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Momentum River Expeditions Rafting News




August 12th, 2010 Robyn

The Gold Ray Dam on the Rogue River has been in the process of a historic removal since early summer.  On Wednesday August 11th, the coffer dam that was built to divert the river for dam removal was breached sending all of the Rogue River and the back waters of Kelly Slough downstream.  The river breached at about 11:30am and rose about 6 feet in a matter of minutes.  Muddy water, logs and debris were sent rapidly downstream, luckily without injury to rafters and anglers.  This is the first time that the Rogue has run freely through this section of river in the last 107 years!!!

Check out the local news story on the Mail Tribune website at http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100812/NEWS/8120318

and coverage on KDRV’s website at http://kdrv.com/news/local/184545



August 12th, 2010 Robyn

The middle of August is upon us and while some may be thinking about school starting and winding down their vacation time, we are still running strong on the rivers!

Our Upper Klamath one day trips are running every day with awesome whitewater and amazing weather!!  Water levels are great and we will be seeing them all through September as well.

The Wild and Scenic Rogue has been amazing this year and continues to treat us with abundant wildlife, great rapids, beautiful scenery and wonderful weather!  We have a few spaces left on our August 24th 4 day camp trip and availability on our September and October Fall 3 day Lodge Fishing trips!  The fish are just starting to come up river for their fall runs and are bountiful in the lower canyon.

We are already starting to take reservations for the 2011 season so feel free to check out next years schedule online to plan your 2011 river vacation!

With two more weeks of August, great water, amazing weather and a couple of days off, there is no excuse not to join us for an End-less summer river trip!  Give us a call today!  See you on the river!!!!



July 26th, 2010 pete

World-Class River Trips Oregon,
Northern California, and beyond…

the Rogue River- Mule Creek Canyon in the summer..

Hello Everyone!

We are here in the middle of a beautiful summer and I decided to sit down and write a rare summer newsletter. It will be short, but hopefully sweet (like this summer has been so far!).

First off I want to thank everyone who joined us this spring! Those who did may have seen snow, rain, wind, sun, AND some of the best water we have ever had! With all the late snow it was a spring for the ages – thank you all so much! We have soooo many spring photos – once things slow down we will get a chance to go through them and put them in a nice slide show for the fall newsletter….

It is HOT! And….. we still do have space on some of our summer trips. The Upper Klamath is rockin’ with its normal big water summer flows – there is no day trip like it in the West. It is also arguably the wettest trip day trip in the West - which is great when the temps are hovering around 100 degrees! We also have very limited space on Rogue Wilderness trips this summer (most of these were full by March). Give us a call for last minute cancellations. If you can’t make it this summer but still want to get on this year fall is an amazing time to see it and we have fall specials on lodge trips. We also have space on our trip at the end of August on British Columbia’s Chilko – incredible diverse scenery, the longest rapid on the continent, and the wilderness of British Columbia!

We are also excited to announce our newest trip – Fall wilderness fly-fishing trips on the Rogue River. From mid September through Mid November we will run Lodge to Lodge wilderness fly fishing trips on the Rogue – there is no trip like it in the continental United States.

Below there is info on our summer trips with space, Fall lodge trips on the Rogue, Fall fishing trips, winter in chile (the ‘Fu’) and our 2011 spring schedule (yes it is out). We wish everyone a wonderful rest of the summer and hopefully we will see you on the river!

Kind Regards,

Pete and the staff of
Momentum River Expeditions

“Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.”

Winnie the Pooh

Summer Trips

Rogue River 3 to 4-Day Wilderness Trips We have limited space from cancellations on one of the world’s great summer wilderness trips. We offer 3-day lodge trips where nights are spent in comfortable and rustic wilderness lodges and 4-day camp trips where nights are spent under the stars.

Cool water, swimming holes everywhere, it is the perfect summer wilderness trip. Call, email, or check out our Rogue River Page for space and to find out more.

Summer on the Upper Klamath For many the Upper Klamath is a yearly pilgrimage (along with a Shakespeare play) and it is definitely the most exciting summer class-IV day trip in the West – it is just really really fun! As I said above it is also the wettest day trip in the west and with the dam releases we still have BIG water. We will be on the Upper ‘K’ through September - take a day off (or two) and join us!

There is more Upper Klamath info at the Upper Klamath Rafting Page.

