Jackson Hole, Wyoming received 60″ of new snow last week. This seasons current snowfall is now up to 188″. This new storm gave us the snow that we needed. While the new snow is great, it created some instability in the snow pack. Teton Pass was recently closed due to an avalanche that slid across the road. Below is a picture after they had cleared one lane of travel on Teton Pass. Be safe if you have the chance to go out and enjoy the new snow!

The snow is important not only during the winter but also during the summer. The whitewater rafting is better and the chance of fires is significantly reduced on years with more snowfall. With more snow in the forecast, we hope to have another amazing summer of whitewater rafting in 2012!

Fall in Jackson Hole…

As fall slowly draws to an end, so does our rafting season. We had a great 47th season on the Snake River that just ended on Friday.

This was a very unique season for the river. We started the year with a mud slide that blocked the road for about 2 weeks. This made it so that we had to start the season a few weeks later than normal.

With a larger than average snow pack and a late spring, the season started with a fast flowing river. The weather slowly warmed up melting off the snow which kept the river flowing high for an extended amount of time. A spring run off that normally lasts about a week ended up lasting for over a month this year.

Even with the abnormal weather that we received, we still had a great season from start to finish. We had a great staff this year that helped to bring everything together. Thanks to everyone who made this season so great and we can’t wait to see everyone next season!

Jackson Hole Vacation Package: Rafting the Snake River

We are currently working with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort to provide a unique opportunity for people interested in visiting Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Today is the last day there is a deal on TripAlertz.com that will allow you to bring out your adventurous side. This package is for 3 nights for 2 people in a 1 bedroom unit with Jackson Hole Resort Lodging. Today, we will give you a little more information on the rafting trip that is a part of this package.

The last highlight of this package is the Snake River rafting trip that comes as a part of the deal. You have the option of choosing between a whitewater rafting trip and a scenic float trip. The 8-mile whitewater trip is a must for all visitors to the valley. The professional guides at Sands will take you through an 8 mile whitewater rafting tour in the Grand Canyon of the Snake River! Combining spectacular scenery with the excitement of Class III rapids, this trip has all the ingredients for the perfect whitewater adventure. On the 13-mile scenic float trip sit back and relax, enjoy the beauty of the river as your guide works the oars on this scenic float trip. Be sure to bring a camera or video equipment for the chance of seeing wildlife on this stretch of river is great. Bird life abounds with eagles, hawks, storks, herons, and migratory birds flying alongside the raft. If your eyes are sharp, you may see a moose eating willows or river otters playfully swimming along the banks. Whether you decide on the whitewater rafting trip or the scenic float trip, it is sure to make memories that will last a lifetime!

Jackson Hole Vacation Package: Biking Opportunities

We are currently working with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort to provide a unique opportunity for people interested in visiting Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Today is the last day there is a deal on TripAlertz.com that will allow you to bring out your adventurous side. This package is for 3 nights for 2 people in a 1 bedroom unit with Jackson Hole Resort Lodging. Today, we will give you a little more information on the 2 1/2 day bike rental that are a part of this package.

Another part of this package is a 2 1/2 day bike rental. New this summer is the Jackson Hole Bike Park located at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. There are novice trails as well as advanced trails and jump trails. If you are a little timid on a bike, they also offer lessons for anyone interested. You will ride the Teewinot lift to gain access to the bike park. If you aren’t very comfortable mountain bike riding, there is also a bike path that will take you directly from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort all the way into Wilson for a more leisurely ride. Don’t miss out on your chance to book this amazing trip and receive $281 off the original price.

Jackson Hole Vacation Package: Aerial Tram Experience

We are currently working with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort to provide a unique opportunity for people interested in visiting Jackson Hole, Wyoming. For the next 9 days, there is a deal on TripAlertz.com that will allow you to bring out your adventurous side. This package is for 3 nights for 2 people in a 1 bedroom unit with Jackson Hole Resort Lodging. Today, we will give you a little more information on the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram tickets that are a part of this package.

You will receive 2 tickets to ride the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram as a part of this deal. The Aerial Tram takes you over 4,000 feet to the top of Rendezvous Peak. The tram is very popular during the winter due to the access it provides. You not only have access to all of the inbound runs from the top of the tram but also to numerous out of bounds runs if you are willing to do a little hiking. During the summer, many of these runs turn into amazing hiking trails. One of the more popular hikes that can be accessed from the top of Rendezvous Mountain is Marion Lake. This hike is about 14.3 miles long and many people choose to make it an overnight adventure by camping at the lake. If this hike seems a little to long for you, The Rock Springs loop is only about 4.3 miles round trip. Although this hike is short, it can sometimes be challenging due to all of the ascents and descents along the way. A quick, short hike from the Tram is the Top of the World hike. This hike is only 0.3 miles along the ridge line. Whether you decide to take a hike or just ride the tram to the top, be sure to stop in Corbet’s Cabin for a waffle and bring a camera to capture the stunning views you are sure to see.

Visit http://www.tripalertz.com/deals/detail/154 to book this once in a life time trip!

