Snowboarding in the Utah Powder, Matt Carter

Winter River Ramblings

So it is that time of year again. Time to put away the paddle for a few months, and take out the snowboard, or skis (if your'e into that). When I was a teenager, I lived for this. I would sit on my parents couch (the same one they gave me for my apartment when I "grew up" and still use now) and watch the snow pile up on the mountains. I hit the mountain at least 60 days a year throughout high school. I thought I was going to be the next Jeremy Jones, snowboarding everyday, and never wanting to see the snow melt again.

Then something happened. The summer after I graduated high school, I took a job guiding some boats in Jackson, Wyoming. I had some friends talk me into it. I was pretty reluctant at first, but my first day on the river changed all that. I decided it was ok if the snow melting meant that we would have waves and eddies and current in the river. It was my new obsession. In just over a week, I had gone from being obsessed and addicted to snowboarding, to thinking about traveling to South America so I could get two summers in a row. Such is the power of the river.

There is only one problem. When I snowboard now, I only think about the river. If there is something flowing in February, I would rather hit that than a couple feet of our famous Utah powder (spoiled, I know). So I say to all you boaters out there, enjoy the dreams of endless whitewater, and try to enjoy the long winter. Hopefully you can make some trips to the warmer climates like Costa Rica to enjoy your paddling fix. If not, then at least do so in your dreams.

Let's get up-to-date

A couple months ago we received our first major shipment of boats to deliver to our customers. We were thrilled. The order contained boats of every size and was to be shipped out to river-rats around the country. We had worked for months to get everything arranged. Things were finally starting to look good.

We pulled out each of the boats and began our inspection process. They looked beautiful. Everything was right with the world. Arne even threw one of the boats in his truck and hand delivered it to a customer in Moab, Utah (really, he was just looking for an excuse to get down to the beautiful deserts of the Beehive State).

And then the unthinkable happened. Within a few days, we discovered a major defect in the product: the glue was bad. As soon as it got a bit of direct sunshine on there, it all came undone. No boat on that order was worthy to float. We were going to have to issue a massive refund.

And that's where we've been ever since: gathering the money to pay back our dear customers and friends. Fortunately, that task has now been accomplished (much to the demise of our personal bank accounts). We feel blessed to have had some extremely patient, understanding, and forgiving customers. Thank you to all those who were willing to stick it out with us. We know it took extreme patience and kindness on your part. You're amazing people.

As of now, we're still figuring out the kinks. We do not want to repeat this process. Our number one goal in this outfit is to provide QUALITY boats at a great price. But when that goal is compromised, we won't stand for it. So for now, until we get this figured out, we are not taking any new orders. We just can't stand the thought of sending someone down a creek on cruddy rubber.

We'll let you know when we're ready to go at it again. Thank you for your patience. Until next time, happy boating.

I aint no hipster (not that there's anything wrong with that)

Bryson here. So earlier this week I made a new purchase: a fixie road bike. Now, for those of you who might not know what a fixie is, it's a single speed bike without a freewheel- meaning it can't coast and the pedals are always in motion when the bicycle is moving. Kind of a bad idea when you live in the mountains of Utah seeing as you can't shift gears when you head up a 20% graded hill every morning like I do. Or even worse, when I come down that crazy steep hill my pedals turn way faster than my feet ever could and I have to kick my legs out like a "spread eagle" to avoid having them ripped off. But nonetheless, the bike was a great price and I needed a new ride.

So I've been proud of my new ride and have been enjoying it quite nicely. However, there is one side effect I didn't really anticipate: all my friends think I'm turning into a hipster (not that there's anything wrong with that). Hipsters are great and all, but I aint no hipster. My legs are just too long and skinny to look good in those tight pants. Not to mention I prefer my Chacos over Vans any day. But yet everyone "accuses" me of becoming hip (i am, after all, moving to New York City this fall- but that's another story).

No, my Friends, I am not a hipster (not that there's anything wrong with that). In fact, I have absolutely no style whatsoever. I just ride a fixie. And why should hipsters have a monopoly on fixies anyway? Why can't non-hipster folk like myself ride fixies too? Even if it is hugely impractical to ride a fixie in the Wasatch Mountains. Don't I have a right to be impractical?

Big Water at Boo Boo Rapid

Sunday, April 18, marked the first release of the season in the Black Canyon of The Bear River (class IV/V) near Grace, Idaho. Over 85 kayaks showed up to paddle the gorge, but only one raft. And rest-assured it was a Big Water Raft. Here's the footage of our little 9.5 footer bouncing its way through "Boo Boo" (Class V). Props go out to Jason "Deuce" Laughlin for keepin er upright. He did manage to find some abusive basalt boulders to bounce off, but that's nothin our boats can't handle.