British Columbia’s Chilko River

The Chilko, Chilcotin and Fraser Rivers - a 7 Day Journey into the Wilderness of British Columbia!
Join us on August 29th for a 7-day journey down the Chilko, Chilcotin and Fraser Rivers - a trip unmatched in its scenic diversity and huge stretch of class IV whitewater. Big John, Farwell, and Lava Canyons; the continent’s longest stretch of commercially navigable whitewater; bighorn sheep, grizzly bear, wolves, and birds of all types; all set in the legendary wilderness of British Columbia.

I am so excited for this trip - if you have any questions please give me a call or an email!

Read more about it here.

Fall Trips

Rogue River 3-Day Fall Lodge Trips The Fall is an amazing time to Raft the Rogue! Mild temperatures, fewer people, more bear sightings, and fall foliage. This year we are offering 10% off on select Lodge trips in September. Check our schedule here and look for “Rogue Wilderness Fall Special Lodge Trip”.

Rogue River Wilderness Fly-Fishing Trips We are excited to announce our newest trip – Fall wilderness fly-fishing trips on the Rogue River. From mid September through mid November we will run 3 and 4-day Lodge to Lodge wilderness fly fishing trips on the Rogue. We will fish for Steelhead and Fall Chinook and with the lodges there is no trip like it in the continental United States. Anthony (many of you have probably met him on a rafting trip) will be managing and guiding along with Irv Urie. Irv has been fishing and guiding on the Rogue for over 40 years, is a wonderful teacher, and knows the river as well as anyone alive. This trip will not be advertised to everyone until next year. Right now it is being filled with Irv’s past guests and people we have mentioned it to during trips – and now all of you! This is truly a unique trip and no fishing experience is required.

Call or email if you are interested!

Winter 2010/2011 Trip

Chile - Patagonia’s Rio Futaleufu

Winter in the warm summer weather of Patagonia! Join us for our annual 9-day luxury wilderness journey into the heart of Patagonia. This is truly one of the earth’s magical places and a trip of a lifetime (and my personal “favorite river in the world”).

The trip includes:
- One of the world’s greatest and most beautiful whitewater rivers.
- Whitewater from high volume class III to some of the biggest class V run in the world (your choice).
- Luxury wilderness camps set among glacier-capped peaks.
- Tons of other activities - hiking, mountain biking, word-class fishing…
You can see a video about the trip at: http://www.momentumriverexpeditions.com/chilevideo.htm.
Our schedule for this winter is out here.

Spring 2011 Trips

Our 2011 schedule is out on many of our spring rivers and people are starting to book.

For Launch Dates visit the river page:

- The California Salmon
- The Illinois River
-  The Owyhee River



June 28th, 2010 pete

If you ever get a chance to see Brandi Carlile at the Britt Festival (or anywhere for that matter!) - do it! It was one of the best shows we have ever seen…



June 18th, 2010 pete

The weather: Mid 80’s and sunny!

The water: at 5+ feet on the gage - perfect class V!

The River: The California salmon - one of the most beautiful place anywhere.

The time: June 25th?!?!?!? Yes! This is a once in every ten years or so event. We have not just a little water, but ideal water on my favorite run in the country in late June!

Join us for a quick weekend trip on one of the countries premier class V runs - in the summer sun! Give us a call or book online here.

It will be an amazing trip!



May 18th, 2010 pete

A big winter and the cool wet spring means we have one of the biggest snow packs we have seen on the California Salmon! This year we will be rafting into late June!  This is one of the best class five trips in the country and one of the best years to see it - for many of us it is our favorite river in the United States.

Below are the dates we have left - including our just opened June 25th date:

Fri 5/21/2010 - California Salmon Wine Tasting Trip - 3.5 days

Fri 5/28/2010 - California Salmon Memorial Day Trip - 3.5 days - limited space

Fri 6/4/2010 - California Salmon Private Trip - 3.5 days - Trip full

Fri 6/11/2010 - California Salmon Trip - 3.5 days

Fri 6/18/2010 - California Salmon Trip - 2.5 days - Trip Full

Fri 6/25 - California Salmon Trip - 2.5 days

Come join us on one of the most spectacular trips in the country!!

California Salmon Rafting Page



May 7th, 2010 Robyn

Allegiant Air is one of five airlines that service our local Medford Airport.  They offer incredible deals from Los Angeles, Phoenix and Las Vegas into Medford Oregon on Mondays and Fridays.

NOW, Allegiant is offering incredible flight deals on multiple days depending on where you are coming from or going to! If you’re coming from Los Angeles, deals are offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for $50-$90!  From Las Vegas, there are deals Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday.  And from Phoenix deals are available on Mondays and Fridays.

