We have been here since December but we are just now organizing….
We have light!
The Big Board…
March 31st, 2009 pete
March 26th, 2009 pete
Mornin everyone!
All right, I am going to do something I have never done before. I am going to break down the snowpack, long term forecast, and spring and summer flow prediction for each river that we run… I actually do it neurotically every spring, I just have never written it all out. It has been an up and down year, it started off a little scary, but is finishing VERY strong! Here we go, it is looking pretty good!
Northern California Rivers / Rafting Seasons:
The California Salmon: The snowpack for the Northern California region is at about 93%. After lots of research (including backcountry skiing :)) my guess is that the Salmon drainage is somewhere between 95% and 105%. So basically an average year - perfect. The long term weather forecast through April 8th calls for below normal temperatures and normal precipitation so the pack may even increase a little more.
California Salmon Rafting Season prediction: Hmmm… A lot depends on the weather in May but my guess is we will have runable flows through June 15th with the peak between May 16th and Memorial Day weekend. We still have room on both of those weekends!
The Scott: Like the Salmon I think the Scott has a slightly higher snowpack then the overall Northern California area. A big portion of its drainage was in the “Shasta Storm Vortex” when Shasta got like 10 feet of snow in two days. I am guessing 95% to 115%.
Scott Rafting Season prediction: Hmmm… This one is tougher because you never know how much water will be diverted for farming… a lot depends on how much rain the fields get in April. I am going to guess runable flows through May 18th with a really good chance of making it through Memorial Day. A good solid Scott season.
The Lower Klamath: The Lower K is dam controlled so all we need is to be above about 65 - 70%. We are at 110%!
Lower Klamath Rafting Season prediction: Great water for rafting and inflatable kayaking all summer long.
Oregon Rivers / Rafting Seasons:
The Owyhee River: This one is always a bit of a crap shoot… a finicky low elevation snowpack, March temperatures that can zoom from 20 to 80… Good fun. The great news is we only got about 4 days of the dreaded “late March unseasonably hot weather season destroying melt” and the long term forecast looks cooler than normal. Right now we are at 89% and I expect that will go up in the next few weeks with the weather. The Owyhee season literally depends on the last two weeks in March and first two weeks in April. Things are looking great!
Lower Owyhee Rafting Season prediction: I feel very confident about the trips through the first few weeks in May (the May 1st trip should be awesome), and confident about our May 15th trip. After that who knows… Maybe a trip after Memorial Day weekend??? It could happen! Overall a solid Lower Owyhee season (some years we don’t have a season at all!).
Note: This does not affect our late June Lower Owyhee inflatable kayaking trips - they run on low base flows.
Middle Owyhee Rafting Season Prediction: The middle needs higher flows then the lower and we need to be able to get into the put-in (meaning the roads need to be dry). Last year we had an unbelievable window – trips from mid April through late may! This year I feel really good about late April through the first week in May. The April 27th trip looks perfect.
The Illinois River: The Illi snowpack is probably about 80% (that is a wild guess:)). But illinois trips are all about late season precipitation – we have had a ton of that. Snowpack helps with the very rare late May/Early June trips.
Illinois Rafting Season Prediction: Yikes, this one might be the hardest of all. Baring any flooding, I think we will have good flows thought the May 12 the trip. I don’t think we will make it to Memorial Day this year. The trips from April 23rd through the 12th look great! Another perfectly normal season.
The Rogue: The Rogue is dam controlled and the volcanic rocks in its huge drainage area act like a big sponge and release water slowly throughout the season. So, the Rogue only needs to be above 70% or so. It is at 105%!
Rogue Rafting season Prediction: Great water for rafting and inflatable kayaking all summer long!
The Upper Klamath: The upper Klamath is also dam controlled and it has ”daily peaking flows” for power generation so even in low snow years there is usually big water rafting all summer. This year it is at 105%. The best thing about that is, for this year at least, the farmers and struggling Salmon populations should both get water.
Upper Klamath Rafting prediction: Big water class 4+ rafting all summer long – even when other class 4+ rivers are low and rocky the upper k will be a blast.
March 25th, 2009 admin
Chad’s various interests have taken him throughout the country in pursuit of both pleasure and education. Originally from Vermont, his interest in politics led to a political science degree, which it turns out wasn’t a real job magnet. With an interest in alternative energy developing, Chad moved to Colorado to learn more. His passion for whitewater rafting began in Colorado and this passion created a gateway for new friends and allowed for adventures and guiding opportunities throughout the country on some of the nation’s best runs. All of these interests culminated in a decision that a law degree specializing in environmental and natural resources was the best career path. While Chad ponders his future law degree he continues to explore rivers with us and work a WIDE range of other jobs (most of which are way more professional then guiding).
