| July/August 1999 |
| Volume 1, Issue 4 |
| THE |
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RAP |
| Inside this Issue: | Rodeo Round-Up | ||||||
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Local Summer Playspots: Tarriffville and Hartland |
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Boy, I guess it’s been a busy season - we couldn’t seem to find the
time to get a June issue out - so, no, you didn’t miss one!
National River Cleanup was a great success and we’d like to thank all the people who showed up Saturday, May 22nd, to lend a hand. We had about 14 people and we picked up all sorts of interesting trash between Fife Brook Dam and the Gap. You’d be amazed what kinds of things people throw in the river. And then we had a killer BBQ at the Gap afterwards. Hope you can join us next year! |
Be sure to join us for the 6th Annual Deerfield Riverfest. Events
include an Amateur Whitewater rodeo on Saturday, a downriver race on
Sunday on the Dryway, Paddles Up race next to the festival site, a
chicken BBQ, and live music courtesy of popular Pioneer Valley band
Trailer Park. For details, see page 4.
We understand that you’d have to quit your job to watch all of the new paddling videos out there. Since we only want you to quit your job if you’re going to spend the time actually paddling, we decided to review some videos for you. Check it out! |
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| Directions to T'ville and Hartland | 2 | ||||||
| Whitewater Video Round-Up | 3 | ||||||
| Pyranha Inazone Review | 3 | ||||||
| The Long and Short Boat Sale | 3 | ||||||
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6th Annual Deerfield Riverfest - July 31st |
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The Outfitters Shop |
Playboating/Rodeo Clinics | |
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April 1 - October 15 Tuesday - Friday Saturday - Sunday (closed Mondays) |
9am - 5pm 8am - 6pm |
Learn the whitewater play secrets of top boaters and rodeo champions.
Participants in these clinics should have a better than 50% roll on
class IV whitewater, the ability to catch eddies, ferry and peel out
in powerful current, and basic hole and wave surfing ability. For
this physically demanding course you must be in good physical
condition. For advanced paddlers only. Our instructor-to-student
ratio on these clinics is at least 1:3.
Old clinic dates removed. For the Open Playboater . . . Join Kent Ford for a Solo Canoe and C-1 play clinic. This advanced play clinic will use the Dryway to work on playboating skills such as surfing, catching small eddies, and running difficult rapids with finesse. Old clinic dates removed. The Dagger Quake Dagger's hottest new whitewater open canoe has "molded-in decks, low-volume ends for easier initiation and high sides for dryness (if there is such a thing in a hole)." Come give it a try and enter a playboating realm once owned exclusively by C-1s and kayaks. |
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October 16 - October 31 Wednesday - Sunday |
10am - 4pm | |
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November 1 - February 29 Tuesday - Friday |
10am - 4pm | |
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March 1 - March 31 Wednesday - Sunday |
9am - 5pm | |
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Looking for somewhere new to work on your playboating? Look no
further! Tarriffville Gorge (T-ville) on the Farmington River and
Hartland Rapid on the Connecticut River are super options for honing
in on those elusive ends, or starting off your career as a rodeo
babe/star. Both spots have park-and-play class 2 rapids with nice
waves and good squirting eddy lines, and both have decent holes.
