Ain’t no rest for the rafters.
At least not with roosters roaming around the Adventures on the Gorge campus, crowing at dawn… and throughout the day.
No one seems to know where they came from, but our new feathered friends have been strutting around campus like rockstars.
Hopefully they’ll have a more suitable home soon. But if you spot our feathered friends, snap a photo and post it to Facebook. Tag us and we’ll give you a FREE Adventures on the Gorge sticker!
Watch the owner of Songer Whitewater, Len Hanger, as he checks out Songer’s new basecamp right on the rim of the New River Gorge at Adventures On The Gorge.
Where is it in relation to our old basecamp?
Well we are about 5 miles south of our old camp on Miller Ridge Rd, which means not only we do we have a great view of the New River Gorge and a ton of new activities and adventures, it is a five minute bus ride from the take-out.
We think you’ll like it.
From our humble beginnings in 1978 in a small cottage along the banks of the New River, to becoming one of West Virginia’s leading whitewater outfitters, Songer Whitewater has strived to share our love for the river. It’s been our lifestyle, our vocation but mostly importantly, our passion. That passion has driven us to share our culture with you.
2011 has been and will be a year of exciting change for Songer Whitewater. We’ve joined Adventures on The Gorge. Our new home is a world-class Adventure Resort located on the rim of the New River Gorge. You may wonder, “Just what is an Adventure Resort?” It’s where adventure and comfort join to form life-long memories. “All the adventure you can dream of-All the comforts you could desire”.
Our new home boasts 4 restaurants, 3 bars, a wide range of lodging options from rustic camping to deluxe vacation rentals, top-notch facilities and plenty of adventure. Our Adventure Resort is your personal playground, near Fayetteville, voted “Coolest Small Town in America” by Budget Travel Magazine. Our “On the Gorge” campus is nestled in the heart of everything that’s great about the New River Gorge.
We will be located next to TreeTops Canopy Tour, named one of the top 10 places to zip by USA Today and Gravity Ziplines, one of the fastest and longest zip line courses in the East. As part of our move, we also have on-site mountain biking and paintball. Nearby you can enjoy rock climbing & rappelling, kayaking, fishing and ATV tours.
The biggest change for 2011 is that we’ll start all of our trips at our Adventures on the Gorge headquarters on Ames Heights Road in Lansing, WV, just 2 miles from the New River Gorge Bridge. You will continue to see your favorite guides, staff and purple rafts when you raft with Songer Whitewater.
Our commitment to personalized service and to our relationships with you, our guest, will never change. These principles have been critical to our success over the last 25 years. We look forward to your visit to our new home at “Adventures on the Gorge”. We think you’ll be as excited as we are to see how much has changed and how much has stayed the same.
Call us at 877-237-3492 or email us at raft@songerwhitewater.com then get ready for your
“Adventure on the Gorge”.
(Just tell them Len sent you!)
Len Hanger
Vice President
If I’m going white water rafting in West Virginia, I’ve got 5 words for you: pass the bean dip. please!
A question that comes through the Songer office is, “Can a vegetarian go whitewater rafting? And if they do, will they get eaten?”
And the answer is 1) yes, and 2) no.
At first, we suggest just eating everything green but the poison ivy (makes the throat a little scratchy). Kidding! Then we go into serious detail about the spread that you wouldn’t believe comes out of those banged up coolers.
So let me back up to the beginning of all this…
Lunch. It starts with a super nice guy named Kenny. He’s the manager at Foodland where they are so kind to pack the lunches for our white water rafting trips. The ladies in their country kitchen make as much as possible from scratch and deliver potato salad to die for!
Oh here I go getting ahead of myself again.
It actually all starts with faxing. Lots of faxes. Some people are into texting; we are into faxing. The lunch count is sent in days ahead of time and then updated very often; we live in the moment so to speak. From there they pack it up and deliver the lunch coolers the morning of the trip.
The lunch is then loaded on the equipment truck, driven to the river with the boats & strapped into the raft at our launching spot. About half way through the trip, as you round the river bend to reveal a selection of sandy beaches, the trip pulls over for a picnic lunch.
The guides lay it all out: loafs of bread and deli meats—but some of us aren’t there for the meat, amiright?
Continue down the line with slices of tomato, pickles, lettuce, carrots, celery (don’t forget the ranch), strawberries and grapes, potato salad, pasta salad, peanut butter & jelly, and CoOkiEs! But I have to say, the bean dip is what gets the veggies every time, yum.