This is great news as it allows a more flexible flight schedule for those coming in for our mid week trips on the Rogue and other rivers.  If you are needing an inexpensive flight this summer and live in or near any of these three metropolitan areas, check out the Allegiant website at http://www.allegiantair.com



April 22nd, 2010 pete

These are pretty cool! The road should be open soon! Check out more photos on our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=155379&id=42004316593&ref=mf



April 21st, 2010 Robyn

Jay-bo, aka Jason has been in the magnificent State of Jefferson for over 35 years.  The rivers began calling his name at the age of 18 and he’s been running them ever since.  When he’s not on one of the bioregions many exciting rivers, you can find him scaling and/or descending many of the mountains around the Ashland area.  He works as a part time ski patroller in the winter at Mt. Ashland and otherwise spends most of his time putting people back together in the ER at Ashland Hospital.  Jay-bo loves people, has a giant smile and an incredible cackle!



April 20th, 2010 pete

Check out this footage from an early season trip. I think it really captures the Upper k - lots of water in the face!



April 20th, 2010 pete

World-Class River Trips Oregon,
Northern California, and beyond…

the Illinois River - lower canyons in early spring. The cover photo of our 2010 brochure.

Spring is here!

Well…

Kind of…

We continue to get late snow with what looks to be the last real round today and tomorrow.  In between the winter weather we have been very lucky with perfect weather on our spring trips – our weekend trip on the Scott had blue sky and temps in the 70’s!

We usually talk mostly about our summer trips in the spring newsletter. However, the late snow means that we are looking at one of the best spring seasons we have ever had.  The snow pack on our spring rivers is WAY above average so if you have not already taken advantage of one of our spring trips give us a call.  There will be plenty of water on some of the best rivers in the country. We have mid May Lower Owyhee trips that still have space, late May and early June class 5 California Salmon trips with a little space (including a new rapid), and we have two Illinois trips with a few spots left (it was written up in Outside Magazine this year!).

Summer is coming up fast and like last year there are some really good flight deals. Below there is info on our summer trips and flight deals. Remember – our trips are fully outfitted so no need to check bags and pay extra!  Our Rogue Wilderness trips are getting very full – we have listed trip dates with the space remaining at the end. There is also info on our late summer trip to British Columbia (one of the longest stretches of whitewater anywhere – we are excited!).

We will be adding a ton more trip videos this year – view them on our YouTube Channel or on our Facebook Page (become a fan and see video and pictures as they arrive). Check out our little video from a rare early season trip on the Upper Klamath: http://www.youtube.com/user/MomentumRafting#p/a/u/0/RhrWRxL3968

Definitely the best big water summer whitewater in the west!

Enjoy our new newsletter style – bigger photos – and hopefully we will get a chance to see you all this spring or summer!

Kind Regards,

Pete and the staff of
Momentum River Expeditions

“What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn’t have any doubt - it is sure to get where it is going, and it doesn’t want to go anywhere else.”
Hal Boyle

Summer Trips

mule creek canyon on the Rogue

Rogue River 3 to 4-Day Wilderness Trips One of the world’s great summer wilderness trips with rapids and craft choices that make it almost unmatched in its ability to satisfy a wide range of tastes and skill levels. We offer 3-day lodge trips where nights are spent in comfortable and rustic wilderness lodges and 4-day camp trips where nights are spent under the stars. We also offer custom 3 to 5-day trips for groups and charter trips.

This is a great trip to combine with a good flight deal and a trip to Crater Lake or the Coast and the redwoods. We can help with a ton of planning advice and recommendations!

The Rogue an extremely regulated river and many of our dates are full. At the bottom of this email is a list of trip dates and space left.

Call or email if you are interested and find out more and book trips online at our Rogue River Page.

Ahhhh… the Upper K….

Summer on the Upper Klamath When Momentum first started the Upper Klamath and the Cal Salmon were the rivers that first drew us to this area. We quickly learned that we were only scratching the surface, but they continue to be “gateway” trips for many of our other rivers. For many the Upper Klamath is a yearly pilgrimage (along with a Shakespeare play) and it is definitely the most exciting summer class-IV day trip in the West – it is just really really fun! Join us and see why this run’s fame and popularity grows every year. We have day trips on almost every day except Wednesday’s or you can check out a weekend 2-day trip.

You can also take advantage of Allegiant Air’s Friday/Monday schedule – a weekend in Ashland plus the Upper K!

