Articles

Todd Schindler:   Louisville Ironman Swim Safety Coordinator   As an avid boater and active member of the Viking Canoe Club in Louisville, KY, Todd Schindler's largest contribution to the whitewater community is his volunteer work with Louisville Ironman.  Every August, since 2007, Todd directs over 130 volunteers in kayaks and other watercraft to provide safety support for typically 2800 athletes during the first leg of the Ironman triathlon, a 2.4 mile swim on the Ohio River in Louisville.  This

On Arch 9, 2013 Dr. Jim McComb died after his kayak pinned vertically on a small ledge on Arizona's East Verde River. His friend Dr. Bill Langhoffer recently forwarded a detailed description of the pin along with several photos. This may be useful to any paddler running difficult whitewater. His detailed accident report can be found in the accident database. The Anatomy of a Fatal Pin by Dr. Bill Langhofer River: The East Verde River Wilderness Section through Mazatzal Wilderness.

As the US Government shutdown drags into a second week many of our members have reached out to us for assistance on river access issues. The closure of the boat launch at Lee's Ferry on the Grand Canyon has been among the highest profile impacts of the government shutdown, but there have been others that have directly touched the whitewater community. This past weekend the Forest Service pulled the special use permit for annual Nooksack Slalom Races resulting in cancellation

American Whitewater is proud to announce two Volunteers of the Month for October: Brian Aubin and Elizabeth Fet! Gauley Fest's awesome Volunteer Coordinator, Natalie Price, had the following to say about Brian and Elizabeth. Brian Aubin In addition to helping set up, Brian pulled through in the most hellacious cold rain when nobody else would, recruited friends to pitch in on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and had the most infectious positive attitude in which was a huge motivation to

  Paddlers from throughout New England converged on Jamaica State Park in southern Vermont last weekend for the annual release on the West River. The annual one day release, held the last weekend in September, is the only remaining scheduled release by the Army Corps of Engineers from the Ball Mountain Dam. Over the past two decades, the Corps has eliminated 5 of 6 scheduled releases from the dam, depriving the paddlers of opportunities to paddle this treasured river and

The impacts of the government shutdown are being felt far and wide, and river runners are no exception. Congress failed to come to an agreement on funding the government, and as a result access to rivers on federal lands is being denied across the country. From rivers in the National Park System to those managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, the public is being turned away from their rivers. People from all over the world have

Releases into Piru Creek below Santa Felicia Dam in California have been cancelled this year due to low rainfall last winter. The United Water Conservation District typically releases water each autumn from the dam to recharge groundwater supplies and provide opportunities for whitewater recreation. Unfortunately, this year Piru Reservoir did not fill because it did not receive enough runoff, and is currently 70 feet below normal levels.  The District provides access to their property only when releases exceed 200 cfs. As

American Whitewater is proud to announce another successful Gauley Fest, this one the 30th anniversary! First, a huge thanks goes out to Subaru for being Gauley Fest’s title sponsor. Paddlers certainly see Subarus at nearly every takeout and we're glad to have them at Gauley Fest, too. Subaru's support of Gauley Fest (American Whitewater's biggest fundraiser) helps us raise funds for our river stewardship work. Thanks Subaru! We’d also like to thank the many companies that support American Whitewater and Gauley

Eighteen months ago whitewater paddlers raised over $20,000 for off-road parking in Friendsville, Maryland. This small riverside town sees a large influx of paddlers running the Upper Youghiogheny every summer weekend. Work continues despite unexpected challenges that have greatly increased costs.   There’s good news and bad news in this update. The entry culvert and fences have been installed. This, along with the change house, was paid for entirely with boater money. But surfacing the parking lot has proven to

Today, American Whitewater submitted recommendations for amendments for the Northwest Power and Conservation Council's Fish and Wildlife Program. The Program has significant influence over rivers in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. The Council, which develops the Northwest Power Plan, is responsible for ensuring an affordable and reliable energy system while enhancing fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin.  American Whitewater focused our comments on strengthening the Protected Area program. Rivers and streams that are Protected make up about 20%

If you're coming out to Gauley Fest, make sure you check out the Ladies on the Lower G fundraiser put on by Anna Levesque and Girls at Play. It's a fun paddle down, you guessed it, the Lower Gauley and all the funds raised are graciously donated to American Whitewater. It should be an awesome trip and we hope you'll check it out. But, there is a catch, you have to sign up in advance! Check out the link above

The September/October issue of the AW Journal features the Mountain to Sound Greenway. This issue includes. . . ·      White Salmon River – The Work Doesn't Stop After the River Runs Free ·      Slate Creek in May ·      Feather River ORL ·      Confident Woman in a Canoe ·      and much more. . . Want to read the AW Journal online: You need a current membership and you must be registered

The American Canoe Association and the Steering Committee of the Whitewater Symposium will be co-hosting the Whitewater Symposium this year in Bend, Oregon. The event will take place September 27 through 29th at the Mt. Bachelor Village Resort and Tumalo Creek Outfitters. For more information, visit www.americancanoe.org/wwsymposium or www.wwsymposium.com. The Whitewater Symposium is a three-day annual event promoting whitewater paddlesports by bringing together a diverse cross section of industry and program advocates. The event affords a unique meeting of minds

This September 20-21, come join American Whitewater at the world's largest paddling festival (and our biggest fundraiser): Gauley Fest Presented by Subaru! American Whitewater is proud to join all our paddling friends in Summersville, WV for a weekend of great paddling, camping, music, vending and comraderie. What's more, this year is the 30th year of Gauley Fest, which means we have three decades of excellent whitewater paddling to celebrate after paddlers prevented a dam project and secured releases on this

American Whitewater is pleased to announce the August 2013 Volunteer of the Month: Katrina O'Brien! Katrina is a core volunteer helping with American Whitewater's Deerfield Fest in Massacussetts each year. Deerfield Fest is AW's largest event and fundraiser in the Northeast and it takes a ton of work to put on. Katrina helps AW with all parts of the event from several months in advance all the way through clean up afterwards. An event this size takes quite a bit of

Just a friendly reminder to all our wonderful vendors that plan to attend Gauley Fest: booth prices increase 15% September 1st! Make sure you reserve your booth space now! If you have any questions, check out our Gauley Fest vendor FAQ. See you there!