AIRE Blog

Photos of the new rapid on the Jarbidge River, ID

Back on June 10th I wrote about a new rapid that was formed on the Jarbidge River in Idaho.  At the end of the post, I said I would post photos of the new rapid as soon as they were available.  Well, here they are with some comments.

"Early in the morning on June 3 a major rockfall occurred on the Jarbidge.  The result was a half mile long lake that completely submerged Sevy Falls.  This formed Barker Falls which is a rock strewn 20' falls.  The rocks are razor sharp.  These pictures were taken by one of the guests on the trip and fail to show the two huge holes in the left run.  Both will completely swallow a raft.  The left bank continues to collapse from erosion" said John A.K. Barker of Barker River Trips.

   

I am not sure of the 'official' name of this new rapid but until I hear differently Barker Falls it is.
Troy

The 4th, Small Town USA Style

You know you are going to have a good time when you spend your Independence Day in a town called Crouch.  Crouch, ID was my summer home the years I was guiding and it had all the charm of a little mountain town with a hardware store, market, a restaurant and a bar called The Dirty Shame.  Sounds harmless right? Ha, not on the 4th!

After a good day of guiding in the hot July sun we would load up the thousands of water balloons we had been filling, stack the tallest tower of rafts we could on the trailer and head into Crouch for the best small-town-USA parade/water fight in all of America.  Somewhere in between getting families off the river and stacking the boats we would hit some homemade huckleberry vodka, fill our coffee mugs up with homemade beer and cram our pockets with Neighbor Mike’s homemade fire crackers.  These are not your normal fire works.  They leave craters in the ground and off set your heart rate for a few beats in the blast recoil.  (I’m pleased to report that Neighbor Mike still has all his fingers and toes.)  This would be about the time the craziness beings.

All the roads come together in the center of town where there is no real way to discern what is the road and what is the parking lot for all the business.  This piece of pavement is blocked off, the gas pumps are flagged and the firework free-for-all beings.  A movie maker could film an epic disaster secene in the 360 degree of explosions and a few token police try in vein to keep the crowd from shooting fireworks at each other.   We would dance late into the night on the beer soaked floor to some live bluegrassy music playing on the restaurant patio.  When the smell of sulfur, booze, raft guides, cowboy puke and urine was too much to handle we would stumble a mile back to our raft headquarters.  The party would pick up at the shop and every year, like tradition, we would almost ignite the big pine tree with fireworks. This would then, of course, upset our boss and cause his eye to twitch.  

 I love the 4^th of July. 

Peace,

Sheena

 

New Rapid on the Jarbidge River

The Jarbidge River is a remote 29 mile stretch of whitewater runnable in the spring.  News that a new rapid formed reached us last week.  According to John Barker of Barker River Expeditions, the new rapid was formed about 1/2 mile below Sevy Falls.  Apparently a rock slide occured from river right and damning the entire river.  A portage trail can be found on river left around the new falls.  For those of you familiar with the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, the new rapid is roughly the size of Dagger Falls.  If you have any information on the new rapid please post a comment below.  We will post photos of the new rapid as soon as they become available. 

Portage wisely,
Troy

3 Days in Hells

For the most part, I enjoy rafting with a paddle team on a fairly meaty stretch of whitewater.  However, a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to be a river garnish, sitting on top of a gear pile on the back of a Cataraft and loving every minute of it.   I fished Small Mouth Bass quietly off the back, soaking up what little sun my Irish skin could handle and feeling pretty good about taking a few days off works.

A guide I have worked with said it best when he described the water in Hells Canyon as “heavy”.  It certainly has the cfs to make a 16’ craft feel pretty insignificant on the water.   From the Dam to Pittsburg Landing there are only 2 major rapids, Wild Sheep and Granite. It’s defiantly possible to flip in these, but the swim looked pretty good and the run out was clean.  Other wave trains and giant eddy lines along the way gave this section good variety.   The Snake is the type of river that can turn even the snobby beer connoisseurs into happy Keystone Light drinkers. The type of river that, given the opportunity, authors like Twain and Hemingway would have been pleased to write about.  Sometimes a raft trip is not about the whitewater.

 

Peace,

Sheena

Spring, and the sweet smell of polyester river funk

My sister said it best as we were gearing up for a spring run on the Grandjene section of the Payette River, “It’s good to have the right gear. I'm standing here in the cold, about to get into a freezing river, and I'm just fine with that.”

