Colorado River Basin High Water

When they say the high water in the Colorado River basin this year will exceed that of 1983, it makes river runners pay attention. Guides who experienced Colorado River rafting in the mid- 1980's know big water. A number of factors come into play every time high water rolls through the canyons of Utah and Arizona, and it appears the same factors are at play this year. By February there was speculation, but so much still had to play out just right. The wet spring, and lower temperatures have kept the snowpack in the mountains late into the spring. Now we wait and see how fast it will all come down.

The Grand Canyon, with flows regulated by Glen Canyon Dam, will likely not see the high flows like in '83 because the Dam folks know what not to this time. But Mother Nature will do what she wants upstream of that dam. Cataract Canyon is the place for high water Colorado River rafting.

There's no better way to experience the power and magnificence of an untamed river than from the relative safety and security of a large J-Rig, patented by Western River Expeditions and named after its founder Jack Curry. Designed specifically for high water, rafting guides agree there is not anything quite like a J-Rig to flex over and punch through strong rapids.

2009 Travel Trends

What does 2009 hold for whitewater rafting and the adventure travel industry? It depends on what the adventure is. 2008 provided a roller-coaster ride for the entire nation as we saw outrageous gas prices, the real estate market crash and finally the entire collapse of the financial industry and economy in general.

The direct affect of the economy has not fully hit the rafting industry as of yet. 2009 will be a historic year, and nobody can predict what will happen this season. Since most of the economic collapse happened towards the end of the rafting season last year, most outfitters fared "OK". Everyone took hits with the gas crises, but avoided the major collapse of the market.

Although studies have shown that "vacations" are often one of the last items people cut in their personal budgets, it is beginning to be evident that vacations are not immune to the market downturn.

Advanced bookings are slightly down across the board, and cancellations are statistically higher than usual, as those who booked far in advance are realizing the "extra" vacation cash needs to pay off bills.

That being said, summer vacations and adventure travel will still be a hot ticket on people's itinerary for 2009. One positive that local outfitters may see is that residents will cut back on traveling to distant locations, and try to find fund and relaxation closer to home. Local marketing and local advertising will be important factors for staying above water (no pun intended).

I predict that whitewater rafting will stay strong for those who realize that you will have to spend money to make money. In an economy where businesses are cutting costs, many have the opportunity to rise above the competition as many scale down marketing efforts.

As far as water levels, rivers and geographic issues, it looks like there is still plenty of snowpack and storms to come that should not be an issue for most parts of the nation.

As usual, we will see how things play out...

KY Whitewater Park In the Works

WKYT 27 reported recently that officials are considering a whitewater park at the Kentucky-Virginia lines in hopes to boost tourism in the state. Right now, Kentucky is basically void of any decent "river rafting" option (as is the case with most of the Midwest), so this may provide an opportunity for not only the Kentucky residents, but neighboring states as well.

I assume that would be the main focus when officials say "tourism", because I doubt visitors would make a special trip to Kentucky just for a whitewater rafting park. Plus, you have the US national whitewater center down in NC, and a few others across the East.

I would venture to say the most business would still be the local market (at least for the near future). When I was talking to one of the Marketing Directors at the USNWC a couple years ago when they first opened, he told us that their visitors and target market were Charlotte and Atlanta, both legitimate population centers nearest the center.

So a tourism boost? Possible, but the more realistic expectation would be to give the locals of KY and VA something to do.

Deaths on the River

There have been a few stories in the past week or two alerting the nation of a couple of deaths during whitewater rafting trips. Five deaths already on the Arkansas River in Colorado, one recent death on a California river trip, and a few others around the country.

The question is, is this something to be concerned about? Well, it depends on how you look at the situation. Typically, when you hear of deaths on the river, it usually involves private boaters who take their own little tubes down a raging river and end up drowning. Commercial outfitters typically do not see many deaths. One news source from Colorado gave an historic breakdown for their commercial river rafting deaths for the past 5 years:

2000- 3 deaths
2001- 2 deaths
2002- none recorded
2003- none recorded
2004- none recorded
2005- 1 death
2006- 1 death
2007- ?

Nation-wide, the industry as a whole usually sees about 20-25 deaths a year on average, with some year hitting the 50 mark (2006). Overall, the numbers may be up this year, but when dealing with an extreme sport, it is always unpredictable. Mother nature is the deciding factor in these instances, and rivers are a tough force to reckon with.

In all though, it still remains a very safe, as long as you go with professional outfitters. Statistically, speaking less than half of all whitewater rafting deaths occur with a professional outfitter. They know the rivers, which spots to avoid, and are trained in rescue techniques to get you out of danger. Considering the number of rafters who go down rivers in any particular season (over 10 million annually), the fatality rate is extremely low (zero is always nice).

Moral of the story- dont be afraid to go rafting. Its still one of the greatest outdoor activities of all time!

Mixed Reviews for Whitewater Rafting Levels

Looks like we are getting mixed reviews for the outlook of whitewater rafting around the country. Naturally, spring offers the best water runoff as the river catch the brunt of the early snow runoff. Colorado is experiencing great water levels (we all remember the horrible storms in Denver over the winter), perhaps the best they have seen in over a decade. You even have water agencies in Colorado and some parts of California letting out a little extra water now to prepare for the increased runoff. Other areas of California are lower than expected.

And for other parts? Southern Utah has average levels right now, but things are not looking so great for the rest of the season. Water levels on the Colorado River and Green River could see a 5 year low, bringing it back to the dry season three years ago.

The East coast is getting mixed results as well. North-East regions has levels as good as last year, some even running high. But travel down South towards the GA, TN region, and things are running in the 10% level of where they should be.

It will make for an interesting season across the country, and hopefully everyone will at least have an increase over last year.