Voss Active — Local services in Voss

I’m going to try to be very fair with this one. I’ve thought a lot about this review and here’s what I have to say: in mid May 2023 I went rafting with Voss Active as part of a larger tour I was on. Everything went as planned for the first half of the 1/2 day trip, learning the basic ins and outs of paddling and responding to various commands. The trouble came when they put us back in the water during a spring thaw, in class IV rapids, knowing that two boats had capsized that morning when the water was not nearly as turbulent. Immediately upon entering the first rapid our boat flipped and we all went into the water. The rest of the party was fortunate enough to get onto rocks or get out of the current but I was not so lucky and was shunted into the worst part of the rapid for its entire length.

I barely survived.

If it hadn’t been for my level of fitness I would have been a corpse. I drowned the entire time, never being able to get a single breath of air, hitting my head and other parts of my body as I was violently tumbled down a raging river. I blacked out and only came to after being dragged to the shore, vomiting river water and being unable to catch my breath for what felt like an eternity.

I should mention at this point I had a confrontation with the other boat’s captain who I had glimpsed during the encounter and who failed to render aid. In defense, I was still very delirious, agitated, and in a state of total shock having almost lost my life. I apologized and made amends.

I spoke with the operations manager, Allen, after the experience and immediately he was hostile, non-conciliatory, and rude. His egotistical tone spoke volumes about his regard for customers and he made several statements which made me pause and helped me to understand the truly cavalier approach this company has to protecting the health and well-being of their customers.

For example, at one point he asked me why I was upset and I told him I’d hit my head several times and asked immediately after to go to hospital and he said I’d already been evaluated. I asked him what he meant and he claimed that his entire staff was “First aid certified” and that they were capable of “visually evaluating customers at all times.” That is an exact quote. I’ve spoken to several medical professionals and confirmed that not only is that impossible, it is negligent. The fact is they were more concerned with putting boats back in the water than attending an injured customer. The fact that I was left alone for 30 minutes after informing them I’d hit my head is indeed the definition of negligence.

Would I raft with Voss Active again? No. I would feel very uncomfortable entrusting my life or loved one’s lives to this company. I cannot recommend them as I feel that based on my experience it is only a matter of time before they get somebody hurt or killed. I hope they change their practices and take a more measured approach to health and safety. I’m sure we will see some attempt at damage control here but regardless, you have...

Did the grade 4 whitewater rafting experience with my guides Ryan and tubs! Ryan was incredible! Made the experience so joyous, has a great personality, despite the tenseness in the air. The organization, safety priority and communication was wonderful! They took the time to answer my questions beforehand. The team is experienced in safety and communicate incredibly on the rapids to ensure you survive basically and make it out.

I've rafted a few times in grade 2-3. This time there was a swim test in supposedly a grade 2 section. The water was near an intense fast moving rapid, not something easy to get past. And they assess your swimming skills with 2 chances only. You have to be a moderate- strong swimmer for this, even with a life jacket. The swimming test was intense with water gushing in your eyes and ears and you trying to listen to what the guide says all while swimming intensely. It isn't as easy as it sounds. You jump as far off a rock as you can and power through till you reach shore.

The rapids themselves were beyond fun! We only went through 4 rapids, due to high water levels - we couldn't do 2 of them + a cliff jump at the end. But be ready to know how to take action quick.

They go through a safety briefing and had 2 rescue kayakers surrounding the rafts to assist. Despite such an incredible experience, it isn't something to take lightly if you fall in.

Their minimum recommended age is 15. This definitely doesn't feel safe for a 15 year old. The instructions for how to row the boat were quick and often changing every 5 seconds at certain points requiring you to listen. Maybe 18-21 with some experience WWR feels safer.

Their wet suits are incredible in terms of protecting you from the cold waters. In fact I felt hot at many points due to how thermally insulated the wet suits were. They provided you all the supplies!

The photos were an add on and okay. High quality but the light grading was quite dark. You couldn't tell all the faces clearly. They had no videos available. The pricing was off as well. For 1 photo was 55kr, 20 was 356 kr and then all photos was 950 kr. But the photographer took 24 photos, so 4 additional photos led to the 950 kr? I wish they had the option to buy individual ones more and had videos.

For the price,...

Me and my brother went canyoning with Voss Active today. We had a great time, the instructors were very friendly and funny and they clearly knew what they were doing. The river was very cold in the beginning but after 5 minutes the wet suit warmed up and you didn't feel cold anymore. The route was very beautiful and the water was quite clear, it had a nice light blue / turquoise color to it and you could see all the way through. During the descend there were multiple spots where we could jump off a cliff into the river at various heights, the highest one was about 9 meters high and there was always the option to not jump off the cliff but instead continue floating through the river to the next rendezvous point. At the end of our journey we got some warm drinks and cookies before heading back to Voss Active headquarters with the bus. When we got back and got out of our wet suits took a shower and put our own clothes back on we had the chance to take a look at the pictures that were taken during the activity and they were very good looking and were taken at spots with a nice background.

I highly recomend the canyoning at Voss Active to anyone who is a real thrill seeker and is not...