Charlie Makes Local News!

Last night on Local News 8 KIFI-TV, Sands Whitewater rafting was on the news. The main subject was on the water levels being so high and what whitewater rafting companies are doing for safety.

Here is an excerpt from the article that accompanies the online video:

“Mother Nature is making for a more dangerous whitewater rafting season. In fact, high water levels, and therefore bigger rapids, already claimed the life of one thrill-seeker this summer. The adrenaline pumping activity brings thousands to Jackson, Wyo. each and every season. It’s what turned a first-job-out-of-college into a life-long career for Charlie Sands.

“I went to the bank, (with) about 600 bucks, bought a raft and I was in business a couple days later,” said Sands.

Jackson grew, tourism exploded, and the rest is history for Sands Whitewater and Scenic River Trips.

According to the Bridger-Teton National Forest Service, the water level is five times what it’s been in recent years on this date, making for wilder, colder, and faster rapids…

“They need to know that this is not a Disneyland ride,” suggested Sands.” To read more and to view the video follow this link: http://www.localnews8.com/news/28578548/detail.html Keep an eye out because the water levels are slowly going down so we maybe able to run our 8-man rafts very soon!

Recently on the Snake River

The Snake River water levels have been fluctuating recently. With the warm temperatures melting the snow at higher altitudes, the water levels have been staying consistently above 20,000 cfs for the past week or so. To give you an idea of how much the water level has been fluctuating, follow this link http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=13022500 and look at the graph part way down the page.

The water level on the Snake River has been fluctuating so greatly and been flowing high enough that we are currently unable to run our 8-man rafts. We have also had to change our age limit to 10 or 12 depending on the exact water level for that day. We have had to implement these rules for safety reasons.  Hopefully we will be able to change back to our normal schedule and age limit very soon. Keep an eye out on our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/sandswhitewater, Twitter, http://twitter.com/sandswhitewater, and Blog for more information on when we will be able to start running 8-man rafts and lower our age limit. Hope to see you on the river!

Today in Jackson Hole

Luke getting his group ready for a Wyoming whitewater adventure!

The weather is looking great today in Jackson Hole, Wyoming! Yesterday, the first official day of summer seems to have been the start warmer weather and the snow beginning to melt.

The high temperatures through the weekend are all in the 70′s. With the great weather yesterday some of our office staff were able to go down the river. You can check out the pictures here: http://snakeriver.elevationimaging.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=901447. With the warmer weather, its looking like this year could turn into a great rafting season!
With the warmer weather, comes spring run off. This year spring run off has been later than normal with the colder spring. With the snowpack well above average for this time of year, the water level on the Snake River is expected to continue to rise. The water level has been fluctuating a fair amount from day to day. At 8:30 this morning, the water level was at 17,100. With the water level jumping around so much this year nobody is quiet sure what the high for the season is going to be. But while we wait to see what the high water level is going to be, now is a great time to get out on the river and experience Lunch Counter and Ropes as they continue to get bigger!

Hoback Cup Champions!

Sands guides win the Hoback Cup during the Wyoming Whitewater Championships!

Congrats to the great group of guides we have this year!

Photograph: Stephen Williams from http://www.themountainpulse.com/2011/06/photo-of-the-day-061011/

For the second year in a row, our guides from Sands Whitewater and Scenic River Trips have won the Hoback Cup. The Hoback River Raft Race or Hoback Cup is the event that kicks of the Wyoming Whitewater Championships every year. This year our team floated to a victory barely beating the Dave Hansen team. “The WWC is a full weekend of fun and competition! It starts out Friday evening with a kayak, raft and SUP race on the Hoback River. It is a mass start, with the first one in each division under the take-out bridge declared the winner. Then on Saturday, get ready to throw down on the Snake River for the freestyle rodeo. The feature will depend on water levels” (http://jhkayakclub.org/?page_id=253). This is a great and entertaining event so if you happen to be around Jackson today you might want to consider heading down the canyon to watch the freestyle rodeo!

The News from Sands!

There are a fair number of new happenings going on this season at Sands Whitewater and Scenic River Trips. Over the off season we have stayed busy getting things ready and ordering some new gear.

We recently received our new boats and are ready to start running them down the river. We have also changed out our campsite so this year instead of having tents we will be having teepees. We will be posting a few pictures of camp with the new look in June.

Charlie has also been very busy during the off season. He has been featured and written a few articles over the past few months. For direct links to all the articles, go to our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/sandswhitewater.

We currently have a T-Shirt giveaway and to enter all you have to do is comment on our status! The drawing for the T-Shirt will take place on May 31, 2011. Along with our T-Shirt giveaways that will be occurring throughout the summer, we will also be offering special discounts for anyone who checks into Sands via Facebook. We are also hoping to have a photo competition towards the end of the summer so if you float with us make sure to tag us on Facebook or Flickr to have your photo entered.

We are staying very busy here at Sands as the rafting season gets under way. Keep checking back for our updates about whats going on and our newest giveaways!