Posts Tagged ‘river rafting’

Spring Time Rafting 101

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

Flowers are starting to bloom, the temps are rising, and the wonderful stinky neoprene is coming out of storage. Yes, Spring has Sprung!

Spring is a fantastic time to go rafting on the New River, you get fewer crowds, higher water, fine looking wildflowers, green trees and mountains.

In order to not freeze your booty off, you need to dress appropriately.   Here are a few basics you need to know:

  • Avoid cotton at all costs (yes, it may be comfortable but when it gets wet it does retain water, think wet sweatshirt)
  • Wear wool, poly pro or a fleece
  • Splash Jacket
  • Wetsuit
  • Wool socks
  • Neoprene booties

Don’t forget your Chums glasses strap and a water proof camera to capture all of those thrills. Lastly you may want to bring a little sunscreen, the sun is hard on you after a long winter. You are now ready to experience Big Time Splashes on the New River.   See you on the river……………

Staff Reunion & Season Excitment!

Monday, April 27th, 2009
New River Gorge Rafting Fayette Station Rapid

New River Gorge Rafting Fayette Station Rapid

Every April we have an evening of getting the guide staff together for updates & visiting.  Tails of the winter’s adventures mixed in with river stories from past summers makes the evening hum with excitement.  This is an extra special season to begin at Songer Whitewater because as the whitewater world around us merges into large, corporate-like companies, Songer will remain independant & personnalized. 

As I hosted the evening, I heard mulitple times how happy certain staff members were to hear we were staying the same Songer.  It is a big deal to raft guides to know the other people raft guiding next to you on the river.  With our meduim size company, we are able to coach & encourage the new guides as they go into the summer.  Each raft guide is expected to work all the river trips/sections offered & to be part of the big picture of taking care of our guests.  We are all hosts introducing people to West Virginia!

The evening rolled on through paper work, CPR tests & Len Hanger going through the details of our marketing efforts this summer.  Vacation marketing continues to evolve at a fast pace and Len is studying to stay on top of all the diverse avenues.  We will even be extending our efforts to guests as they vacation with us this summer to take some time and give us feed back.  If you have any river story to share, hint hint, please comment back on this blog!

The raft guide return meeting really lit the spark to the season here at Songer Whitewater & we are ready for the summer time fun we just love!!

Great Rafting on the New River this weekend.

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

Yes, it’s raining today and will rain tomorrow. It’s going to be kinda chilly too. But, look out…. Come Thursday the sun is coming out, the temps are gonna soar, and by Friday it’s going to be Great Days on the New River. The summer-like weather is supposed to hold for the entire weekend and we are excited.

April showers have blessed us with dynamic New River water and it’s holding steady at comfortable high water levels. April brings another natural

Lower Railroad Rapid Splashes

Lower Railroad Rapid Splashes

occurence in the gorge, the trees and shrubs start to turn green at the bottom near the river and work their way up. Today about 1/3 of the gorge is green, just starting to cover the historic coke ovens along the bank. It will be interesting to see what the weekend brings.

More good news for the adventure junkie in you–Summersville Lake is full. You know what that means.

Spring Gauley in West Virginia. What flows into the lake will be released and that means some excellent water levels. We have trips going over there next week, the guides can’t wait. No matter the level (it fluctuates in the spring) it will be a blast.

Spring is short-lived in West Virginia, don’t miss it!

One of our weekend guests called today to rent wet suits for an extra day so his group can swim at Summersville Lake. Now, that’s making the most of a great time, Mike.