Whitewater Rafting Story Archives - Page 2 of 2 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

US Whitewater Rafting Championships Set for West Virginia

An organizer says the U.S. Rafting Association’s national whitewater championships will be held this fall on the New and Gauley rivers in West Virginia.

Event director Mike Cassidy tells news outlets the five-day championships will start Sept. 4. Winners from each category will represent the United States in the 2019 world championships in Australia.

Teams of six participants will compete in eight categories. Registration is $50 per team member.

Cassidy says he hopes the event helps expands tourism in West Virginia.

West Virginia also hosted the 2001 World Rafting Championships with more than 150 participants representing 12 countries.

Whitewater Rafting Traffic Down Last Year

West Virginia’s whitewater rafting industry saw a 2.3 percent drop in visitors last year compared with 2015.

State Division of Natural Resources figures show traffic on the New, Gauley and other West Virginia rivers totaled 131,028 customers in 2016, down 3,054 customers from the year before.

The New and Gauley rivers in southern West Virginia get the majority of the state’s whitewater business. Customers there dropped 4.5 percent to 100,312 last year. Dave Arnold of outfitter Adventures on the Gorge says the decrease was due to devastating flooding that hit the state in late June.

Mirroring downturns in the travel and leisure industries that followed the 2001 terrorist attacks, West Virginia rafting companies have struggled to approach the peak season of 1995, when there were more than 257,000 visitors.

Whitewater Rafting Traffic up in West Virginia Last Year

West Virginia’s whitewater rafting industry saw a 3 percent increase in visitors last year compared to 2014.

State Division of Natural Resources figures show traffic on the New, Gauley and other West Virginia rivers totaled 134,082 customers in 2015, up 3,900 customers from the year before.

But that’s down significantly from 2009 to 2011, when more than 150,000 rafters tackled West Virginia’s whitewater annually.

But Dave Arnold of outfitter Adventures on the Gorge says low gas prices have made traveling more affordable, and the industry is gearing up for the start of the summer rafting season.

Outfitters Test Rafting Below Hawks Nest Dam

A section of the New River between Hawks Nest Dam and Gauley Bridge is being studied for potential whitewater rafting.

The study of the 6-mile section known as the New River Dries is part of the process for the hydroelectric dam’s re-licensing by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Volunteer outfitters paddled the Dries last week in rafts and kayaks at several water release levels from the dam. They then filled out rating questionnaires.

West Virginia Professional River Outfitters director Bobby Bower tells the Charleston Gazette a release of 2,000 cubic feet per second provided what he called a “good, splashy ride.”

During the summer, water releases are typically 100 cubic feet per second. That’s the minimum flow needed to maintain stream quality and aquatic life downstream.