Payette River.org

2013 Roll Session dates announced!

admin — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 11:11:55 +0000

Check out our events calendar on the right hand side of our home page below the flows to see all the dates scheduled for rolling sessions at both the downtown YMCA and the West YMCA.

Please join us to brush up on that roll, try kayaking for the first time, or dust off the frozen cobwebs of winter!

Log Report: Blackadar UPDATED!

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:05:58 +0000

The log in a joint venture with the Forest Service, Idaho Whitewater Unltd, and Cascade Raft and Kayak has removed the log that had wedged itself above Blackadar rapid on the canyon section of the south fork. The corridor is now passable!

We have heard reports of a river wide log in Blackadar on the canyon. Extreme caution should be taken as the rapid is hard to portage. If you have been up there and can send us some pics please do! send them to tren (at) cascade raft (dot) com!

Advanced Kayaking Workshop

admin — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:29:33 +0000

Join Tom, Chad and the Cascade Kayak School crew for spring training! New for 2012, this clinic will address advanced river running techniques, play-boating skills, and approaches more difficult whitewater. Tired of the Main, but don’t feel like you have the skills to try the South Fork? Want to move from surviving Slalom to stylin’ Staircase? Know Blackadar as the guy named Walt and not the rapid after Big Falls? This is the weekend you need to boost your skills for the summer boating season. Two days of focused instruction, new paddling companions, and sweet kayaking on the Payette River. See you there!

$245 (includes lunch)

June 9-10, 2012

Join our instructors for the Advanced Kayaking Workshop!

2012 Roll session dates announced

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:22:21 +0000

Check the handy dandily little calendar on the lower right of the screen to check out all the dates for the 2012 YMCA roll sessions:

Looking to brush up on your roll, learn the basics of kayaking or learn how to roll? Check out one of the hour long sessions at the YMCA with one of Cascade Raft and Kayaks instructors.

2011 Spring/Summer roll session dates

admin — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:46:11 +0000

We have posted in the event calendar the roll session dates through September 2011. The sessions are on hour and as follows:

Feb/March/April-6:30 session only
May/June/July/August-6:30 & 7:30 sessions
Sept-6:30 session only

2010 Police Raft Along

admin — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:29:18 +0000

On June 28, 2011 over 800 Boise-area youths will be given the chance to float the Payette River with Police Officers during the 15^th annual Police Raft Along. This donated program is a commitment from local business leaders to strengthen ties between young people and law enforcement. Cascade Raft and Kayak, with the help of many river-qualified volunteers, sets the stage for plenty of river fun and kid/adult interaction. In addition to the guided trip down the Main Payette River, the day includes a huge barbeque sponsored by American Catering and Nagel Beverage Foundation/Pepsi, the Boise Police Department’s Johnny Law rock and roll band, with the St Alphonsus Hospital’s Life Flight crew making a special noontime riverside fly-in.

The goal of this community-wide effort is to provide an opportunity for these children, many from difficult backgrounds, to have positive interactions with authority figures (police officers, the raft guides and other adults) with the intention of changing their perceptions and building positive community relations for the future. Whitewater rafting is a remarkably successful means to accomplishing this goal.

If you wish to volunteer your time or make financial or in-kind contributions, we are always looking for assistance with this growing event. Please call the Cascade Raft & Kayak office (208-793-2221) or email donations@cascaderaft.com

Kids, Busses, and Life Jackets!

Rock Removal Meeting a success!

admin — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:28:12 +0000

On October 11th at the Maravia Factory/Cascade Outfitters headquarters a meeting was held for public comment regarding the permit to alter a rock in Staircase by Tom Long. Hosted by the IWA the meeting was a success with over 80 people in attendance. Information was shared, ideas were exchanged, and a calm level atmosphere prevailed leading to some important information being shared and opinions being formed. Notably a new idea was proposed; instead of to remove the rock in question, Tom Long suggested that the rocks angle into the current get changed to remove the sieve without making a huge impact on the rapid itself. A lot of helpful comments were put forward and at the vote of all in attendance at the end of the meeting 6 were opposed to altering the rock, 6 were still undecided, and the remaining voices were in approval for the project. Hydrologists are being consulted on means of prediction of the outcome of the rock alteration, but the general consensus being that altering the position of the rock was much more agreeable to the whitewater community at the meeting than full removal of the rock.

Thanks to everyone who took the time and came to the meeting to support safety and our river system, hopefully the next Payette River Clean up day can garnish the same support!!!

Rock Removal

admin — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:12:57 +0000

Rock Removal;

Long Family – Cascade Raft and Kayak

There has been some heated debate over the last few days regarding a permit that was issued for the removal of a rock on the rapid Staircase on the South fork of the Payette River. The reactions have ranged from genuine concern for river safety to personal attacks of character. A lot of this reaction has been formed without all of the information at hand, and hopefully we can clear some of that up.

In 2001 a MASSIVE mudslide completely wiped out the rapid known as Staircase. A dam was created and the damage was so extensive that the road to Garden Valley was cut off.