Black Canyon Fest!

What a great party! The Black Canyon Whitewater Festival was awesome. Great food, beer, music, and prizes. And best of all, the boating was off the hook. The Big Water team represented the rafting community as the only rubber on the water that day. In fact, we may have logged a first full decent (no portaging) in an inflatible. Anyone know for sure?

Here are some pics (for even more pics, click here):

Dropping in to Grace Falls

Andy in the middle of his "huck-off" winning airscrew

Music performed by the Archer's Apple

Jackson Hole Kayak Park? Hopefully!

Hey there all kayak enthusiasts- I got an email from a friend of mine up in Jackson Hole regarding the possibility of a new whitewater park in the Jackson Hole area. I've copied and pasted the email here for all to read and we would appreciate it if everyone could take the time to make their voice heard in the matter. Apparently the park would be near the Wilson Bridge just right outside Jackson, and it sounds like it would be sweet but it isn't a for sure think yet. This would be an awesome addition to that area. Please take the time and read the email that the boys at Rendezvous River Sports sent to me. Follow the instructions and take a few minutes to write to the town council showing your support for the funding. We might make the difference. I appreciate it. By the way, if people could post this in other places where boaters can see it, that would increase our chances as well. I just got this email, but I think that the deadline for submissions is tomorrow. If i would have known sooner, i would have posted. Also, all those that read this post should make a comment to the thread showing support. Maybe we can use this forum to help show support. Dane's email: Hey there everyone, We need to get as many kayakers to write in to the Town Council and County Commissioners in support of the Wilson Bridge Rec Area for SPET Funding. We also need to voice our support of having a play wave built as part of the project, right now the play wave is not a guaranteed part of the project, but it can be. All you have to do is write an email to the address' below. In the email state your support for SPET funding of the Wilson Bridge Recreation Area and that you want a kayak wave to be part of the project. If you want any more info on the Wilson Bridge Rec Area go to Snake River Fund-Jackson Hole Wyoming I know some of you already know all this, but I was hoping you could forward this email on to anyone who might be interested in commenting. Town Council: electedofficials@ci.jackson.wy.us County Commission commissioners@tetonwyo.org Thanks Dane

River quotes and messing about in boats

These past few days I've been working on our website quite a bit (you may have noticed the drastic changes). As I went along I thought it would be cool to add some classic river quotes. Back in the day when I was like 17 and working as a canoe guide for the Boy Scouts, I collected a whole bunch of em. I built a little night stand in my woodshop class and wrote the quotes all over it. I lost the nightstand somewhere in Jackson Hole, but I remembered some of the quotes. My favorite by far is this one by Water Rat from Wind in the Willows: "Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." Does it get any more profound than this? Messing about in boats? Could it be that this truly is the meaning of life?

Another quote I am rather fond of is from the classic book "A River Runs Through It." You may be familiar with it. Last summer I was at a open-mic poetry reading in Jackson, WY, when my good buddy T-Bone Babcock got up and recited from memory the beautiful closing soliloquy of Norman McClain. These final words have always stirred my soul:

Black Canyon Fest!

We got a new poster for the festival! So I thought I'd make another post about it.

What: Whitewater Festival in Black Canyon of the Bear River
Where: Grace, Idaho
When: Sunday, April 18, 12:00
Why: To kick off the season and help kids in Nepal go to school
What do I get: run the river, compete in the huck off, food, beverage, live music, tons of give aways.

Check out the Facebook Event Page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=377720675925&ref=ts

Black Canyon Whitewater Festival!

Big Water is proud to help sponsor a whitewater festival on April 18th in the Black Canyon of the Bear River near Grace, Idaho! This is an amazing stretch of river that only runs a few times per year. Thank to the folks at AWA for keeping it open to boaters!

This is a beautiful class IV/V stretch and is a wonderful way to kick off the season. We encourage all of you (including those as far away as Montana, Oregon, and Colorado) to come and participate. There'll be food, beverage, paddling, music, a raffle, and all proceeds go to kids in Nepal so they can go to school. To learn more, check out the blog at http://blackcanyonbearwhitewaterfest.blogspot.com/

Even more video!

Thank you to some of the boys at Canyon Sports who put this video together from our party at the Jordan River two weeks ago!

Sale ends soon!

Just a reminder: Big Water's preseason sale ends March 15! After that, our prices will still be so low you won't know what to do with yourself, but act fast to get the lowest price imaginable. Check out our site to see what's on sale: www.bigwaterraft.com

Party was a blast!