We all had to start on old, borrowed equipment.  I happened to use a hot pink scuba diving skin I “borrowed” from my folk’s house for my first few river trips (and I made that hot pink skin look good too).  It was better than nothing, but not much better than nothing.  Since then, I have lovingly pieced together my gear bag into a nice wad of polyester, nylon and rubber.  If you haven’t already, it is defiantly time to bust into your gear bag and take a nice deep breath of rivers past.

Here are some experienced tips from an unseasoned pro when first venturing into your gear bag for the season.

·         Be sure to get the spiders out of your dry top/dry suit before you put it on.

·         Repack your throw bag.

·         Restock your ChapStick.

·         Try to find your one missing boot, give up, and go buy another pair.

·         Inspect your helmet for cracks.

·         There are three way to get the smell out of polyester: Burn it, freeze it or use some Sink-the-Stink (I’m open to any other suggestions.)

·         Take a swift water rescue class so you remember how to use the gear you have for un-pinning a boat.

And now, my top three non-traditional gear bag essentials.

·                       1.  Spare Air

·                       2.  Red Bull

·                       3.  Pentax waterproof digital camera

If you find that your puddle of equipment is looking a little tattered, or you are ready to buy your own equipment, stop by one of our dealers, and while your there, you might as well pick up a new raft.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, the hot pink Scuba Skin, oh ya.

Peace,

Sheena

New Idaho Law Effects Non-motorized and Motorized Boaters alike

I wanted to pass along news that effects all Idaho boaters and boaters coming to enjoy Idaho's excellent whitewater.
  
A new state law requires the owner of any boat and any non-motorized vessel - canoe, kayak, raft, drift boat etc. - to buy and display an Idaho Invasive Species Fund sticker to legally launch and operate the boat in Idaho.

What does they cost?
Stickers cost $5 for in-state and out-of-state non-motorized vessel more than 10 feet long, $10 for motorized vessels registered in Idaho and $20 for out-of-state motorized vessels.  There are discounts available for non-motorized commercial fleets.

Where are they available?
Stickers can be ordered by mail, using a downloadable form available at http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/. Mail completed forms, with a check payable to the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, to: IDPR Registration Unit, P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0065. Please allow seven days for processing.

Stickers also are available online at http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/; a service charge is added to online transactions. For questions about sticker purchases, contact the Idaho Parks and Recreation registration help line at: 1-800-247-6332.

 

How will these funds be used?

The funds raised from the sale of the Idaho Invasive Species Fund (IISF) stickers will be used for vessel inspections, washing stations as well as information materials. 

Idaho Fish and Game's full press release can be seen at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/releases/view.cfm?NewsID=4876

Idaho Department of Agriculture's information on Idaho Invasive Species can be found at http://www.agri.state.id.us/Categories/Environment/InvasiveSpeciesCouncil/indexInvSpCouncil.php

The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation has a nice FAQ section about the Idaho Invasive Species Fund that can be found here.

 

So plan ahead and get your stickers for your rafts, catarafts and kayaks over 10' long.

 

Until next time.

Troy 

Things we learned in the South

 The Ocoee river rocks. But only two days a week, because the TVA shuts off the dam that controls the flow of the Ocoee river. The rest of the week, the Ocoee is rocks. In honor of all the awesome people we met on our trip, Shaun and I have compiled some key quotes from the week. 

"The creation of the self-bailing raft marked the end of the true raft guide." -from a guide on the Ocoee, when asked what kind of raft he preferred

"We smoke 120lbs on Fridays. It is usually gone by Saturday afternoon." -from the Hiwassee river, discussing the amount of pork that is smoked and BBQ'ed on a normal weekend 

"These boats are 12 years old. Why would we buy new ones?" -an outfitter on the Ocoee, discussing his method of fleet rotation. This outfitter runs about 12,000 people down the Ocoee each year

"Raft guides are like prostitutes. First they do it for fun, then they do it for friends, then they do it for money." -outfitter on the Ocoee, on the character of a raft guide

Boat Renter on the Nanahala: "Hey man, how do you do this? We can't get it to go strait."

Shaun to the Boat Renter: "It works better if you put two people on each side instead of 3 and 1 like you are doing." 

"Look at how fun the rafting signs are in Tennessee. Not like the lame boat ramp signs we get in Idaho." -comment about the USFS signs at the take out for the Ocoee

Big thanks to our outfitters all for the hospitality they showed us. Especially Lamar at Outland Expeditions who put us up in one of his luxurious cabins. Unfortunately we did not get to boat the Ocoee on our trip, but we will should have a full "balanced+fair" report for you sometime in August.

Ya'll go out and paddle now, ya hear?  

