Whitewater Outfitters Working With Government

River water levels are becoming less of a concern for some whitewater outfitters in various destinations across the country. Since river rafting relies heavily on water levels, most outfitters join efforts to influence reservoir and dam release schedules to match the busy rafting season.

This year, we are already seeing some new changes that will positively affect the rafting industry. In Northern California, the Sacramento Municipal Utility Distric has now cleared an important hurdle for everyone. A new pact calls for a guaranteed weekend release year-round to provide a daily source of whitewater along various points, including the popular American River. The Auburn Journal reports some of the facts and details of this new pact that many in the area are happy about. Not only will the new release add to the tourism and recreation in the area, but studies show that it will also help the wildlife habitat. Most of the time, these release schedules actually work better for everyone. A constant flow of water means and continual source of food, shelter and water for the local environment.

Across the nation a similar agreement has been reached along the Ocoeee River in Tennessee. The TVA and the Outfitters Association in the area are under contract to release 1200 cfs on scheduled dates through the spring and summer. Again, these dates give a regular water-flow schedule and make the rafting season more predictable.

Northern Canada Launching Huge Marketing Campaign

The Yukon, Northern and Nunavut Territories have put together a massive advertising and marketing campaign in efforts to increase tourism and interest in Northern Canada. Contributions from area governments and the 2007 Canada Winter Games Host Society have helped to put together this large campaign. The Whitehorse Star online has a complete article outlining the details of the joint effort and those involved in the process.

Part of the campaign is a Pan-Northern adventure promotion on CTV's Canada AM. Winners can pick from one of three amazing trips to Northern Canada. Nahanni/Canadian River Expeditions is one of the companies giving away a river rafting trip on the Tatchenshini River in the Yukon. Other parts of the massive campaign include short video spots in southern Canada before Hollywood movies in theaters, commercials during popular television shows, print ad inserts and much more.

Rafting Canada is still a hidden gem in the world of adventure sports. The Northern Territories, as well as the Southern Territories, not only have great rivers for rafting, but the scenery and back country wildlife is unparalleled here in the stats. The Grand Canyon, and possibly Glacier National Park are the only real huge destinations that have similar allure.

Recently, Rafting America picked up new partners in Canada. REO Rafting Resort in British Columbia, Wilderness Tours in Quebec/Ontario and Canadian River Expeditions in the Northern Territories, B.C. and Alaska. Hopefully the additional exposure on Rafting America will prompt more interest in Canada for both Canadian residents and U.S. residents.

Weather Channel Launches Extreme Sports Channel

The Weather Channel just launched a new broadband channel called Epic. Epic is dedicated to showing how weather conditions impact adventure/extreme sports such as whitewater rafting, surfing, skiing, mountain biking, etc. Epic is a video-centric website with clips and media, many of which provided by the famous Warren Miller Productions.

One of the good whitewater rafting clips is from Rafting America's member Peter Grubb at ROW Adventures on the Lochsa River in Idaho. It's a great video with some cool rafting flips and falls, and the Lochsa isn't exactly the best place to have that happen.

The idea behind Epic is to get people to participate by adding their own videos and experiences. I think it will be moderately successful from that angle. However, depending on how they market and present weather conditions and sports, I think it has great potential. In my opinion, you have two types of people who watch weather forecasts and conditions regularly.

One is business-related, for those professionals who travel regularly and are mainly concerned about flights and destination conditions. The other is the sports enthusiast- the skiers, hikers, rafters, climbers and outdoor junkies that keep and eye on mother nature.

This new Epic addition will be a great addition for the latter of the two target markets. Certainly they will tune into Epic over the normal Weather Channel is one highlights outdoor adventure related weather rather than general conditions.

Zoar Outdoor Hosting '07 Wildwater Nationals

Rafting America partner and member Zoar Outdoor has been selected to host the 2007 USA Wildwater Nationals. The Nationals will be held on August 24-26, 2007. The Deerfield River is the selected site for the runs. Normally, the official website for USAWildwater has all the latest news, but this is a little ahead of the game.