Our Jordan River Party last Saturday was awesome! Thank you everyone who came out and joined us! We had a great turnout. For those of you who missed it, don't worry. We're already planning another one! Hans and Ricks had the best ride by far. They potentially set a new record for how long a raft has stayed in this super fast hole. Enjoy!

Big Water's holding a party on the Jordan River!

This Saturday (tomorrow) Big Water Raft Co. is holding a party at Howard's Hole on the Jordan River in Salt Lake City! Come demo our boats, bring your kayak, or just kick back and relax. We'll provide the pizza and the drinks! We'll start around 2 pm! If you have any question, give Arne Carter a call at 801.301.3218

See you tomorrow!

Here's a description of Howard's Hole and how to get there: http://eddyflower.com/RunDetailstabs.aspx?RunId=1959

Howard's Hole

This is us having a good time on President's Day in Utah with our 9.5 footer. The water was freezing, but it was a blast.

Go Big

We like to go Big here. So in keeping with that spirit, if you haven't yet seen the trailer for the new movie Dream Result, it is a must watch! Especially the play boating on here. These guys are getting some serious air on these waves (Bus Eater in particular) Enjoy!

Next order deadline!

Big Water has updated its next order deadline. March 5th is the date to let us know! Place your orders by this date to get your brand new Big Water boat! Why do we have order deadlines? Good question! We try to "pool" up everyone's orders together. That way we are able to build the boats for less money and ship them for less too. We basically pass those savings along to you, keeping thousands of dollars in your pocket where they belong!

Happy boating!

We're on youtube!

Check it out ya'll, we're on youtube! Most of our videos are going to be posted on our website, like this one here introducing our new 9.5 foot boat to the world. But here's some special eye candy just for our blog followers!

Surfin on the Jordan!

The Jordan River in Salt Lake City has been crankin this week. So we took our boats out and had a good ride. It felt great to be back on the water and even better to be in a Big Water boat! (even if we couldn't stay in it)

New boats on the way! We have a shipment that will arrive within the next 2 days of a few boats, some 9.5' boats, and some others. I also received a shipment of a bunch of Leafield valves today for our next order. I thought a ton of valves looked pretty cool in the box. Also, look for our website, www.bigwaterraftco.com in the next week or so. Happy boating!

Testimonials!

This is a testimonial from one of our customers, Happy Boating!

I bought one of the PVC 9.5’ “Mini Me” style rafts and look forward to some fun boating in this little raft. It’s pretty bomber built and looks like it will hold up very well. For the money, I’m really pleased with this boat. The folks at Big Water (Arne) have been really easy to work with and respond quickly to meet my needs. I’m also having them build some custom Cat Tubes from their Hypalon material…. Should be a great boat and again, they gave me a really good price. Good Boating All! Al Ferguson ~ Colorado Springs, CO

2010 Pre-season Orders!

Big Water is taking 2010 pre-season orders right now! If you want the BEST PRICE IMAGINABLE for a hypalon or PVC boat, get a hold of us today and we'll get you set up. Browse our boat selection (below) and check out our videos. You'll be impressed, we sure were.

To find out more, or to place an order, email us at bigwaterrraft@gmail.com

Above is an example of our 18' hypalon boat with leafield valves.

This is our 9.5' PVC boat. We also offer this boat in Hypalon with leafield c-7 valves.

Our Company!

BIG WATER RAFT CO. SLC, UT
bigwaterraft@gmail.com 801.301.3218

Greetings! We are a new outfitter supply company located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Having just launched a new line of heavy duty hypalon rafts, fit for commercial outfitter usage, we are contacting you to make you aware of our products and to extend a special offer to your business. All our rafts include the following features:
· 1680 denier hypalon construction, the strongest stuff around!
· Full length Urethane chaffers on all floors
· Stainless Steel D-Rings
· Leafield C-7 valves
· Comfortable carry handles
· Available in classic blue, red and yellow
· Ideal for both paddle and gear boats

We take pride in the boats we sell, and use them ourselves as we run rivers throughout the west.
As we are a small company, and receive these rafts directly from the manufacturer, we are able to offer the best prices anywhere. We are also able to do custom order rafts that meet your specific needs.

If you place an order with us on or before March 31, 2010 we will take 10% (This is our preseason pricing) off of the list price, and will ship your order for free. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have, or to place an order. Thinking of something a little less expensive? Ask about our line of 1000D PVC boats.

For more information, don’t hesitate to email or call us, and may the Lords of High Water smile upon you always.

The team at Big Water,
Arne Carter, Bryson White, Brannon Ayres
Bigwaterraft.blogspot.com