In an effort to reopen the road, the Army Corp of Engineers drudged the riverbed, placing boulders roughly where they thought they were before the slide.

In 2007, guide Dean Fairburn lost his life on the rock in question, entrapped in a sieve that was formed when the rock was placed there. Since then it has been a very common wrap spot, with at least one additional body entrapment that we are aware of. Cascade Raft guides and support staff aided in the removal of 8 wrapped private boats over the 2010 season, clearly this placed rock is a hazard to ALL river users.

Our concern is that there is a man enhanced feature on a rapid that is a clear hazard to all river users that has already claimed the life of one person. In this spirit we looked into removal of the rock. We applied for a permit, following the standard protocol set out by the State, contacted a crane operator to see if such a feat was even possible, and waited. With no intention of actually removing anything we continued to pursue this goal. We have followed all the rules and laws set out before us in investigating the manipulation of this rock. If our intentions were to remove the rock with out public comment, then we would have moved it while we had the permit before the public had a chance to comment. But that was not our goal, which gets us here, to public comment. Unfortunately some of the comments have been not directed at what rock, why, and when, but attacking a specific person and company.

The facts out there for public comment are:

There is a rock that is in channel was placed by man,
That same rock has become a frequent wrapping spot for private and commercial rafters
That rock has claimed the life of one person and entrapped another that was lucky and able to free himself
With the water as low as it is this year and Deadwood is off, there is a chance to remove the rock in a safe and controlled manner.

If this is something that seems to be a good idea and the river community supports it, the Long Family is happy to continue to move forward in the removal of the rock in question.

If it does not have the river community support, at least our conscience will be clear if someone else looses their life there.

A public forum has been scheduled at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at Cascade Outfitters/Maravia, 604 E. 45th St., Garden City.

It seems strange to me that we all support the alteration of the steam bed to make water parks, and in some cases even compete diversion of a river, but an effort to remove a rock that has is a clear unnatural hazard is unthinkable. Kelly’s Whitewater park runs on the NF of the Payette, they dramatically altered the river, and have plans to alter the river again, but there is no condemnation or outpouring of sentiment. So do we as the boating community support altering the stream bed only when it improves our play waves and not when it can save lives?

We appreciate the community’s involvement in the river!

Tren Long

Deadwood discharge to drop to 0 August 22nd!

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:10:08 +0000

Get your South Forking in!!!

The Deadwood Dam is scheduled for repairs at the end of this summer and is scheduled to cease releases on August 22nd. That means 0-cfs so get all your Canyon and Staircase fun in before then because the South Fork is going to be the lowest it has been in a VERY long time.

Bronco Billy had one of the biggest hits on the South Fork during high water.

Kelly’s Whitewater Park Review (part 1)

admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:14:06 +0000

This spring we had the opening of a new whitewater park up on the North Fork of the Payette River called Kelly’s Whitewater Park. Built with the support of Cascade philanthropist Hans Bornobus, Kelly’s is named after Kelly Brennan. Featuring 5 playspots, a welcome center, and a whole bunch of other cool stuff we here at payetteriver.org decided we should solicit some reviews from some not-so-local but here all summer paddlers. Our first victim in a series of reviews is Kim Johnson. She is a great paddler from San Diego who graciously sent us pics and the following review.

Where are you from: San Diego and Colorado.

How Long have you been paddlin: off and on before Tren was born.

What was your first impression of the park?

I was pretty impressed, I got there on the day the Jackson’s were there for one of the Opening Compeititons, …the parking lot was packed, the log gates over the entrance were grand, and I was slack-jawed by the visitor’s center and the landscaping.

Did any of the features seem big/small/trashy?

The top feature seemed a bit sticky when I first looked at it, though when I got in it it was friendly and fun. It seems like it has some places that are more retentive than others and it will get your attention, but I liked it.

Were they?

the smaller wave on river left is perfect for learning to spin and front surf. If you flip the wave is deep and the water is nice and warm. All of the park has great eddy service and lots of room so you are not slamming into 10 of your best friends in the eddy.
There is also a very small, very friendly wave just underneath the Welcome Center that is perfect for working on skills and really great for people who are new to playboating. Someopne should nickname it the Girlfriend Wave….as in perfect for teaching your girlfriend how to surf and spin. Or boyfriend.

How crowded was the park? I have never been there more more than a handful of people.

How was access to the features and ammenities? Easy and nice. Lots of parking, lots of space to unload your stuff, and dry your gear. Best of all, everything (including really nice bathrooms) is FREE!

What was your favorite part of the park? A really pretty place with easy access to some great and varied park n play. Plus it seems that it will have great park n play later in the season when lots of other park n play is done or filled with townies on boogey boards.

What was your least favorite part of the park?

The get out, but that will be remedied when they install the bridge to the middle island. Wish they would have installed some slalom gates, but one can’t have everything.

The reviewer doing her best motorboat impression while spinning in the hole.

For more info checkout the Kelly’s Whitewater Park website that includes a pretty cool webcam!

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