I think this is your most impactful and important Gear Garage episode yet (although I've throughly enjoyed them all). Well done!
@jamesurbina6979
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for standing up and being vulnerable as well as a leader
@GearGarageTV
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the nice note
@danaadler5532
6 жыл бұрын
Hi Zach, I agree both as professional guide and a private boater. Pretty gutsy of you to broach the subject. Enjoy your post season.
@GearGarageTV
6 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
@beantooth
Жыл бұрын
These are great Zach. Thanks for taking the time to make these!
@GearGarageTV
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the nice comment. I'm glad you enjoy them!
@janhendrikkorsten9
Ай бұрын
Yah dude, love your stuff .. keep going
@sunpathviewer
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks Zack. Keep it rolling!🦦
@kirkkeller2871
3 жыл бұрын
Glad you address this issue. Changing the culture. It is time. I get concerned as others’ drinking on the river puts others at risk too.
@jaredlinkhart6528
6 жыл бұрын
I just watched episode 51, you spoke well. I too get pretty bothered by people's drinking habits around rivers, and have I myself haven't always been totally innocent. My kids go with me all summer, and my 10 year old is starting to go with me in the winter more and more. I will not boat with people who are impaired and risk his life or teach him to accept that behavior. We run a fair amount of risk in our chosen sport and we should give the river the respect it deserves. I don't drink in camp with my kids either so if anything bad were to happen I could make clear decisions. Thank you for taking the risk and telling it like it is.
@mayahdoss7050
3 жыл бұрын
I can definitely say that coming of age as a young woman, in the outdoor industry as a whole, but especially in kayaking, heavily influenced how much I felt compelled to drink in my 20s. The crews I ran with, the media I saw, and my heavy drinker bro kayaker boyfriend, caused me to hardly question how ubiquitous it was to drink all day. Work hard, play hard right? Well now I'm sober with some time under my belt to reflect, and really want to praise and echo what Zach said. Thanks for putting this out there, even though it's a couple years old it helped me out today! I see problematic drinking all the time when I'm out there now that I simply didn't see before. It's good to have leaders model healthy behavior. I feel way better being hydrated and energetic every day when I'm on the water now. And I don't need PBR's to be a fringe work benefit or give me social skills, which is the real freedom of living in the wild.
@RobbieCallihan
3 жыл бұрын
"Cool, good for you, but it's not the right thing to do." 😂 Love it! Good words and excellent points. Keep up the good work!
@allancampbell4075
4 жыл бұрын
Dude. You words are the truth. Thanks for sharing. I feel like rafting had taken a dark turn in the last decade or so. Perhaps it’s always been this way, but the rivers are super crowded now. Thanks for being a leader Zach
@GearGarageTV
4 жыл бұрын
Yep I agree that drinking has gotten particularly bad recently. Or maybe I'm just older and have a different perspective.
@AnonymousOtters
6 жыл бұрын
Good for you for going after this topic. It is something present in many other outdoor communities as well that needs addressed. I am with you and won't take partners that are going to be impaired by a substance. that can certainly be an unpopular view, but I've found it has only gained me stronger partners in the end
@GearGarageTV
6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the nice comment
@slopetechno
3 жыл бұрын
I appreciate you bringing up this issue and would love to see more discussion on it. While I have seen some degree of substance use in other communities such as Mountain Biking, Ski Touring, and Climbing where I see it much more rarely before or during, it seems to be markedly more pronounced in the whitewater community. As we all know, things can go sideways extremely quickly on the water, and I want to know my team is as with it as they can be.
@bennyblanko3
2 жыл бұрын
I love a nice sunny flat water beer float! Heh Heh ... But, the shuttle in shorts and flip flops on the motorcycle ... humn ...
@jameshenderson3238
3 жыл бұрын
Great advice and well presented.....thanks for posting
@davidpauli3189
4 жыл бұрын
Drinking is very much part of the boating culture. Unfortunately that has left some non drinking boaters left feeling like a square peg in a round hole. In addition, as I meet and boat with more people I discover there are many excellent veteran boaters who have had drinking problems in the past and have now chosen a sober life. Through discussions I have learned that drinking culture can leave a person contending for sobriety feeling alienated, or they feel the need to purposely distance themselves to avoid the temptation. Unintentionally some of the sober boaters are finding each other and forging sober boating community. I guess whatever It takes, but it shouldn't need to be that way. Thanks Zach for handling a very hot potato.
@ACM2177
4 жыл бұрын
Great topic, I totally agree with you.
@jeremiahlewman6650
5 жыл бұрын
I couldn’t agree more Zac. I see people that can’t enjoy the beautiful place they are because they are drinking instead of exploring. Not to mention that often the litter I see is drinking related. Thanks
@GearGarageTV
5 жыл бұрын
Thank you for the nice comment!
@barrettwesley
4 жыл бұрын
Great video. I didn’t hear any judgment. Your care for the community, customers and nature shined through.
@GearGarageTV
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks
@jamestyson9929
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing your perspective. As a former guide, it’s great to see you addressing a problem that has implications for boater safety on and off the river. When it’s taken to excess it contributes to bad behavior that hurts others and can destroy the positive associations so many of us have with our sport. I mean how many of can say we don’t know a guide with DUII. For me, it ended my sister’s life at 16. Thank you for this.