T-ville, just a throw-rope toss from Bradley International Airport in northwestern Connecticut, is an ideal place to learn or improve your flat-spinning, blasting, and squirting. When we've been blessed with rain and the level comes up a bit, cartwheels, splitwheels, and pirouettes are also on the menu of tasty moves. Get there in the morning or afternoon to have the place to yourself, or head down there in the evening to join the after-work crew. You'll often find paddlers in the newest and hottest playboats, and you'll always find a friendly, social scene. The hole is never very sticky or thrashy, although it can get rather scrapey as the water goes down. Just above the play hole is a solid class 2 rapid, with an easy line down river left for beginners. Take your time playing up there, especially if you can see a big crowd down at the main play spot. Beware of Klingon, the hole just above the main hole that can get sticky at lower water. If you’ve had enough of the crowds, head further downstream and you’ll find some good eddylines. Also, at higher water, several breaking waves form - go for those wavewheels! Keep in mind that roughly a quarter-mile downstream from the hole at T-ville, there is a broken out dam. People do run this dam, but there is an undercut boulder just below the dam, and assorted pieces of industrial waste on the river bottom. |
Hartland Rapid, in Hartland, Vermont on the Connecticut River, also offers ample playboating possibilities. It's a unique playspot for New England because of the volume and width of the Connecticut. The main playspot is a hole/wave about halfway down the rapid, right in the middle of the main flow. Use the 15-foot-wide feature to work on fast front and back surfing, flatspins, and any vertical move you can dream up. Be ready for the wave/hole to change with water levels. At higher water, a big, clean, glassy wave forms with a small foam pile on river right. Practice your front and back surfing, flat spins, and cartwheels and go for some air while you’re out there. At lower water, a beautiful hole is born, available for surfs, spins, ends, and everything else. The hole does not get sticky or thrashy, just FUN. Getting back up to the wave after a good ride can get tiring, but it's worth it. Below and to the right of the wave/hole is a large, pond-sized eddy. Water spills over the ledges that creates this eddy forming numerous eddy lines and strands of current, perfect for squirting, eddyline cartwheels, and any beginner techniques you need to fine tune. Hartland does not get very crowded, although there is a bit of an after-work crowd. If you head there in the afternoon, you’re likely to meet up with kids from Adventure Quest, a Vermont-based adventure school. |
Tarriffville Gorge Take Interstate 91 south into Connecticut. Take exit 40 toward Bradley International Airport (Route 20). Get off at the Granby/E. Granby exit (still Route 20). Go left at the first light onto International Drive. Follow this road for about 2 miles until you come to a housing development/condo complex called Quincewood after some tobacco fields. Take the next left onto Spoonville Road. Follow Spoonville Road for about 1.3 miles and turn left (the sign says Spoonville Road still). Follow this road to the end and park. There is a path down to the river from here.
For Tarriffville level,
Hartland Rapid Take Interstate 91 north into Vermont to the Hartland exit (exit 9). Go left at the end of the exit ramp and go through the center of Hartland on Route 5 north. Continue on 5 north until you cross back over route 91. You will then immediately cross over a railroad bridge. After crossing the railroad take the second right (about 200 yards after the railroad bridge) onto a small dirt road and follow it to the end. For the level at Hartland, call PG&E Generating Company’s river phone at 1-888-356-3663, choose the Connecticut River (NOT the Deerfield) and then choose menu option number 5 for Wilder Dam. Two out of three generators is the optimal level and the water takes two hours from when it’s released to get to Hartland. |
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Visit us at the Riverfest! (Refers to year 1999) While you’re at the Riverfest, stop by Zoar Outdoor’s booth and talk with Kent Ford about his latest video, Whitewater Self Defense. You may be familiar with some of his other videos, which include Kayaker’s Edge, Retendo & Take the Wild Ride. We’ll be previewing Whitewater Self Defense at our booth and he will be around to answer questions or just chat.
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Instructor Picks: Edward Wilkinson, Zoar's Instruction Manager, thinks Twitch is "the best hardcore video out there right now." He really likes the many massive drops and freefalls, and the good thrashy soundtrack. The scenery and rivers are spectacular. The video lacks in the area of carnage and bloopers, but Edward finds that the intense waterfalls make up for the lack of trashings. $29.95 Dianna Townsend, one of Zoar's full-time instructors, finds Over the Edge to be "the best new whitewater video on the market." It is a Falling Down production, featuring the amazing playboating and extreme creekboating of BJ Johnson, Katie Nietart, Shannon Carroll and friends. Both the atypical soundtrack (not just thrashy music) and the showcase of rivers (i.e. Maine creeks, New York’s Bottom Moose) make this video stand out above the rest. Throw in some very creative videography, and some comical moments, and the end result is a top notch whitewater video. $29.95 We Come to Play - Funny stuff! The aliens come to check out extreme sports on Earth, primarily kayaking, and several of today's top boaters show them around. $29.95 Full On - Eager to see what overseas has to offer for whitewater? Check out this one and get an extreme tour with some wacky moments sprinkled in. $29.95 |
Dashboard Burrito - Wavesport boaters get together on
rivers and surf to make this a very entertaining video. Amazing
surfing footage, and a great sense of humor throughout the 28 minutes.
