Liability • Your Responsibility • Our Expectations • Eligibility Criteria
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Montana Whitewater ALL Activity Waiver – Big Sky and Bozeman
Montana Whitewater ALL Activity Waiver – GARDINER
Please note your Client Responsibilities: 1) all clients will be required to follow the safety policies and procedures of MWW and the guides’ instructions during activities. 2) All clients will be required to sign a Participant Release of Liability, Waiver of Claims, Assumption of Risks and Indemnity Agreement in favor of MWW before departing on any trip; and 3) each client agrees and acknowledges when they sign up for a MWW activity that they have significant responsibility for their own safety and that they agree they are ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE for their own safety during participation in a tour.
1. Stay informed. Read our confirmation and reminder emails prior to your trip.
2. Show up to your meeting place on time.
3. Wear MWW- issued gear in the manner it was fitted to you on property. Wear a helmet when required.
4. Dress accordingly to weather conditions and activity.
5. Listen to, understand, and follow the guides’ pre-trip safety talk and instructions through the entirety of the trip.
6. Do not consume any drugs or alcohol prior to, or during your trip.
7. Notify the Trip Leader or a guide of any medical conditions, injuries, allergies, concerns, etc.
8. Be conscientious of the impact you have on the environment.
9. Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated, give your fellow guests, guides, and our staff respect and courtesy.
The following information is meant to further inform all potential participants the expectations in order for MWW to promote a safety oriented and enjoyable experience for everyone on the trip. This helps our guests understand the reality of being on an MWW trip.
Montana Whitewater’s number one goal is to minimize the risks associated with the outdoor recreation trips with offer while providing a memorable and fun experience for every guest. All of MWW’s activities are inherently risky, while the risk is part of what makes an exciting adventure, you must be entirely respectful of the risk that a trip poses.
We do our best accommodate those with physical and/or mental disabilities and health conditions. However, potential participants that are overweight, do not possess basic mobility, or have physical/mental conditions or ailments that interfere with the basic realistic needs of the trip can endanger themselves, other guests and the guides. Consulting with your doctor if you have physical or mental concerns that could impact your ability to participate in the trip is always encouraged.
Trips involve physical exertion exposure to the elements including cold water and the possibility for heat, sun, wind, rain, snow, and hail. It imperative that each participant takes an active role in their own safety and to pay attention at all time, be are of your surrounding, and avoid unnecessary risks. More detailed information on what expectations MWW has for specific activities will be below in the Eligibility Criteria for your corresponding activity.
• IS IT SAFE?
All outdoor activities involve inherent risk factors that cannot be avoided without compromising the unique integrity of the activity. We aim to minimize these risk factors, but these cannot truly be controlled by Montana Whitewater or our employees. By joining one of our trips, you are understanding and are accepting the risks described more at length in our Acknowledgement/Release document that all participants are required to read and sign.
• WHAT ARE YOUR GUIDE’S QUALIFICATIONS?
Many of our guide staff hold current Wilderness First Responder or Emergency Medical Technician certifications, and all our river guide staff hold at the least Basic First Aid and CPR. All river guides have received formal training in whitewater technique, navigation, and risk management strategies. All have received Swiftwater Rescue Training and many hold current SWR certifications.
All our zipline guides hold at the least Basic First Aid and CPR certifications. They are trained in alignment with ACCT criteria.
• WHAT SAFETY EQUIPMENT DOES MWW PROVIDE?
River-related safety equipment includes Personal Floatation Devices(PFDs) and helmets for each passenger and cold weather/water gear is always included in the cost of your trip and available to you (wetsuit, booties, splash tops).
Zipline- related safety equipment includes a harness with daisy chain, and helmets for each participant.
• WHAT ARE THE CHANCES I WILL FALL OUT OF THE RAFT?
The probability of you becoming an involuntary swimmer will depend on the trip you choose, but can happen on any trip we offer. Every participant must be prepared for the possibility that they will become a whitewater swimmer on any of our river-based activities with the odds increasing in correlation with the river’s whitewater classification. Rafts can flip over or “wrap” on obstacles, or you can fall out when the raft hits or sticks on an obstacle. High water, during early season snowmelt periods, can sometimes increase the probability and possibility of one or more of our rafts to flip in a rapid. The higher the river classification, the higher the odds for an out-of-boat experience.
• Wear an MWW-issued Personal Floatation Device, or PFD (maximum chest size of 56 inches). When required, properly wear an MWW-issued helmet.
• Ability to climb in and out of a van, bus or other vehicle multiple times.
• Ability to independently manage and navigate terrain, including over boulders, rocks, slippery and uneven ground, and around vegetation with balance and efficiency.
• Ability to enter and exit a raft multiple times during a trip, which includes stepping into the raft over the tubes and getting into a seated position.
• Ability to remain balanced while seated in a raft while following instructions from you guide. This can include paddling forward, paddling backward, getting down and more.
• Ability to swim in whitewater, swift currents, and flat water while wearing a PFD. Including being an active participant in your rescue. This includes staying calm, keeping your breathing under control while underwater, above water, and after being submitted to repeated submersion in waves and currents, be able to keep your orientation in water, reposition yourself into different swimming and rescue positions, capacity to swim aggressively to a raft or to shore depending on instruction, be able to receive and hold onto a rescue rope or human and be able to let go if needed, and getting yourself out from an overturned a raft.
• Ability to assist another guest or guide who has fallen out of their raft by pulling them into the raft correctly and efficiently.
• Capacity to follow both verbal and non-verbal instruction
• Ability to assist in carrying the raft and equipment to and from the river
• If taking prescription medications or needing to bring medications with you on the trip, you must independently have the ability to maintain proper dosage and care of your medications, including the ability to administer your medication personally or by a friend or family member.
The above criteria, while not encompassing all aspects of realistic physical and mental needs to participate, will disqualify a potential participant from participating on a MWW river trip. This criteria exists for your safety, the safety of all other participants, and the safety of our staff. Our criteria is not meant to discriminate against those with physical or mental disabilities, medical conditions or backgrounds. The criteria is uniformly applied to each potential participant, without the presence or absence of a disability. MWW is committed to making reasonable accommodations and modifications to any trip for any potential participant with a disability if possible.
-Weigh less than 260 pounds at the time of the tour. We reserve the right weigh all participants prior to the tour.
-Wear an MWW-issued and fitted harness. When required, properly wear an MWW-issued helmet.
-Wear closed-toe shoes.
-Ability to climb in and out of a van, bus or other vehicle multiple times.
-Ability to independently manage and navigate terrain, including over boulders, rocks, slippery and uneven ground, and around vegetation with balance and efficiency.
-Capacity to follow both verbal and non-verbal instruction.
-Ability to remain adequately fed, hydrated and dressed appropriately to the conditions and activity.
-If taking prescription medications or needing to bring medications with you on the trip, you must independently have the ability to maintain proper dosage and care of your medications, including the ability to administer your medication personally or by a friend or family member.
The above criteria, while not encompassing all aspects of realistic physical and mental needs to participate, will disqualify a potential participant from participating on a MWW river trip. This criteria exists for your safety, the safety of all other participants, and the safety of our staff. Our criteria is not meant to discriminate against those with physical or mental disabilities, medical conditions or backgrounds. The criteria is uniformly applied to each potential participant, without the presence or absence of a disability. MWW is committed to making reasonable accommodations and modifications to any trip for any potential participant with a disability if possible.