The great part about holding the Nationals is that the Dryway section will receive water releases for the Saturday and Sunday rafting. The river is an ideal location for the runs, with mild class II and III rapids. Zoar has hosted nationals before, so they are familiar with the process and the events.

Zoar Outdoor offers river trips on the Deerfield River, Concord River, West River, and others. Zoar is also well known for their kayak clinics. The owner, Bruce, is a renown Olympic paddler and runs a very good kayak clinic on-site.

Waveyard- Water Sports Dream in Phoenix

Waveyard, the up-coming water sports resort and villa has its new website up- www.waveyard.com. The new park will have white water rafting, kayaking, surfing, scuba diving, beaches, shopping, retail stores, villas and more. Probably the largest and most unique of its kind, this boasts to be quite the resort/waterpark destination.

It will be interesting to see how the profitability pans out. Some of the other whitewater parks (focusing strictly on whitewater rafting/kayaking) are getting mixed results. This takes the concept to a whole new level. Location seems to be good. Product is right and price is yet to be determined (I would imagine from the look and feel that it would be expensive). The marketing and promotion will play a major role.

Other whitewater parks seem to focus on local markets for the day-to-day business. Not quite as wide a scope as normal whitewater rafting outfitters. The water sports resort would (I assume) try to pull from a much larger audience. The whitewater rafting and kayaking portion of the park would probably be less of an attraction with all the other activities. But fun nonetheless.

New Film "Western Canada- Far and Wild" Ready

John Wilson, a well known wildlife documentary filmaker, recently showed his newest creation to a crowd in MI, reported a local paper. His new film about the backcountry of Canada feature Carabou in the Yukon, the Nahanni River and many other Canadian highlights.


John has done a number of Canadian wildlife pictures, and has won many awards for his great filography. It is true that Canada has some of the best wildlife and outback adventure desitnations in the world. White water rafting and/or kayaking in Canada is something that few people think about, but is perhaps one of the best ways to view the most scenic areas. Ther are plenty of places to visit when it comes to rafting in Canada. The most popular destinations are British Columbia and the Ottawa river. However, companies such as Nahanni/Canadian River Expeditions give full backcountry excursions through the Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories.


The film can be purchased from the Travel Video Store, currently listed for $19.95.

Rafting America Ready to Launch Newsletter

White water rafting network Rafting America is set to launch a 2007 email newsletter campaign to rafters all across North and South America. The Newsletter will be sent seasonally, focusing on various rafting destinations across the Americas.

It will also have a calendar of events, special highlight sections and and deals happening through the various member outfitters. The newsletter will be the largest of its kind. Rafting America plans to send out over 2 million emails over the course of 2007.

Here is a sneak peak at email concepts for the new newsletter.

Advertising Dollars Come From the State for Some Whitewater Outfitters

Yep, you read the title right. Some state tourism offices seem to have their thinking caps on- and white water rafting outfitters are taking advantage of the program. West Virginia seems to have their Office of Tourism in line with those who are also interested in bringing business to the state: recreation and vacation providers.

West Virginia just handed out some $5 million in funds to various organizations throughout the state. Rafting companies were among those who got a handy portion. Among the rafting recipients were: ACE Adventure Center, Class VI, North America River Runners, Songer Whitewater, Riverman Whitewater, Rock n Roll Rafting and more. Together they received over $300,000 in marketing fund to use for 2007.

This is of the helpful MAPP program the state has. Approved "partners"- which is virtually anyone that has a vested interest in tourism- can get 50% or more of their direct marketing dollars reimbursed or matched through the state! I think the fundamental concept is that the state tourism office should work together with those who are also pushing for the same objectives. It has been running for some time now, and everyone seems to be doing just dandy.

Why don't more state do this? I don't know. Utah Office of Tourism just handed out what it thinks is a healthy portion to organizations in various area of the state. But they just allocate fund to local tourism offices. And the allocations are not based on any logical reasoning in trying to promote tourism, but rather which participants put together the best and most entertaining proposal on paper. Utah also tries to say they will contribute to organizations who want to promote tourism to the state... but with one hitch- you have to be non-profit. So you automatically eliminate all those businesses who are the most interested in getting visitors to come to Utah. Instead you get a bunch of local theater houses and art exhibitors with money, and locals don't even go to them.