$29.95 Interested in a specific company or their sponsored boaters? Check out Demo Videos; they're not for sale, but come have a look. Pyranha - Check out these fierce fish as they "Play the River" like there's no tomorrow. Code Red - Dagger's Team D in action, playing and creekin' in all that Dagger has to offer. Wavesport '99 - Are you ready for Team Wavesport? Here they are, showing their stuff, and giving feedback on the latest boats. Want to learn the hot moves? Try these vids for some good tips: Retendo - The Art of Precision Play Paddling An excellent instructional video, hosted by Kent Ford, featuring top rodeo boaters. $29.95 Solo Playboating - Another Kent Ford video to help you unlock the secrets of solo open canoe playing. $29.95 Just Add Water - Instant Rodeo Star Bob McDonough and Shane Benedict take you through the hottest moves. $29.95 |
Review: Pyranha Inazone Series The planing hull and the sharp chines allow for excellent surfing, despite the short length. Flat spins on waves and holes are smooth and controlled. The bow engages effortlessly in everything from small pourovers to big holes. Stern squirts, bow squirts, and eddyline cartwheels all come naturally. The boat is also helping me with wave wheels and rock moves. The 220 is somewhat slow because of the length. However, it pushes me to use the water more effectively to make the moves I want to make. I'm learning to work with currents much more than I ever did in boats where I had the speed and volume to push through features. The lack of speed may be a hindrance on a high-volume river like the Kennebec and I wouldn’t recommend running creeks in it, but most rivers will only be enhanced by this boat. Inazones come in three sizes: 220, 230, and 240, so there is one for every size person out there. I'm 5'9" and 155lbs, and probably could have taken the 230 over the 220, but the 220 fits comfortably and is far less strain on my back and shoulders to throw around than the 230. - Dianna T. |
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Sale prices apply only to boats in stock. Sale ends August 15, 1999. |
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Tossin’ Ends in the Tooth 3rd Annual Amateur Whitewater Rodeo Saturday, July 31st 1pm - 3:30pm Dragon’s Tooth Rapid, Dryway section Competitor Registration 10:00 AM at Dunbar Brook Picnic Area (aka the Dryway take-out) The Deerfield Riverfest Rodeo will be held in Dragon’s Tooth Rapid on the Dryway, and will follow the "freestyle through a rapid" format. Competitors will have two minutes to make as many moves as possible through the rapid, with optional second runs. There will be a maximum of 30 competitors, with categories for men, women, and open boaters. We’re looking for volunteers to help as safety boaters, judges, and support staff. To register as a competitor or to volunteer, contact Evie at Zoar Outdoor. |
Party Like a Rock Star!! Deerfield Riverfest Saturday, July 31st 12:00 pm to 11:00 pm Field across Route 2 and just west of Zoar Outdoor
Are you: If you answered yes to any of these, then come on down to the Riverfest! An all-day event for all ages, pets, androids, etc, the Riverfest is sure to be a great party. You will find paddling retailers of all shapes and sizes, local craftspeople, a great barbeque dinner, lots of Rodeo Babes, and the wicked fun sounds of Trailer Park. What more could you want?! |
Ready, Set, Go! 2nd Annual Dryway Downriver Race Sunday, August 1st 10:30am Deerfield River, Dryway section Competitor Registration 9:30 am at Dunbar Brook Picnic Area (aka the Dryway take-out) Paddle down the Dryway as fast as you possibly can with 30 of your closest friends, all starting at the same time, and you’ll be taking part in the Dryway Downriver Race. There will be safety boaters along the course, and prizes will be awarded at the Dryway takeout that afternoon. As with the Rodeo, we’re looking for volunteers, so give us a call if you can help. |
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The Zoar Rap is edited by Evie Locke and Dianna Townsend. Contact us at Zoar Outdoor with suggestions, feedback, ideas, etc. Copyright 1999 Zoar Outdoor Adventure Resort Inc. |
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