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Announcing The 2012 Summer Water Sports Report

In Partnership with Rendezvous River Sports

 

 

Announcing The 2012 Summer Water Sports Report

In Partnership with Rendezvous River Sports

We’re excited to announce a partnership with Rendezvous River Sports to produce a weekly water sports report for the Greater Teton Region. Each week, our team will be providing a summary of recent water data, adventure highlights , scenic paddling ideas and shop talk with the crew at Rendezvous River and Jackson Hole Kayak Club.

Rendezvous_River_Sports_store_front water sports report

 

Weather Summary

A strong storm system over Memorial Day weekend dropped significant rainfall and strengthened the whitewater conditions in the region. Temperatures in the 60’s & 70’s are melting snow in the high country, and also making for comfortable float temperatures. Water levels have dramatically risen in the past week and are approaching their peak.

Outlook:

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Featured USGS Water Data Site: Snake River near Alpine WY

 

Adventure Report

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An overview of Lunchcounter Rapid in the Snake River Canyon near Alpine WY running at 19,000 cfs. Photographer: Kevin Wittig

lunch_counter_closeup june runoff whitewater rafting kayaking jackson hole wyoming

Lunchcounter Rapid on the Snake River captured June 6 at 19,000 cfs

Whitewater Summary

Everything is going off right now. The Snake is at it’s highest levels of the year and will peak this week. The Greys River, Gros Ventre River and Bitch Creek in Teton Valley are also at fun levels. Thanks to the big storm over Memorial Day weekend, Jackson Hole is actually turning out to have a pretty good water year.

Any year the waterflow on the Snake River gets into the high teens (currently at 19,000 cfs), it’s a good sign. At these flows, inexperienced boaters should take-out above Hoback on the Snake River. Also, boaters need to be aware of hazards and debris in the water. Don’t get hit by a tree.

    Recommended Whitewater

  • Snake River Canyon – Peaking at 19,000 cfs
  • Greys River – Peaking at 2,050 cfs
  • Gros Ventre River – Peaking at 1,900 cfs

Kings Wave

Kings Wave is located near the Boy Scouts facility in Hoback Junction. The medium sized wave is a favorite of the Jackson Hole Kayak Club and is in primetime condition right now. The left edge of the wave peels nicely and there is a big eddy that gets paddlers back upstream after washouts. Kings Wave is an excellent freestyle kayaking destination this weekend

There is a small parking area with access to the wave that was recently renovated with help from the Snake River Fund and Bridger Teton National Forest.

  • Location: Hoback WY, 1 mile past the bridge going towards Alpine WY
  • Optimum Levels: 15,000 – 20,000 cfs

 

Scenic Floats and Tours

jackson lake grand teton national park jackson hole canoe kayak touring

Lakes in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park are in excellent paddling condition. Image: Rendezvous River Sports

Grand Teton National Park

An early thaw this season has area lakes warming up and in perfect paddling condition. All the classics are really nice right now. Jackson Lake is currently full and excellent to paddle. Grab a canoe or two person kayak and head to Spalding Bay for scenic access to Jackson Lake. Very few power boats go down to this put in, making it a great choice for recreational paddling. Also, don’t forget about early season backcountry camping trips on Jackson Lake. Many of the sites are open this time of year, but won’t be for long.

    Recommended Paddle Trip

  • Spalding Bay on Jackson Lake
  • String Lake

Yellowstone National Park

Rendezvous River Sports recently led their earliest backcountry paddling tour ever in Yellowstone. Lewis Lake and Shoshone Lake are thawed and in great paddling condition. Campsites in the park get reserved quickly, so if interested in an overnight paddling trip, get on it sooner rather than later. The shop recommends two person sea kayaks when touring the lakes to cover as much water as possible. Stop by Rendezvous River Sports for help with equipment and planning your paddling trip to Yellowstone.

    Recommended Paddle Trip

  • Lewis Lake

 

Shop Talk at Rendezvous River Sports

The Inaugural North Fork Championships

There is a small posse from Jackson driving to Boise this weekend for biggest intermountain paddle sports event in years. The Redbull sponsored championship on the North Fork of the Payette River is a “no holds barred” downriver paddling race in Class V rapids. The inaugural event is attracting an international field of the world’s best paddlers.

In speaking with Aaron Pruzan at Rendezvous River Sports about the race, he commented “Every time I think about it, I get scared. I want to qualify, but that opens up an entirely new set of concerns. The course that the finals take place on is really nasty. There are designated safety people scattered throughout the river, so we’ll never have a better time to run it. I think the winner will be the smoothest paddler, not necessarily the fastest. “

Stay tuned for a summary of the race next week.

 
 

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