Rafting companies should take note from West Virginia and petition for more unity between the state and the companies.

Men's Journal Puts Rafting As a Best Trip '07

The January Issue of Men' Journal has a year starting "Best News Trips" articled featured the top adventure vacations to take in 2007. Making the list of these adventure vacations was ROW Adventures' Idaho and Montana white water rafting trips. ROW also was featured for the Galapagos Island kayaking and camping trip.

Some of the other trips highlighted include kayaking on the Baja Coast, camel trek in Morocco, Hawaii trip (of course) and swimming with the whales and sharks in Australia.


Its not a surprise that whitewater rafting made it to the list of top things to do for 2007. The industry and popularity of rafting is beginning to pick up speed again. Since 9/11 many outdoor recreations and adventure tours have struggled to regain ground and tourists. But the last couple of years have been productive overall, and more people are enjoying the outdoors and the natural adventures mother nature has to offer.

"Mancations" Comin Atcha'

Its not a misspelled word- its a new word. "Mancation" is a hot new topic in the adventure travel industry and white water rafting. It means just what it says- a vacation for men. I guess they have finally put terminology on the "boys weekend out" that gives it a little more formality.

Mancations.com is the website created to list packages and activities that fit the mold for manly trips to do with your friends. NBC10 in Philadelphia and surrounding regions reported on mancations not too long ago, and it is catching wind. The Today Show just aired a segment dedicated specifically for Mancations. Topped on the Mancation list are golf vacations (of course), white water rafting, backpacking and more. This is in the wake of marketing research showing a rising trend in vacations by groups of men.

The marketing study shows the true feeling men have about vacationing:

   * Over 60% of respondents who go on guys or girls trips are married.

  * 41% of men -- compared with 22% of women -- said that they witnessed
    something on their guy's trip that they preferred their spouse not know
    about.

  * Despite the expected bravado image, 80% of men indicated they miss their
    families when they go on these trips.

  * More then half of all respondents said they would rather take a trip
    with a bunch of friends versus attend a family reunion.

Lets be honest- who would really opt for a family reunion instead of a Mancation? That's what I thought. If you want to start planning a Mancation, visit the website or try whitewater rafting trips for a start. They are sure to get your adrenaline pumping!

Wisconsim Wants a Whitewater Rafting Park

Wisconsin has now apparently jumped on the "I want a whitewater toy" now as well. The recent addittions and news about teh upcoming whitewater rafting parks has sruck interest in many different parts of the nation.

Matt Johnson of Appleton, WI is part of the Fox Cities Whitewater Park Committee, which has retained the engineering firm of Recreation Engineering and Planning Inc. of Boulder, Colo., to perform a feasibility study on constructing a whitewater park somewhere in the Fox Cities.

We will see how these whitewater parks continue to grow in popularity. Can they make enough money to keep running is the question.

10 Best White Water Rafting Trips

The December issue of Men's Journal has taken the liberty to issue their list of the 10 Best Rivers to go white water rafting on. For the most part, I completely agree with their list. A couple may not belong on the top ten as far as fun, excitment and adventure, but its a pretty good list. Maybe they will as Rafting America for our top ten list? That would be nice.

#1 Grand Canyon, AZ
#2 Alsek River, AK
#3 Selway River, ID
#4 Gauley River, WV
#5 Middle Fork Salmon, ID
#6 Tuolomne River, CA
#7 Upper Youghiogheny, MD
#8 Hulahula, AK
#9 Yampa River Canyon, CO/UT
#10 Arkansas River, CO

The upper Youghiogheny in MD would not be on my top ten. And maybe I would take the Kern River in California before the Tuolomne. yampa River Canyon in CO/UT should be replaced with Cataract Canyon. Now that I think about it, maybe i will come up with a great Top 10 Rafting list. I already established a great list for rivers to raft in the fall.

