ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, April 22, 1996 TAG: 9604230160
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
The white-water outfitters on the New River Gorge in West Virginia are saying they have Grand Canyon-type water this spring.
Dave Arnold, of Class VI River Runners at Lansing, W.Va., describes it this way: ``Great big standing waves, some of them 12 and 15 feet high, that can just stand the raft vertically, the classic kind of ride you see in the Grand Canyon.''
Forget the technical-type ride of summertime, when a white-water guide pauses to read the next rapids like a golfer studying a green. The April-May rafting will be like hanging onto a runaway locomotive, said Cynthia Dragan of ACE Whitewater in Oak Hill.
It is going to be pretty impressive on the Gauley River as well, at least for springtime. This river, which drops through 100 rapids in a deep and wild canyon, is best known for its autumn roller-coaster rides. That's when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases torrents of water from Summersville Dam.
``Fall is the predictable time of year for the Gauley,'' Arnold said. There is a 99 percent guarantee you will get a tooth-jarring ride because the water will be abundant. ``Probably 70 percent of the Gauley business is done in the fall. But this spring, we are going to have a great year. I bet we will run almost every day over there through May.''
The promising outlook for West Virginia's $60 million plus rafting business has a strong tie to the heavy snowfall of winter. The same snow that helped Mountain State ski resorts set records - 275 inches fell at Snowshoe - is being recycled by nature for the benefit of rafters. Especially on the Gauley River.
The bogs of the Cranberry Glades in Pocahontas County, W.Va., for example, are like a giant sponge that collects the snow melt and release it into streams, giving them a husky flow throughout the spring, Arnold said.
``When the water level is high it is moving so fast that it is like playing basketball with someone really fast,'' he said. ``You have to be on your toes more than when playing with someone who is slow.
``Whereas in the low level, you can take your time and miss a call. You don't have to be quite as much on the money until it is real low, then the technical aspects come into play.''
Spring has other benefits. The service berries and dogwoods begin to bloom along the remote and rugged ridges that climb nearly vertically from the path of the river. The pastel shades of green on the steep canyon walls put on a different show almost daily when bathed in the spring sun. And the crowds that rob summertime rafting of any chance of being a wilderness experience aren't nearly as bad.
As for crowds, last year West Virginia's rafting industry rode a wave of growth that caught most outfitters by surprise. Following single-digit increases in customers for about 15 years, the turnout jumped by 16 percent. It was like the early '80s, when rafting was being discovered by the masses.
At Class VI, the increase was 32 percent, 31 percent more than the previous year, said Arnold.
Like other leaders in the industry, Arnold has pondered reasons for the surge.
``Don't laugh,'' he said. ``We are convinced a lot of it is just because of Hollywood, the Meryl Streep movie, `The River Wild.'''
That and the fact white water has been in newspapers and on TV nearly every day. ``I am talking about the Clinton thing - it is subliminal,'' Arnold said.
This is expected to carry over into another productive season, and the Olympics should prove to be a kicker by drawing attention to rivers through kayak competition, he said. April reservations at Class VI are running ahead of last year.
The early season is for thrill-seekers, people who don't mind pulling on wet suits and riding big waves that can take your breath with their 50-degree temperatures, Arnold said.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ACE Whitewater. West Virginia's rafting business rode aby CNBsurprising surge of popularity last season. This season, good spring
flow is the talk of the industry.