March 24th, 2009 pete
Last year a photographer and writer from oregon travel joined us on a Lower Owyhee Rafting trip. The trip was featured on the cover of this springs Travel Oregon Magaizne. The photos are amazing! You can check out the article and even get a free copy if you like here.
March 23rd, 2009 pete
3 days September 16 , 2009 - $965
Guest Photographer: Jared Cruce
Call or Book Online Here
Join professional photographer Jared Cruce for a visual journey down the Rogue River - one of America’s truly wild and scenic rivers. This trip will provide a supportive and educational environment to practice and improve photography skills while capturing the dramatic light, fall colors, wildlife and scenery of the Rogue.
While primarily emphasizing landscape photography, Jared will provide group and one-on-one instruction on digital capture, workflow, travel and adventure topics that are relevant for beginner to advanced photographers. Each evening we will review the current days work and discuss techniques. Students will have ample opportunity to ask questions, learn and apply new concepts that are relevant to their style and photographic goals. A personal portfolio review is optional.
All are welcome on this trip regardless of your photographic passion or experience. For those with photographic intentions a digital slr camera and media is required**. Film,Medium / Large format cameras are welcome but discussions and techniques will emphasize digital capture. A complete list will be sent with confirmation.
About Jared:
Jared Cruce is an Ashland, Oregon based commercial and editorial photographer. He is one of a select group of sponsored Lowepro photographers, an alumnus of the Eddie Adams Workshop and an Explorers Club member. He has an amazingly diverse photographic palate that covers, landscape, travel, action, and portraiture. His images have been commissioned and published by companies and magazines such as New Balance, Camera Arts Magazine, Trail Runner Magazine, Oregon Travel, and Energy Trust of Oregon. He is an avid kayaker and rafter and has boated and photographed a multitude of the west’s rivers as well as photographed in over 17 countries worldwide. Jared’s Photography Work can be seen here: www.JaredCruce.com - Oregon Professional Photographer.
Call if you have any questions, it is an amazing time for rafting on the Rogue!
March 17th, 2009 pete
A combination of airlines running below capacity, lower fuel costs, and new routes into our own Medford Oregon airport have made flying an unbelievable option right now. Airlines such as Allegiant Air have fairs below $200 into Medford from many cities and almost any search on Orbitz came up with great deals – flights to Medford from the east coast under $350 – especially if you are planning ahead.
Below are some trip options and itinerary ideas. We are also working with local hotels and as we get more information and package ideas we will update this. Please call us if you have any questions or need some advice!
Spring Ideas:
The California Salmon Long Weekend – Fly into Medford on a Thursday evening, spend the night in Ashland, have a late breakfast and then either rent a car or get a shuttle with us down to one of the best and most beautiful high adventure runs in the country. Spend 3 days and 3 nights at the river, get back to the Ashland area Monday evening and fly back Tuesday (or even late Monday). There are trips every weekend from May 8th – June 5th (some trips are getting very full).
Illinois Rafting Week - Take advantage of Allegiant Air’s Monday flight schedule by flying into Medford on a Monday. Then spend Tuesday and Wednesday exploring Ashland, checking out plays at the Shakespeare festival, or rafting the Upper Klamath… I could go on, so many options. Then on Thursday morning we pick you up at your hotel and we head to the Illinois River for a 4-day trip down what is considered by some to be the best wilderness rafting trip in the country. After 4-days on the river you get back to your hotel Sunday night, have a great dinner and then fly our relaxed on Monday. Illinois trips are on Thursdays starting April 9th through May 7th. It is a very short season and we can only take 8 to 9 guests per trip.
The Owyhee Rafting Week – The Grand Canyon of Oregon. With the Owyhee you actually want to fly into Boise, Idaho. Luckily there are amazing flight deals there too! Our Lower Owyhee trip was just featured in Travel Oregon Magazine. The Owyhee River is almost unmatched in its remoteness and desert beauty. There are two trips - 4 or 5 days in length. Most trips begin on Fridays and the season is early April to late May.
Summer Ideas:
The Rogue Rafting Week – The Rogue River is one of the world’s great summer wilderness trips and is almost unmatched in its ability to satisfy a wide range of tastes and skill levels. Most of our Rogue trips start on Thursdays. You can take advantage of the Allegiant Air Monday specials and fly in on Monday - then spend Tuesday and Wednesday exploring Ashland, checking out plays at the Shakespeare festival, or rafting the Upper Klamath…etc. Then on Thursday morning we pick you up at your hotel and we head to the Rogue for a 3-day Lodge trip (The lodge system on the Rogue is extremely unique. There are very few places in the world with a system of remote riverside lodges only accessible by boat), or a four day camp trip. Then you are back in Ashland for the night and then flying out on Monday. Our Rogue trips run from mid June through mid September – some dates fill up quickly.