Thats it then. I am going to come up with multiple Top Ten lists for rafting adventures. Then we will see who the rafting experts are... (j/k- I just think it will be fun)

Maine Could be Hot Spot in '07

According to a recent article in the bangordailynews.com, Millincocket, Maine is going to be one of the top 10 travel hot spots for 2007. White water rafting is a popular activity in the area, with trips going doen the Penebscot River daily during summer months. Reviews from travelers who made Millincocket a destination this year all agree that it is a great destination for those who love the outdoors.

Matt Polstein of the New England Outdoor Center knows that the information and Trip Advisor website are important resources for travelers. More and more visitors are wanting outdoor trips when they visit the area. The New England Outdoor Center saw increases on business across the board. Lodging increased 50 - 100 percent over the summer months, and rafting trips saw an increase of 12% overall.

The New England Outdoor Center offers rafting trips, vacation lodging, canoe and kayak school, moose tours, nature tours, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling and much more. It is a great destination and resource for anyone looking to visit the area. Obviously, Trip Advisor (an Expedia subsudiary) thinks the area is hot, and will only grow in the coming years.

Trip Advisor Marketing Study for Travel

Trip Advisor recently released its annual Trip Advisor Travel Trends. According to them, the trends for adventure vacations such as white water rafting are up. Here is what Trip Advisors shows for 2007 trends:

"Pining for Pine Trees: Forty-three percent of travelers are likely to
go hiking, up from 24 percent one year ago, and 39 percent intend to
partake in adventure activities (such as parasailing and whitewater
rafting), up from 29 percent last year. More women than men plan to
participate in outdoor activities in 2007 according to the survey."

So according to Trip Advisor, 39% of travelers expect to take on an adventure trip. I would venture to say that a majority of thos "adventure travelers" have white water rafing up top of their list. I also look forward to the upcoming America Outdoors convention in Salt Lake City. Theyusually have great marketing research of the outdoor travel industry as well. Hope to see you all there!

Another White Water Rafting Park!?!

Yet another white water rafting park is in the process of moving forward in the U.S. I mentioned that me and some other white water rafting outfitters visited the North Carolina park in our last visit to the East coast. Now plans are in the build "Run of River" in the Kennebec River gorge, just behind downtown.

The interesting part is that the project is set to be on a large peice of riverbank property. The property location "is crucial to the project," says Greg Dore, the promoter.

I will keep everyone updated on the progress of these new white water parks as they continue to grow. I now have heard of three parks in the works to get approval and funding. We shall see what the outcome holds.

West Virginia Rafting

I just got back from my trip to West Virginia and North Carolina. I was able to do the famous Upper Gauley and it was worth the hype! You don't know white water rafting until you hit the Gauley. I was an intense trip, with plenty of high water and class 5 rapids. We rafted with a Rafting America partner, Adventures Mountain River. They did an excellent job, with great guides and a fun atmosphere. Because of the dam release, the galley is only open at certain times of the year. Therefore, you have all the rafting companies jam packed on the few days that the Gauley is running.

I was also able to raft the New River, which was not quite as intense, but very scenic and beautiful. It is a good mixture of scenery and adventure. I liked both rivers, and it was fun to get out on the rivers one last time for the season.

The next stop on the trip was down to North Carolina. After visiting some outfitters in North Carolina, my group made our way over to the new National White Water Center in Charlotte. I blogged about the center over the summer, and I am glad to have finally seen it. The center itself is beautiful. Very nice and professional. They re still doing work on the main conference center, but it will be a nice finishing touch to a quality park.

The question that sprang to mind is the effectiveness of integrating the park with the real "outside" sport of kayaking and rafting. My observations about the whole thing is this:

-most white water rafting outfitters see the park as a good thing. I personally talked with many of the largest outfitters in the East Coast, and they like the idea and think it has potential to draw new crowds to the sport.

-the park provides a good option for first-time rafters who are perhaps scared of "real" rafting. Its a great ice-breaker.

-the park has a great opportunity to partner with outside rafting outfitters as a referral for trips.

-the park is a great option for groups and business settings, integrating a nice facility with the adventure on-site as well.

The only real problem right now is that the white water rafting center has not taken advantage of any key partnerships (Red Bull is a sponsor, but not quite what they need). If they can effectively integrate with outside outfitters and cross pollinate the traffic coming in, it could gain the recognition it deserves. Hopefully Rafting America will be able to provide the park with a quality partnership that could work both ways as well.

