How many people usually go in a boat?

We generally put 5 to 7 people in a boat, but this doesn’t mean that you need to have a group of 5 to 7 to go rafting. For example, if you’re reserving two people, you may be paired with a party of 4 or 5. If you have a group of 10 people, we would just divide you into two boats that travel together on the water.

While we have an excellent record, the sports of whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, zip lining, rock climbing, skiing, snow shoeing and biking have inherent risks. It should be recognized that accidents can and do occur. For this reason, we cannot assume responsibility for injury or loss of property. Participants in all activities will be required to sign a waiver stating they are aware of the risks involved and are not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Those with health problems limiting their normal activities may be prohibited from participation at Zoar Outdoor’s discretion. Pregnant women will be prohibited from participating in Zoar Outdoor Activities.

Do you have group rates?

Yes! We have special pricing for youth groups, corporate groups, bachelor/bachelorette parties and family groups of 12 or more. Check out our group booking page for more details.

Is there any food served?

Since our Concord River trips are half-day long, we do not serve any food.

Can we rent wetsuits?

Wetsuit packages are included in this trip at no extra cost!

Are wetsuits required?

Wetsuits are not required, but included in the cost should you want them! Wetsuits are ideal for those wishing to layer up for colder weather or those who tend to get chilly easily. The extra wetsuit layer helps to keep you warm, so it depends on personal preference!

Will there be photos of my trip?

Yes! Our photographer will be stationed at the class III rapid taking high quality pictures of each raft. Back at base you’ll be able to view your photos in the rafting pavilion. If you’d like, you can purchase the photos of your raft.

What happens if the forecast calls for rain or storms?

We run our trips rain or shine, so you should come prepared for the weather. If we do have to cancel the trip, that decision would be made on the morning of the trip. However, it’s rare that weather forces us to cancel our rafting trips.

Where do we park? What do we do with our car keys?

There is PARKING available at the Lower Locks Garage next to the hotel. Keep your car keys with you during registration, as we will collect those and put them in a lock box just before gearing up, then return them to you when you get off the boats.

Should I tip my guide?

This is completely at your discretion. If you feel the service you receive from your guide is exceptional, and you want to say “thank you” with a tip, although it is not expected, it is always appreciated.

Can I request a guide?

If you have had a guide you especially liked and would like to have them guide your next trip, we will do our best to match their schedule to yours. Simply request your guide when you make your reservation. Please be aware that we are not always able to match request, but we will do our best!

Alcohol and Drug policy

The use of recreational drugs or alcohol is prohibited on all programs. If you arrive here under the influence, you will be prohibited from participating in the day’s activity and you will not receive a refund.

Wild Water Sprint World Championships

By Elaine Campbell

I’m back in VT after an amazing to trip to Slovenia to compete at the Wild Water Worlds. Slovenia is a beautiful country with innumerable small villages spread throughout the Julian Alps, and lots of whitewater. It was not someplace I ever thought I would visit but thanks to kayaking, there I was!

The Wild Water World Championships was a very different experience than the Freestyle World Championships that I competed in in 2009. For starters, compared to my fairly solid knowledge of freestyle, I realized pretty quickly that I knew next to nothing about Wild Water. The US Wild Water Team was quite small with only 5 of us competing, no coach, no massage therapist, and no chiropractor. The Europeans, on the other hand, had fairly large teams with multiple coaches armed with two-way radios, clip boards, stop watches, calculators and who knows what else, along with massage therapists, chiropractors, physical therapists, dentists, ob-gyns, optometrists, and more. I had Jeff, who would repeatedly tell me to 1. paddle faster and 2. try to paddle in a straight line. Good advice, undoubtedly, but not ideas that had not occurred to me directly.

It was clear when I got there that I was way behind the other women of this particular discipline. The Euros in particular take it to a whole other level, and the Japanese women were quite accomplished as well. They clearly have lots of experience, proper coaching and training. I was quite jealous! I was training on my own and thought that I was fast and that I knew how to paddle a Wild Water boat. Clearly, I was not/did not, and now realize that I have a lot to learn about Wild Water. I’m super excited about the nearly infinite ways I can improve, I just need to find a slightly better coach to show me the way.

I was quite fortunate to be able to borrow a Wild Water boat from the locals, although that meant that I had no idea what boat I was going to use until I got there. Luckily, it was an easy boat to paddle and fit me pretty well. A huge “thank you” to Ingrid and Jens from Germany for helping me get a boat and Andre from Slovenia for letting me borrow the boat from the Solkan Canoe Club.

The course in Solkan was easy class II water with 3-4 foot diagonal wave trains. Nothing you couldn’t float through in a plastic boat with your eyes closed, as Hugh pointed out in his post. But in a 14 foot Wild Water boat, going as fast as you can, trying to figure out exactly where to place your paddle(there was talk of the backside of the wave being the sweet spot), being completely lactic, and operating under severe jet-lag and sleep deprivation, it was a crazy challenge. Once in a while I felt like I had clean smooth lines but then my next run I’d be zig-zagging all around. I never really paddled a Wild Water boat in a continuous wave train like this before so I had a lot to learn right from the start. Unfortunately, knowing you have a lot to learn and actually learning it are quite separate. Controlling a Wild Water boat with a “wing” paddle(these are supposed to be faster by the pure fact that they can only be used to paddle forward) is next to impossible to begin with, and when you add in continuous diagonal wave trains you are in for a fight. I pretty much fought the boat the majority of the time., rarely coming out on top. As soon as I saw how the other women were able to paddle with much greater control and efficiency, I lowered my expectations accordingly and began to relax. I’m happy that I made the US Team and that I was able to go and represent the US at this event. The fact is, I did my best and came in 30th, with my fastest time 79 seconds and my slowest closer to 80 seconds. The Women’s K1 winner(Great Britain’s Hannah Brown) had times closer to 67 seconds! Incredible! Here’s a link from the US Wild Water page http://www.usawildwater.com/news/2013/130619-World-Sprint-Results.html.

Immediately after the race, I got some great tips from Lee, the Australian Coach. He told me that my paddle was much too long, the offset was off by about 60 degrees, that I was paddling “fast” but more like I was creek-boating, that my strokes were too short, and that my corrective strokes were inefficient. So I have a few things to work on right away, thanks Lee! One more thing to mention about Wild Water racing: you really stand out when you are wearing creek shoes, a skirt for a plastic boat, board shorts and (the best one) a helmet with no holes in it. You stand out even more when you’re wearing all that gear and paddling 13 seconds sower than the leader!

Thanks to the US Team members Hugh Pritchard, Emmanuel Beauchard, Chris Norbury, Marin Millar and to the Canadain Team Pierre-Luc Lemieux and Katia Bourg for the encouragement and all the laughs! We all did an awesome job! A big thanks to Jeff for always being there for me!