@ChadEAult
4 жыл бұрын
A couple things: It is never not going to be a thing. The important thing is: * If you are going to drink, drink in moderation. We all share the river. When you person gets in trouble out there it effects us all. * Never, ever, ever litter. Keep your equipment tied down and fastened. Don’t ever leave cans (and I can’t believe I am mentioning this but never take glass) anywhere, beaches, put in, take out, lunch spots. Leave no footprint that you were there. Keep or rivers clean! *. Remember we don’t share the river, we share the roads coming home. If you are going to drink, be careful with high gravity beers, and always bring water. We are all adults. I have boated since I was 12 and have guided boats for 25 years. No one likes being around a drunk. But I would be a giant hypocrite if I, after doing it myself, told others not to do it. On the water it really is a personal choice. On government land, not a good idea. But as far as I have ever seen if you are in a raft on a river there nothing that says you can’t. All I would say is if you are with someone that gets hammered on the river, don’t let the drive or guide. I am not going to tell anyone to not drink or smoke. Just be safe. Know your limits. Always bring water. And enjoy the river. I have guided over 1500 commercial trips, on multiple rivers, mainly in a ten year span, and I was never drunk at work, or hung over and we did plenty at night. If a guide was hung over I wouldn’t have him on my trip. People just need to be smart. All things in moderation. I certainly see what you are saying, but we have time and wisdom on our side. I no longer do, as I am sure you don’t, things I might have 20/25 years ago. As long as people boat responsibly, I have no issues. Just don’t over do it.
@lisalaser3698
3 жыл бұрын
Love your channel, great content. Thanks for saying what think!
@soniakudalsky6214
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for touching on a very important, but seemingly “taboo” topic in the boating community. I believe we should be all putting our best selves forth out on the river, and should all care about being positive examples to others. I have experienced much peer pressure to binge drink on rivers, and drugs as well. I respectfully decline and get pinned as the “uncool” person in the group. I don’t let this bother me, as I respect myself and my body too much to abuse it. Thanks, now I don’t feel so alone in my way of thinking.
@brandonking1947
4 жыл бұрын
Thank you someone said it
@jerrytrottmann
4 жыл бұрын
Well said, good to talk about and get this subject out and in front of all boaters..
@jamethompson1021
2 жыл бұрын
This is really interesting the timeline that this video popped up for me prior to this summer I strictly kayaked. I was raised in kayaking with a lot of people that made drinking on the river a normal thing. I never thought about it because in my kayak it is my safety. I got my first raft this summer the first day I took people I realized I am responsible for the safety of the boat. My intoxication could lead to many problems risking the safety of others in my raft. Now I have moved to N/A beers I can still drink but not affect others safety. I'm sure people could make some good arguments on why I should not even be drinking N/A beer on the river I would love to hear those arguments. the N/A beer is good food for thought. I love your videos Zach hopefully I can work for you one day!
@GearGarageTV
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the comment!
@weirdbeard1980
2 жыл бұрын
I definitely agree 100%. Having a beer at the end of the day to celebrate a fun and successful trip is one thing but any more than that, I feel is not a good thing. And I won't boat with a person that's impaired in any way shape or form, even weed. I want clear headed people around me when I'm boating. This has cost me friends and I freely admit that at one time river days were drinking days but imo that's something you should grow out of as you become a better boater and an ambassador of the river.
@montet202
4 жыл бұрын
I had a heli guide in Alaska who bragged about staying up all night drinking, smoking, and sleeping with the lodge masseuse. Aside from the sheer lack of regard for the safety of myself and my three friends, we knew he had a wife and kid in California waiting for him to come home from his heli season. I refused to tip him, and would never patronize, or recommend that service anyone. I am always shocked at boat launches when I see guides absolutely shit faced getting ready to start a trip the following day. I am a private boater, but would never patronize a company seeing that in their guides.
@randyhowell2432
3 жыл бұрын
Well said
@darrelldb1
6 жыл бұрын
It's not just alcohol. There are many boaters getting high right before launch, at the lunch stop, in camp. While I do enjoy beer on river trips, and I have been guilty of over doing it, there is a difference between a beer at the end of the day and being hammered at the put in.
@GearGarageTV
6 жыл бұрын
Yep
@axcoolxname
4 жыл бұрын
I couldn’t agree more. I was just at gauley fest last month and ended up rafting with a group of fellow guides from Maine, 5 minutes into the trip one of them cracks open a adult beverage and continued for the rest of the day. I literally did not feel safe on the boat and all the pictures that where taken that day only made me not want to boat with that person again (I was up front so couldn’t see what was happening behind me. Also same trip we get on top of the party rock below sweets falls an watched the carnage for probably 3 hours and as time past people had began to get obliterated which one I felt was an extreme danger considering there was still 30-45min to the take out but two a terrible image for all the commercial guests that where on trips passing by. I felt almost ashamed to be up there (wasn’t my boat so couldn’t make the call to go)
@GearGarageTV
4 жыл бұрын
axcoolxname thank you for adding your 2 cents
@robgrey6183
2 жыл бұрын
Having run rivers all over the west and north for decades, I'm here to say that binge drinking is now the norm. I just finished a Grand Canyon winter trip: When I joined the trip I was told there would be no drinking on the river. Wrong. People were 2 beers in before launch and demolished a 12 pack during the day. I've seen it on other rivers like the Salt, etc. In my opinion it's now part of the culture. The new people competing for permits are out for a booze cruise. I'm tired of watching people get drunk and stupid, and being accused of not being "fun" because I don't go out there to get wasted on whiskey and weed. Problem is it's so hard to get a permit you end up teaming up with people you don't know just to get a chance at a river.
@tbengry
2 жыл бұрын
I’m not innocent here but thank for speaking up.
@don7294
Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for saying the obvious. I am fortunate enough to not be able to drink anything with alcohol in it without getting sick. I have seen some very poor decisions made by inebrieted boaters. If folks would use moderation, things might be different.
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