Vegetarians make for really good paddlers, and rarely get heartburn after a swim. We’re happy to accommodate you (meat eaters. too)!
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:
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……………
Remember going to the museum with your family? Boring and awful? Just wanted to get back to the swimming pool at the motel?
Paddling, no matter where, no matter when, is a good thing.
My family (that would be Melanie, Dave and me) went to the WV State Cultural Center on Tuesday for the premier of a new exhibit, ‘”Whitewater Rafting: West Virginia’s Gift to the World”. It was awsome, really rocked my boat-pun intended!
The exhibit is full of historical artifacts. You’ll see the first raft to decend the New River, pictures of two really large inner tubes tied together for the first decent of the Gauley River, and loads of old gear and photos. Its fascinating on it’s own and the addition of the fim makes the history of whitewater rafing on the New River or Gauley River come alive. This is not your boring documentary: It’s full of thrills and spills, great action and poinent moments with raft guides (believe it or not)!
This film was produced by Eric J Palfrey and scripted by Ben Curnett, both longtime river folk. (You may know Ben as our writer extradonair. I think he won an Academy Award or something.)
Check it out at the Cultural Center in Charleston WV. It should be there until the end of April with the film running in a continuous loop so you can veiw it anytime. Their phone number is 304.558.0220, the web site is www.wvculture.org.
Enjoy!
One of our favorite things to do out on the river is surf white water.
And people who haven’t had the chance to surf West Virginia don’t get it. That’s understandable. It’s not something most folks think about. 
Surf west virginia, y'all!
How in the hell do you surf a raft on a river, anyway?
Well, that’s what this post is all about, and it starts by understanding one basic principle:
It makes sense if you think about it. Otherwise, the rapids would all float away downstream, right? We all know that an ocean wave rolls in to shore and, along the way, it breaks. That’s how it works.
But a river wave never rolls anywhere. It just sits there, breaking and breaking and breaking (most of them, anyway).
What we do is paddle into the breaking part of the wave. With some luck, some good paddling, and some super jedi skill from the guides, we can get the raft to catch the wave, just like a surfboard.
Once you’re in there, the river does the work. Water sprays up all around, the boats spin out and do 360′s, and a good time is had by all. Eventually, the river will spit you out so you can go back and do it again.
The type of wave we’re talking about here is shaped differently than an ocean wave. It’s called a hydraulic, or a hole, and actually looks like those breakers on their way in more than those glassy waves you tend to see a little farther from shore.
Hydraulics can be super powerful. If you’ve ever seen a river flood, it’s usually the hydraulics that are causing more problems than the currents.
But the ones we play in are just that- playful. They grab the boats and give us a ride. Most of the surf spots appear on the New River later in the summer. The Gauley river has great surfing year-round.
And who knows who the first person to paddle a raft back up into a rapid to go surfing? But God bless ‘em. Now it’s part of almost every trip we run, and it’s a guest highlight.
And that’s how we surf West Virginia
White water rafting is like a wet roller coaster with no seat belt.
But safer. And wetter.
You must be at least this tall to ride this ride
We get asked the “What’s it like?” question a lot. Even on the river. “What’s the next rapid like?”
It’s tougher to give an answer than you might think. The whitewater experience is a little different every time. That’s part of the reason it makes it so much fun.
But the roller coaster comparison is a pretty good one. We drift right up to the lip of the rapids, big ones like on the New River, or bigger ones like on the Gauley River. Then, the waves pick us up and we’re on our way.
Things are pretty fast and furious in the middle of a rapid. Or at least it seems that way. The guides are completely (!) aware of what’s going on, even though it seems like the river is crashing all around you (because it is).
And then calm. The rivers here in West Virginia are what we call drop/pool whitewater. It just means that the calm pools are broken up by big rapids. Or that the big rapids are broken up by calm pools. However you want to look at it.
But where the roller coaster analogy really works best is right before the rapids. As guides, we’ve pretty much lost the butterflies-in-the-stomach nervousness above the rapids (mostly). But most guests tell us that it’s just like that moment when the coaster is clicking up the first big incline.
And you hear that chain under you? That’s like the rapids getting louder. And the silence there at the top of the hill? That’s like the moments before you’re paddling, where your guide yells out, “Get ready! Get ready!” and there’s this long wait (actually about 1/3 of a second) before you dig in.
And then the waves are like, you know, the rest of the coaster (corkscrews?).
