Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Chaffee County commissioners help fund removal of the dam that has threatened river runners, fish habitat for nearly 60 years.
rafting
Posted inOutdoors
Water-related deaths are on the rise in Colorado. But this rescue on the Arkansas River had a happy ending.
Jeff Hammond spends day after day along the Arkansas River, in the cold and the heat and the wind, telling people to put on their life jackets, or making sure they have a permit to camp, or — sometimes — performing rescues like the one in which he pulled a mom, her daughter and their […]
Posted inOutdoors
Death on “River of Sorrows” opens Colorado’s long, dangerous whitewater season
The last time Colorado’s river basins swelled with above-average spring snowpacks in 2019, 12 people died in Colorado’s rivers and creeks.
Posted inWater
Colorado may have its best boating season in over a decade thanks to this winter’s large snowfall
But if the deep snow melts too fast, the rafting season that might have been could end in a rush of dangerous water and debris.
Posted inSunLit, SunLit Interviews
SunLit Interview: Scott Graham’s multicultural characters define National Park tales
Scott Graham is the author of the National Park Mystery Series, featuring archaeologist Chuck Bender and Chuck’s wife, paramedic Janelle Ortega. Book seven in the series, “Canyonlands Carnage,” was a finalist for the 2022 Colorado Book Award in the mystery category. Graham also is the author of five nonfiction books, including ”Extreme Kids,” winner of the […]
Posted inBook Excerpts, SunLit
SunLit Excerpt: In “Canyonlands Carnage,” river mishaps raise suspicion
Chuck gaped at the back of Clarence’s helmeted head. “What in God’s name are you saying?” “I mean, consider the odds,” Clarence yelled back at him. “You really think—?” Clarence nodded, his plastic helmet bobbing. “I do. The power—the force—of this first rapid made me realize I needed to say something.” Chuck grimaced and rowed […]
Posted inNews, Outdoors, The Outsider
Colorado rafting outfitters had record traffic, revenue in 2021. Will it be enough to keep them afloat this summer?
Colorado’s rafting industry hosted a record number of rafters in 2021, posting its largest annual increase in commercial raft trips, up 44% over the pandemic-hobbled 2020 season. The Colorado River Outfitters Association counted 619,968 commercial river trips on 20 Colorado rivers last summer, a record 189,793-visit increase from the previous summer. “These are just staggering […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Outdoors, The Outsider
Colorado’s mountain resorts cut back their summer offerings as labor crisis persists
Vail Resorts announced its summer plans at its major resorts last week and one thing was conspicuously absent. Ziplining and canopy tours, once the foundation of an industry-wide expansion of summer amenities, have been dropped from the resort operator’s offerings at Vail and Breckenridge, apparently a victim of the labor crisis strangling ski areas. Company […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Judge rejects Colorado rafting outfitters’ lawsuit protesting mandatory minimum wage for guides
A federal judge has rejected a lawsuit filed by Colorado rafting companies seeking to block a new rule that raised the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15 an hour. “We will appeal and continue to press forward,” said Duke Bradford, the owner of Arkansas Valley Adventures who joined the Colorado River Outfitters Association in […]
Posted inNews, Outdoors, The Outsider
Colorado rafting company sues federal government over minimum-pay rule for guides
Colorado’s rafting industry, typically pretty sleepy this time of year, sparked to life this week after a longtime outfitter sued President Joe Biden and the Department of Labor over a new rule spiking the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15 an hour. “This is not about minimum wage. We already pay our guides way […]