There is more Upper Klamath info at the Upper Klamath Rafting Page, And check out the video form last weeks trip: http://www.youtube.com/user/MomentumRafting#p/a/u/0/RhrWRxL3968.

British Columbia’s Chilko River

The Chilko, Chilcotin and Fraser Rivers - a 7 Day Journey into the Wilderness of British Columbia!
Join us on August 29th for a 7-day journey down the Chilko, Chilcotin and Fraser Rivers - a trip unmatched in its scenic diversity and huge stretches of class IV whitewater. Big John, Farwell, and Lava Canyons; the continent’s longest stretch of commercially navigable whitewater; bighorn sheep, grizzly bear, wolves, and birds of all types; all set in the legendary wilderness of British Columbia.

I am so excited for this trip - if you have any questions please give me a call or an email!

Read more about it here.

the Lower Gorges of the Owyhee

Late Spring Lower Owyhee 6-day Inflatable Kayaking Expedition Six days immersed in one of the most remote, wild, and beautiful areas of the United States. Six days of paddling, hiking, and exploring the “Grand Canyon of Oregon” at a time and in a way that few have ever enjoyed it! One of the most unique trips offered anywhere. Join us this June!

There is more Lower Owyhee Kayaking info at the Lower Owyhee Inflatable Kayaking Page.

Spring Trips

As we said in the beginning this is going to be an amazing spring! If you are into last minute planning we still have some space on our Lower Owyhee trips – the Grand Canyon of Oregon, our California Salmon trips – combined with the Scott for one of the ultimate class V adventures in the country, and our Illinois trips - considered by some to be the best wilderness trip in the country. It is not every year we get water like this!

Flight Deals

Like last year there are a ton of deals into Medford (MFR) if you book ahead of time. Try Orbitz.com, or if you are less selective about dates and you are flying from Los Angeles, Vegas, or Mesa Arizona check out the ridiculous Allegiant Air prices (as low as $15 one way!!!). In a quick search I found tickets from New York for $350!

Other News

We have started a little blog about Ashland (our home) and the surrounding area. Guides, staff, and friends will be adding to it regularly. Check it out here: http://ashlandoregonraftingandtravel.com/ - and shoot us an email if you want to add to it!

Become a Fan of our Facebook Page – we have a new video camera and it is becoming a fixture on our rivers – lots of new video soon!

Rogue Rafting Dates

Fri 5/21/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Lodge Hike/Raft Trip - 4 days
Thu 5/27/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Lodge Trip - 3 days
Wed 6/9/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Lodge Hike/Raft Trip - 4 days
Wed 6/16/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Local Food and Wine Lodge Trip - 3 days
Wed 6/23/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Camp Trip - 4 days
Thu 6/24/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Lodge Trip - 3 days - LIMITED SPACE
Wed 6/30/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Lodge Trip - 3 days - LIMITED SPACE
Thu 7/1/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Camp Trip - 4 days - LIMITED SPACE
Wed 7/7/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Lodge Trip - 3 days
Wed 7/14/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Camp Trip - 4 days - FULL
Thu 7/15/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Lodge Trip - 3 days - LIMITED SPACE
Wed 7/21/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Camp Trip - 4 days
Thu 7/22/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Lodge Trip - 3 days - LIMITED SPACE
Wed 7/28/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Lodge Trip - 3 days
Fri 7/30/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Camp Trip - 4 days - FULL
Wed 8/4/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Camp Trip - 3 days - FULL
Thu 8/5/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Lodge Trip - 3 days - LIMITED SPACE
Wed 8/11/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Lodge Wine Tasting Trip - 3 days - LIMITED SPACE
Thu 8/19/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Custom Camp/Lodge Trip - 3 days - FULL
Tue 8/24/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Camp Wine Tasting Trip - 4 days
Wed 9/1/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Lodge Trip - 3 days
Sun 9/5/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Lodge Photography Trip - 3 days
Fri 9/10/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Fall Special Lodge Trip - 3 days
Thu 9/16/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Fall Special Lodge Trip - 3 days
Sat 9/25/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Fall Special Lodge Trip - 3 days
Fri 10/1/2010 - Rogue Wilderness Fall Special Lodge Trip - 3 days

“Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.”
Winnie the Pooh

info@MomentumRiverExpeditions.com
www.MomentumRiverExpeditions.com

541 488 2525
Enjoy world class rivers in small groups
with unparalleled personal service, organic
meals, and guides with 8+ years of
experience leading trips around the world.



