that kicks off the event to such competitions along the way as the Bucket Toss, Memory Puzzle, Watermelon Drop, Helmet Brigade, and T-Paddle, the Battle of the Bighorn is one heck of an on-the-river contest. And it’s plenty physically challenging, at least as much so as your team wants to make it—and yet, at the same time, it’s also entirely beginner-friendly. As the aforementioned Guide Draft suggests, each team—made up of five to seven participants—comes steered by an experienced Echo Canyon guide. No previous whitewater or river-running experience is required to join in the tournament!
But do keep in mind you will be paddling some 8 miles non-stop in order to best your rival teams. Being in good cardiovascular health—and being a strong swimmer—are certainly good ideas for taking on the Battle of the Bighorn. We also generally recommend contestants be at least 18 years old, though teens 14 to 17 are welcome to participate so long as a parent is present and on their team.
Key Elements of Team Rafting
What are the key skills needed for a successful team rafting experience? The Battle of the Bighorn is an all-hands-on-deck contest. To have a chance at winning, your whole team will need to paddle hard, and, maybe needless to say, all members ought to have a decent competitive fire going in their bellies. There’s the cooperation and coordination of the speed-focused whitewater rafting itself as well as particular challenges such as puzzle-solving and raft-inflation, and also other trials—such as Water Shuttle and Running on Empty—where pairs or individuals can give it all for their crew.
So, in other words, team strategy is a big part of the deal. And organizing a team that’s decently into adventure sports and outdoor challenges is certainly a good way to go about approaching competitive group-rafting, even if, again, actual firsthand experience with river-running is actually not any sort of prerequisite.
Benefits of Participating in Team Rafting Challenges
A group rafting competition such as our Battle of the Bighorn yields many benefits, from the basic healthfulness of intense, fresh-air physical activity to the camaraderie and stimulation that come with team-building activities—especially outside-the-box, direct-in-Mother-Nature kinds such as this.
And it’s also—we need to emphasize this again—deeply fun. Yes, it’s a contest, but it’s a FRIENDLY contest, with the joy of riding the rapids and playing games in the midst of the Bighorn Sheep Canyon’s beauty and grandeur—and doing it all together—being the true heart of the matter.
Rafting Trip Preparation: Getting Ready for the Battle of the Bighorn
Aside from base-level dressing for whitewater rafting, you don’t have to worry too much about gear to take part in our Echo Canyon River Expeditions team rafting challenges: As with our main rafting trips, we provide things such as PFDs and helmets, not to mention (of course) top-grade rafts and paddles. And when it comes to rafting safety, that’s always absolutely paramount—the very top priority—with our Echo Canyon guides.
Again, though, you’ll want to be decently fit to give the Battle of the Bighorn a go: It’s more strenuous, given the competitive nature, than a typical rafting ride through the Bighorn Sheep Canyon.
Book the Ultimate Group Rafting Experience With Echo Canyon
From plowing through canyon rapids as quickly as you can to picking up swimmers and remembering how to reconfigure a three-dimensional puzzle, our Battle of the Bighorn Rafting Challenge takes whitewater rafting to a whole other level—and invariably shakes out to an unforgettable cooperative experience, whether you end up on top or not!
Team building has never been this exciting. The Battle of the Bighorn offers a fantastic mix of fun and challenge, making it an experience everyone in your group can enjoy while creating unforgettable memories together. We’d love to help you plan this awesome adventure—just reach out to our rafting experts for more details.