White Water Rafting in the Fall

Think the white water rafting season is far over? Think again. Although most companies wrap-up around this time, some white water companies are still running strong. It just depends on the river and region.

Many rivers in the US are managed by controlled run-off(which I posted on earlier). Therefore, as the summer months wind down, many lakes and reseviors will release large amounts of water to make way for the coming winter and extra water they will receive. In order to maximize the effeciency of the releases, white water rafting outfitters come together and work with the local agencies to have specific "release dates" for the water. Then, white water rafting trips can be planned around these dates.

So what rivers and locations can you still find good rafting trips on? Here is a good list that I cam up with:

#1- Gualey River, WV- One of the most popular releases and rivers. I am actually going out this year to ride the release with some of the members from Rafting America. They actually do a festival for the "Gauley Season" well known around the world to whitewater enthusiats.

#2- Dead River, ME- This river only has 10 large release dates in the whole year. One is in late fall (October-ish). World class rapids and great rides.

#2- Ocoee River, TN-Another well known river with constant river flow and challenging rapids. Release dates continue throughout the whole month of October.

#3- American River, CA- The South Fork and the Middle Fork usually run through October. California weather is still mild at this time of year.

#4- Deerfield River, MA- The Zoar Gap is a trip that runs into October. Late season discounts during the week are available.

#5- Chattooga River, NC- Although it slows down a bit during the fall, water releases keep good peaks throughout the season.

#6- Snake River, ID- Famous for Hell's Canyon, the Snake River has plenty to offer for historic scenery and great rapids. Usually trips run till the end of September, but depending on the season, may go in October.

#7- Lehigh River Gorge, PA- The Legigh RIver has new water release dates the extended the season into October. Great family trips and day float trips are still available.

For those really interested in a great whitewater vacation, international trips are always an option! The Fataleufu River in Chile runs during the whole winter season (our winter season) and is a great escape and vacation. Trips in China, South America, Australia, and Europe are always options as well!

Housing Project on New River Gorge

Looks like a new project ot put upscale housing in the New River Gorge is going through. Most white water rafting outfitters seem to support the new development, although it was a heated debate in the region.

According to an article in The Register Herald, "Fayette County Board of Zoning Appeals voted unanimously to uphold zoning officer Tim Richardson’s approval of the Phase 1 subdivision plat for Roaring River, the larger of two planned housing developments overlooking the gorge."

So, it may bring a boost to local tourism and white water rafting, I just wonder how the homes will look over the gorge. Although, for those who have been on the American River in California, you would see homes along the river front at varioius places along the river. I am sure other places have riverside homes that do not detract from the experience. We shall see what it produces!

Life saved by White Water Rafting Guide

Some can only imagine what a brush with death must feel like- Kathryne Chang sure knows. She was white water rafting on the Deerfield River when her raft turned over.

Chang fought to stay with a group who also fell in, but the current pulled her under, wedging her in an underwater rock crevice.

"Next thing I know," she said, "I was on my back, looking up at the sky."

She was lucky that a couple of guides form Zoar outdoor were rafting down the river and got her out of the water. Whitewater rafting trips have the potential to be hazardous, but usually safe guides and alert employees keep things under control.

Most states have different requirements and expectations when it comes to white water rafting training and safety. CNN ran a report recently about safety issues as it relates to deaths on the river.

The question is, should your company provide it's own certification and safety training, or rely on state mandates to give you your guidelines?

White Water Rafting in Colorado Could Break Record

The Colorado River Outfitters Association reported that this season 504,622 people have rafted in Colorado so far. The season is still not over, and Colorado my break its all-time high of 525,537 from '99. The season has been good all around the country, as the combination of great water levels and increased interest rise everywhere.

Colorado actually is host to the famous Arkansas River and the Colorado River, among others in the state. So how much money does this equate to for teh river runners. So far, the estimates lie around $135 million for white water rafting outfitters across the state. Many outfitters will continue to run the rivers through September until the weather cools down and business slows. But until then, everyone is mostly excited about the increase and they hope this trend continues into next year.