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Zoar Outdoor Rafting Blog
June 14th, 2008
It is a hot summer afternoon. I can’t think of any other place I want to be than on the water. Our sit on top program has given me a chance to spend lots of hot summer afternoons on or in the water.
When I first started working at Zoar I was in charge of running the program. Sit-on-top kayaking is a wonderful way to experience an afternoon on the water. We run a self-guided trip that allows you to get a feeling of being out by yourself kayaking on the river, with the benefit of up-to-date equipment, a snack delivered to you by the side of the river, and a shuttle provided by Zoar Outdoor. Sit-on-top kayaks are different from traditional kayaks in that they can’t trap you inside and they don’t require any experience. As the name suggests the kayaks are designed to sit on top of, thus you don’t need to know how to roll. And if you don’t want to go alone, you can join a friend on a double kayak.
Our trip meets at 1:45 pm at our base in Charlemont, MA. After registration we show you an instructional video. After you get changed for the river we give you the equipment for your day’s adventure and then head up the put-in. You enter the river from the shore like a seal sliding in off an ice shelf. If you can’t picture it, trust me – it’s one of the highlights of the trip. After kayaking for about an hour and half you check in for a snack of G.O.R.P. You can take out at snack and head home, or have the choice to continue on to the end. One of the greatest parts of this program is the ability to find your way through class I and II rapids from your own boat – no need for a guide . At the end of your day we shuttle you back to Zoar Outdoor, where you unpack and change into dry clothes.
Come out and visit us for an afternoon trip, and power your own adventure.
Patrick Banks
Assistant Rafting Manager
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May 11th, 2008
This is my first full-time April, and I did not anticipate the depth of the April grind. Oh in the past I’ve heard Kevin proclaim April as a busy month …blah, blah, blah, how busy could it be? For the most part, we run small weekday trips, and full weekends. The catch is that the full weekend is comprised of away trips.
April and May is a seemingly endless cycle of packing, driving, rafting, packing, driving, unpacking and washing gear. Although I am a little tired of standing over my bag on Thursday nights with the feeling that I’ve forgotten to pack a vital piece of gear or toiletry, by no means am I complaining.
The away trips are vastly entertaining experiences and offer adventurous and unique rivers. Bulls Bridge in Kent, CT is keeper of the most challenging rapid we run commercially. At the West River in VT, I try to be at the head of the pack when summiting the Ball Mountain Dam; the blank stares down towards the put-in amuse me. The Concord turns the image of rural mountain rafting upside down, as we ride class III-IV rapids through downtown Lowell, ending in 19th century canal locks.
  Bulls Bridge
  The West River
  The Concord River
I’m looking forward to the more predicable routine of summer, but all summer I’ll speak of the springtime rivers with nostalgia. Back to packing, and where is my toothbrush?
Brian
Assistant Raft Manager
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April 16th, 2008
Think Spring! Think West River Rafting! Think…snow?
So far it is a toss up about what I’ve enjoyed most this spring, the look of excitement on my guests’ faces as we torpedo through snowmelt swollen class III & IV whitewater, or the look of amazement and incredulity as they gaze at the thick snow STILL omnipresent in the Charlemont woods. And I know where there is more snow, and even more class III-IV white water - Vermont! That’s where I’m heading April 26 & 27 on our annual spring trip to the West River.
If you’ve never been on our West River trip let me set the scene. Our friends at Stratton Mt. extend their hospitality allowing us to transform their Sun Bowl Lodge into Zoar’s home base for the weekend. Stratton Mt is oddly quiet at this time of the year; ski season is over, the hotel, lodge, and most importantly, hot tub are dominated by the smaller but personable and comedic rafting and kayaking community. As for the river itself, it’s a dam-controlled intermediate class III-IV whitewater experience that is home to one of the most impressive put-ins in New England, as you hike up and over the Ball Mt. Dam. The lower half of the river is generally a little slower, but with some extra snow melt, it becomes a playground of surfing holes waiting for the observant guide to exploit. That is what I’m anticipating this year.
Whitewater, surfing, and a relaxing evening in the hot tub are not the only reasons I’m anticipating the West. If spring is a transitional period between winter and summer, I’m going to attempt to truly merge the seasons and raft and snowboard in the same day. A seasonal biathlon of sorts. Of course this will be done without the courtesy of a chairlift, and will undoubtedly be an excessive amount of work for a solitary run down the mountain. But the juxtaposition of the two activities is too inviting; I can’t let the opportunity pass. Personally I can’t think of a better way to terminate with winter, anticipate summer, and embrace spring. See you on the river, or maybe the slopes.
Brian
Assistant Rafting Manager
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March 6th, 2008
This is Brian’s first time back to training since he was a trainee himself and it hasn’t gotten any warmer. He’s obviously a little older and much wiser (he’s wearing a drysuit). We’re happy to have Brian onboard as one of two new assistant raft managers this year.
We couldn’t have asked for a better day start to spring training. We had 10″ of fresh snow and then the sun came out. The trainees all did well, only 3 out of the 10 swam this weekend. Of course we let them know there are two types of raft guides –those that have swum and those that will; personally I’m hoping to hold out till it gets a little warmer.
If the winter continues we’re going to need a ladder to get over the snow banks! On the plus side, all the spring trips should run at great levels this year.
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February 4th, 2008
We had our first raft trip of the year!
After a brisk 14 degree “ice” mountain biking adventure we rushed back to Zoar to prepare for a short filming session on the Deerfield river. Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism videographer ventured out to the snowy hills of Western Mass. to catch Howard Bronstein, winner of the Governor’s Hospitality Award busy at work as a whitewater raft guide.
Howard has guided and trip led for Zoar for the past ten years, It’s great having him around and now his wonderful hard work and dedication to our guests has been recognized at the state level.
We had a blast paddling around on such a beautiful winter’s day, even though our hands got a little chilly! It was a sobering reminder to all that new guide training starts March 1st!
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January 17th, 2008
People often ask us, “What do you do in the winter?”, to which we usually reply “Oh, nothing!” And compared to the summer, the winter pace is more relaxed, but, in fact, there’s a lot to do in between the occasional ski, snowshoe, or ice biking trip.
The winter really breaks down into two time periods - before the New Year, we’re mostly occupied with closing down from last year: fixing boats, counting and repairing gear, ordering replacement gear for the next season, designing brochures, changing dates on the website and closing the books on the past year. From January on, we turn to the coming season: there are new staff to hire, old staff to schedule, new programs to design and old processes to tweak.
There’s never as much time in the winter as it seems there will be on a quiet day in the middle of November, but as spring approaches and the first trips creep ever closer, those projects that are done are done and those that haven’t yet been started will have to wait until next fall.
It’s like farming in some ways - you have to love the busy times and you learn to appreciate the breaks.
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