This is true even on our family trips. Meaning, even when the rapids are small, kid-sized ones, the excitement factor is the same. It all depends of the paddler (that’s you).
And then, of course, when you’re done, you immediately want to do it again.
Yep. A big, wet roller coaster is about right.
What, you thought all we did was go rafting?
Nope. We’re pretty avid snow junkies, too. The New River Gorge is kinda-sorta central to the ski scene in West Virginia (or at least it is for us), and it’s a good place to lay your head while planning your next day on the slopes.
Spoiler Alert: This Is Not West Virginia
So, in light of the fact that we’re involved in all things recreation, here’s our quick rundown of the ski resorts here in the mountain state:
WinterPlace Ski Resort: Close to our homes and close to our hearts, WinterPlace Ski Resort is just down the road from the New River Gorge. We affectionately refer to it (with a big grin) as “The Walmart Of Skiing”. That’s because it’s right next to highway access- you can drive right in, get what you need, and drive right back out.
Verdict: The perfect place if you are a never-ever-before first time skier or rider. Or if you’re taking one.
Canaan Valley Resort And Conference Center: It’s up in the valley between Davis and Elkins, which means Canaan Valley Resort is one of the prettiest places in the state. Also, it looks across the valley at Timberline, so there’s a little sibling rivalry thing going on, which is always fun. Canaan is the only place in West Virginia that you can go Air Boarding, which means you should check it out because… hey… Air Boarding!
Verdict: Fun in the snow for not much dough + Air Boards = awesome.
Timberline Four Seasons Resort: Here’s the thing about Timberline Four Seasons: If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear it was a small resort out in California somewhere. T-line’s got that funky, down home vibe (one of the lifts comes from Colorado’s Crested Butte), and the skiing is better than anything in West Virginia has a right to be. Long, single fall line runs, great trees, nice steeps, and a top notch, super friendly ski school make Timberline a favorite.
Verdict: You might see Norman Rockwell ski by. Or Shawn White.
Snowshoe Mountain: Snowshoe Mountain is the closest West Virginia gets to “out west” skiing. Maybe it’s because it was owned by a huge ski resort developer for the last 15 years or so. Or maybe it’s just because it’s great. Snowshoe is the only resort in the state with high speed lifts, and two mile-long Black Diamond trails. Locals secret: When the conditions or crowds get bad on the Snowshoe side of the hill, head to Silver Creek, the resort’s smaller sister hill, on the same ticket.
Verdict: If you want the resort experience, Snowshoe is for you, hands down.
And don’t dare forget about…
White Grass Cross Country Skiing: They call themselves the most exciting cross country skiing in the east, and it’s no lie. For starters, White Grass is a whole mountain that features every single ability level from rank beginner to oh-my-lawd expert. It helps that the folks that run the place have been on the double top secret list of coolest, funnest (?), and all-around-bestest people in West Virginia forever. Lessons are the most fun you’ll have on XC skis, probably, and the restaurant is worth the trip in and of itself.
Verdict: Honest-to-goodness winter fun for all ages. Don’t miss it.
So, how’s your Christmas shopping going? Personally, I’m making myself crazy. I’ve begged family members for ideas, I’ve looked at web sites, I’ve tried to compare prices- no luck. The New River Gorge was too pretty for me to spend the day inside a mall, so… I went to Chicago.
Pretty good shopping, not much whitewater.
Ok, I didn’t go there just to shop. It was a very special time spending Thanksgiving with my family. But hey, the Miracle Mile is right there, and who could resist? We didn’t go on Black Friday, thank goodness. We waited until sunny Saturday.
I’m a West Virginia girl, so there’s some culture shock. I never saw so many people crowded onto sidewalks in my life. There were street entertainers, which was nice, but lots of people crowded around them created lovely opportunities for pick pockets (we were warned) and more congestion.
Once inside the stores, look out. Those shoppers were out for blood. Finally, around 3:30, when I was weak from hunger, my feet hurt and I had bruises, I came to a decision: gift certificates.
My family thinks I’m cheap if I give them Songer Gift Certificates because they can get river trips for free. But I actually give them because it’s a really great gift. And hat could be easier? Believe me, downtown shopping isn’t! Do you think my family would get over the cheap idea if I gave them socks instead?
Anyway, I thought the culture shift was interesting. We spend most of the summer talking to people about what it’s like for them to visit the mountains. I almost forgot how different it is when I visit the city.