Eric 

R2ing = Good Foreplay

Every April the little mountain town of Riggins, ID puts on Jet Boat Race Weekend.  What a party!  If you have never had the chance to experience river marathon boats, I suggest you clear your calendar for next April.  The town is great, the bars are hopin' and the people watching is better then NASCAR.  But  this particular blog is not about racing boat up and down the Main Salmon River at 100 mph, it’s not even about a bright orange boat called Tuff n’ Nuff winning and taking the Idaho cup trophy.  The true hero if this blog is the Tributary 9.5 SB.

After a little finagling at work, I was able to get a new 9.5 SB in the employee demo room.  I was going up to the Salmon Rive to watch the race and thought it was would a perfect opportunity to test out the 9.5’s R2ing and creek boating ability.   The Little Salmon was at about 800 cfs and the sun was going to shin all weekend long.

You need to have a very good boating relationship with your R2ing partner, especially if that partner is your spouse.  Fortunately for us, my husband and I have no problem being pinned on a rock together.   We started with an easy run Friday evening with the dogs on the Main Salmon River up past the closed race coarse section.  The 9.5 SB took on the waves of the class III water just fine and was easy to keep straight and maneuver around.  My R2ing buddy and I worked off the winter rust and determined that he should call the moves so we were working together to hit the same line.

The Little Salmon has just about everything you could possibly want for good spring water.  From some gnarly waterfall drops to constant class III - V water.  It is nice and steep and has it all, except for space to get a raft down.   So, on Saturday evening we met up with some kayaker friends and ran the lower section.  The 9.5 handled like a champ!  Casey and I were running all over that river punching through holes, building up our confidence in the boat and channeling our mechanical bull riding skills to stay in the boat.

On Sunday, we were ready to run the upper section just below the water falls.  It was the first time either of us had seen this section of water.  We had a few sick lines and some good moves.  The water was intense and but not pushy scary intense.  We got hung up on a rock or two (or thee, maybe four) but missed all the floor rippers and I had the third best high side of my life. 

I’ll admit it, I have a hard shell kayak, but with the Tributary 9.5 SB and a new found thrill for R2ing creeky rivers, I might just keep the kayak hung up in the garage this summer.

Peace,

Sheena

 

 

 

 

Jersey Paddler

Some of us on the AIRE sales team just got back from the Jersey Paddler Show in Somerset, NJ. There were hundreds of boats on hand, I got to thinking about how designs are different and the same between manufacturers. These pics aren't really a best of show, but they show some interesting concepts about boat design.

the Epic V10

I was impressed by this boat because of its purpose driven nature. This isn't a fun splashy beginner machine you put your "I think I wanna try paddling" friends in. This boat does one thing: go fast. The whole boat is narrower than 1 Wildcat tube. It is half again longer than a Super Duper Puma. You have to tie a yellow flag off the back of this boat even if it is on your roof rack. Not that you would, a hatch back Subaru doesn't even have a long enough roof line to carry this thing. Sounds like a pain, right? That is what is so impressive about it; the goal trumps all other considerations of convenience and versatility. This boat reminds me of a Trek Madone Pro or a pair of Volkl Kuros. Gear for those with a purpose.

hard shell, inflatable soul

Hmm, these are hard plastic sit on tops. What does that hull shape look like? Does anyone see a nose profile similar to a Sawtooth? Many people were concerned with the performance of the inflatables, like it is going to paddle like an inflatable palm tree. V shaped hull, wide stable edges, 13 feet long. Sounds like a Sawtooth, but will this thing roll up and fit in your trunk? 

Food for thought, 

Eric

New Equipment

We just received and installed some pretty neat equipment in our factory this week.  This equipment will be used mainly for our industrial division, which produces spill containment products like berms, fuel and water bladders, and drip containment products. 

The largest machine we purchased from Miller Weldmaster is the 112 Extreme.  This machine is a cross seamer designed to efficiently and quickly weld long straight seams.  This new machine will allow us to achieve almost 98% efficiency in material usage.  This reduces that amount material that makes it into the landfill.  By long seams I mean LONG, as in up to 44 feet!

The other machine is the Impulse Extreme.  This machine seals urethane and   vinyl products, like the airecells used in our boats, by using pulses of heat and water cools them when the welding process is completed.  By using the Impulse Extreme sealer in the production of our airecells will be able to eliminate the set up time of three different machines and reduce the handling between those machines, which will make our production process much more efficient.

The new machines will be put to good use and rest assured that we will find new and creative ways to use them to make our production process more efficient. 

Until next time, happy paddling.
Troy