The Upper Klamath Rafting Weekend – An all whitewater weekend… Take advantage of Allegiants Friday/Monday schedule – fly into Medford on Friday and spend the night in Ashland. We pick you up at your hotel on Saturday morning and spend two days on arguably the best summer whitewater on the West Coast. You get back to Ashland on Sunday afternoon and either take an evening flight out or a Monday morning flight. Upper Klamath 2-day trips start in early July and end in Early September.
March 13th, 2009 pete
Native Southern Oregonian, Robyn has been running rivers since she was 8 years old. She discovered her passion for guiding at the age of 18 and has been guiding in the Pacific Northwest ever since. Her love for the river has enabled her to work in such premier river destinations as the Middle Fork of the Salmon in Idaho and the Colorado River through Grand Canyon. Robyn has a Bachelor’s Degree in Art (painting) and a minor in Geology, which she blames on her years on the river. During her spare time you can usually find her on the mountains, in the rivers or painting in her studio. Robyn is a Sagittarius, she enjoys a good IPA, her favorite food is Italian and she is will gladly challenge anyone to a friendly game of Butt Darts.
March 12th, 2009 pete
Yet another one of our native guides, Alan has been with us since the beginning. As a boy growing up in the Rogue Valley, Alan developed a love of nature due to outings with his father and grandfather Scuba diving, fishing, camping, hiking and inner tubing on the Rogue River. He eventually became interested in automobiles and drag racing and worked as an ATRA certified automatic transmission builder for 20+ years. His entire life changed when he attended his first river guide training in 1997. He trained and worked with a raft company for 9 years before coming to Momentum. He now works graveyard shift at Boise Cascade plywood plant to pay the mortgage and continues working as a river guide on the weekends. As evidence of Alan’s love of the river, his marriage to his wife Debbie took place on the Klamath River and the guest book was a wooden oar. Alan gets a ton off requests from guests, in fact some of Pete’s favorite guests have decided that they would rather go with Alan.
March 10th, 2009 pete
After a career as a supermodel was tragically cut short by genetics, Anthony resigned himself to the simple life of a river guide. His addiction to guiding began in 1991, but his real love of rivers began when family friends invited him on his first trip when he was eleven. His life as a professional guide has taken him throughout the western United States as well as Nepal and Chile. Anthony grew up in the Sierra Nevada foothills. It was there that his love of nature and knowledge of flora and fauna was encouraged by his father. He supports his whitewater habit by working as a carpenter. He, his wife Sasha , their dog Milhaus, and new puppy Phoebe currently reside in Northern California.
March 10th, 2009 pete
So, since the beginning of Momentum the one thing that has set us apart above all else are our guides and Staff. I may be biases, but I honestly believe that top to bottom we have the most experienced, friendly, and talented, group of rafting guides and staff in the country.
However, I have been down rate lazy (and maybe a little busy too) when it comes to updating and adding new guide and staff bios. So over the last few weeks I have made a concerted effort to catch up - actually it was Robyn with all the effort…. I was just concerted….
So starting today we are going to roll out a bio a day. Starting today with a long overdue update of Neil Selbicky’s bio (It was just a picture) - you can check it out here: http://blog.momentumriverexpeditions.com/2008/09/23/neil-selbicky/ .
I am also going to update a few of the bios already up and maybe add one more today… Concerted!
March 6th, 2009 pete
Last week we mentioned the inexpensive flights to Medford Oregon from Southern California. Well it looks like airfares are dropping across the board!
Most of trips begin near the Medford Oregon Airport, but their are also trips near Bose (the Owyhee), and many guests fly into Portland Or San Francisco and make a rafting trip the anchor of their vacation while checking out the beautiful Southern Oregon or Northern California coast.
March 6th, 2009 pete
Wooo hooo!
Location: Etna Pass - headwaters of the Scott and Salmon. 4+ feet of new snow and this was just the beginning!!!
In the last two weeks Northern California has been pounded by snow and in some places the snow pack has more then doubled! We won’t know exact numbers for a while, but my guess is we are slightly above 100% on the Salmon! And while we have a short break next week after that the snow is supposed to continue. It is looking to be an amazing spring!
Our rivers in Oregon are looking just as good - The Rogue, Klamath, and Owyhee are all at about 90% with more predicted to come. The long term forcast is looking particularly good for Owyhee Rafting Trips - the one fear we always have with the Owyhee even in a good snow year is a hot march, but that does not look likely.