April 16th, 2010 Robyn

Like any good team, we also have a version of spring training.  Though it doesn’t usually involve 80 degree temp’s in sunny Arizona, it is always helpful and proves to be a great time.  The crew here at Momentum spent last weekend braving the cold of the spring on the Scott river.  Getting out on the water to "paddle the rust out", we had our hand at running the river, learning the new and delicious Momentum meals and going over our river safety skills.  It was educational, entertaining and most of all allowed us all to come together again after a long winter to share stories and excitement for the upcoming season.

There are a couple of new faces in the mix and many familiar as well.  We are all very excited about the upcoming spring trips and can’t wait to get out there and play with everyone on the water.  Snow packs are holding strong and look to provide for a long, wet, exciting spring!  So pack your dry bag, grab a lifejacket and lets go rafting!



April 5th, 2010 pete

Wow. We are excited! The last week has been the frosting on what was shaping up to be a great year (and the forecast for the next couple of weeks is the sprinkles:)). Late snow and cold weather does amazing things to a snow pack. At a time when the snow pack is historically starting to go down it is going up!

So, here is where we are at so far:

Spring Rafting:

The California Salmon and The Scott Rivers:
Did anyone see pictures of the city of Shasta this winter? It was impressive! The California Salmon and he Scott do not drain Mt Shasta,  but the mountains that do drain into them are on the same storm track.  The snow pack for Northern California is at 140% but the Salmon and Scott are probably closer to around  165% (the Scott may be a bit lower). With the cold weather coming this could go up even higher! We should have an amazing season and go well into June! Cal Salmon trips are getting very full though so call if you are interested.

The Owyhee River:
The Owyhee is always super hard to predict. You can have a great snow pack coming into March and because the mountains that drain into the Owyhee are low elevation a warm March can melt almost everything. However, this year we went into March with about an 80% snowpack. With a reletively cold March and the wet couple of weeks  we are at about 110%! The predicted cold weather coming up is huge too. It should be perfect for our Middle Owyhee rafting trips and we should be able to run Lower Owyhee trips into late May. This is a truly off the beaten path river - it does not run like this every year so take advantage of it if you can!

The Illinois River:
The ‘Illi’ is by far the hardest to predict - even now. My best guess is that we are at about 100% snow pack. However, a little more rain and cool temps in the beginning of April are way more important to the rafting season. So, right now it looks great! We can only a few trips a year and the trip are very small. There are only a few spaces left.

Summer Rafting:

The Rogue and Klamath Rivers both have huge basins and both have upstream dams that regulate flows somewhat. What this means is that we need about a 70% snow pack to have a good year with the normal flows. Right now we are at about 83% for both. This means the Upper Klamath should have the normal daily big water flows that make it the best summer day trip in the west and the Rogue should have its usual perfect flows for multi-day rafting trips through the Rogue River canyon!  Use on the Rogue is extremely regulated to preserve its wilderness feeeling so these trips are already getting very full.

We are so excited for this year!



March 24th, 2010 pete

Yup, Some may of heard, but we have a new rapid on the California Salmon below freight train… and it look pretty fun!

In mid March the continued cold and very wet weather triggered a rock slide in the canyon that has covered the road and created the new rapid. For those of you who have been on the Salmon before it is at the incredible narrow spot where someone had spray painted ”Begin Freeway” on the cliff wall (for those who are scared of heights it is on the part where your eyes were closed:)).

We were a bit worries in the beginning - how are we going to run the river??? However the the slide should be cleared in April. It is a natural event and we have a new rapid. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Below are some pictures of the slide. You can also see the new rapid on Otter Bar’s Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3922608&id=84701887461

It is going to be a great California Salmon Rafting Season and trips are getting full!



March 9th, 2010 Robyn

Join us for a season opener like no other on the beautiful North Fork of the Smith River!

To start the spring off right, we are venturing out into the Six Rivers National Forest for a run down the wild and scenic North Fork of the Smith River.  This twelve mile stretch of river is full of exciting class III-IV rapids, dramatic Serpentine gorges and gardens of the carnivorous California pitcher plant (Darlingtonia californica).

The north fork is a seldom run river due to its small window for runnable flows.  Completely rain and snow fed, the river waters are filtered through rough serpentine soils allowing for the crystal green color of its waters.

Extremely picturesque and one of the best whitewater runs on the Pacific Coast, the North Fork of the Smith River is one not to miss!

Call or email today for details!




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Momentum River Expeditions - Rafting Oregon, Northern California, and Beyond
1257 Siskiyou Blvd #1178, Ashland, Oregon 97520
541 488 2525