The Pourover Pub Update

The expansion of the Slow Joe's Cafe deck is almost complete. The building is entirely framed in, and it should easily make the Memorial Day opening weekend. The new seating area belongs to both Slow Joe's Cafe, NOC's daytime snack bar, and The Pourover Pub our newest evening and nightspot, offering up to 150 guests seats beside the Nantahala River. A grand opening celebration is in the works, tentatively scheduled for June 20 (giving us folks in marketing time to get the event together). There will be live music, beer tasting and giveaways, so mark your calendars now!

French Broad River Clean-Up

Thanks to everyone who participated in NOC's first-ever Watershed Week! Our staff cleaned up highways, rivers and trails, trying to make sure the beautiful places where we recreate stay beautiful.

Honestly, I'm a little anxious about posting this video of the French Broad clean-up because I don't want people to think the "FB" was gross beforehand. I figure you can watch the French Broad rafting video from Tuesday (posted on the rafting blog on Thursday April 30th) and see for yourself how beautiful the river was before the cleanup.

Most of this trash was back in the woods and concentrated in one or two spots that were obviously dumping grounds. Hopefully our cleanup will help discourage this practice along with the efforts of organizations like RiverLink (the French Broad's local Watershed Alliance member organization). Thanks to RiverLink and American Whitewater for helping to keep one of Western North Carolina's most popular whitewater rivers clean.

Watershed Week In Action

NOC's first-ever Watershed Week is off to a productive start, with a highway clean-up on 19/74/28 complete and another along stretches of 19/74 through the Nantahala River Gorge in progress. Here are some of our dedicated Nantahala River guides, working the clean-up.



Tomorrow, river guides at NOC's Nolichucky Outpost will complete an on-river clean-up, and Friday afternoon, NOC, American Whitewater and RiverLink will tackle a clean-up on the French Broad River.

UPDATE: 40 bags of trash were picked up by NOC staff at the Nantahala this week!

Demo Days Weekend at NOC!

As if this gorgeous spring weather wasn't enough to get you outside this weekend, NOC will celebrate our annual spring festival Demo Days! All demo boats at our Outfitter's Store will be available for free test-paddling so you can try before you buy.

If you decide to buy a new boat, you'll get a $200 NOC Gift Card to use on extra gear, or any other NOC program. (The gift card can't be used toward the purchase of the boat.) There's also a sidewalk sale with deep discounts on last year's gear.

Our Paddling School is getting into the act as well, with free instructional clinics and pool rolling all weekend.

Here's a schedule of the weekend's events:


We hope to see you this weekend at NOC!

Three Lines Through Nantahala Falls

Hey paddlers! As we brush the dust off our boats and our paddling skills, its common to experience a little bit of anxiety on the water. Class III Nantahala Falls is a rapid that gives both beginning and intermediate boaters anxiety. Because of its lengthy entrance rapid and offset holes, it's tough for some paddlers to find a clean line. With the right plan of attack and a few deep breaths, you too can conquer the falls!

In this video, Olympic paddler and NOC instructor Wayne Dickert leads you through three different lines at Nantahala Falls. Remember to always visualize yourself making the line cleanly and paddle aggressively, and your chances of success will improve.



Be sure to scout any rapids you run. River conditions can change quickly and new hazards can appear overnight. Paddle smart! We'll see you on the river.

Wilderness First Aid Mock Rescue

Yesterday, students in SOLO Southeast's Advanced Wilderness First Aid (AWFA) certification course took place in a mock rescue by the Nantahala River. Students have been learning rescue techniques over the past four days, culminating in this test, a simulation of a rescue situation.



You can get certified in various SOLO wilderness medicine courses at SOLO Southeast. Courses occur throughout the year at NOC.

Knobscorcher Bike Race

The weather couldn't have been finer for this weekend's Knobscorcher Mountain Bike Race at Tsali Recreation Area. Check out these video highlights, from the smallest competitors to the fastest!



Thanks to goneriding.com for a putting on a great event! The next big race, 12 Hours of Tsali is May 23. Now's the time to get you and your team members trained and ready to ride. We hope to see you out there!