NOC Paddling School: Spring Special

Dust off your gear or put away your dry suits, springtime is here and NOC Paddling School is ready to get you back on the water.  To add to the warm weather, new fleet of boats and top instructors at NOC Paddling School, we are offering you a "Spring Special" to motivate you to get back out, or in, to the paddling world:

• Reserve select 2013 multiday paddling clinic or full day private instruction clinics for two or more people by the end of April and save 15% off your reservation! Same courses, great instructors, top of the line gear, just at a special Spring price. Click here for details. 

NOC Paddling Instructor teaches student the basics on Fontana Lake

 So why should you learn from NOC Paddling School?

1. Top instructors in the nation -  NOC Instructors are trained to recognize different learning habits in paddling students to help them excel in paddlesports, and we have a core group of instructors who thrive on seeing someone "hit their first roll" or paddle their first class III rapid. Since our instructors are teaching professionals as well as great kayakers, you will be learning from someone who was once in your shoes and understands the ups and downs of learning and excelling in the paddling world.
2. Gear and paddling resources - NOC Paddling School stocks our guests with the best and newest gear on the market, and we just got in our 2013 fleet of boats.  Our huge inventory of demo boats gives you the opportunity to really figure out what fits and best suites your paddling goals.
3. Location, Location, Location - NOC's Nantahala Campus is an epicenter of paddling in the southeast.  With everything from beginner rivers to advanced creeks within miles of campus, you'll have access to premier whitewater that suits your ability levels.  From sweet play spots to classic southeastern rivers, you can run it all with NOC's Paddling School.

Paddling School's 2013 Dagger Mamba Fleet is ready to hit the water

 For more information about NOC Paddling School click here.

View the 2013 NOC Paddling School Course Book here.

Thru-Hiking Veterans Stop at NOC

It's peak season for north-bound Appalachian Trail thru-hikers here at the Nantahala River. And while everyone who attempts the 2,185-mile trek amazes us, this week we hosted 14 exceptional hikers: the second-year class of the Warrior Hike.

Started last year by two Afghanistan War veterans, Sean Gobin and Mark Silvers, the Warrior Hike follows in the footsteps (literally) of the first AT thru-hiker Earl Shaffer who embarked on the AT in an attempt to "walk off the war." The Warrior Hike sponsors 14 veterans every year, offering them a chance to experience the "physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits of hiking the Appalachian Trail."

We caught up with one of these Warrior Hikers, Adam Bautz (an infantry machine gunner with two Iraq deployments) for an update on how everything's going so far. Here are some of his key observations:

Adam Bautz, a four-year veteran and outdoor guide from Las Vegas, NV is one of this year's 14 Warrior Hikers.

1. Last year the first class of the Warrior Hikers enjoyed 70 and 80 degree temperatures throughout the months of March and April. This year they've encountered two-foot snow drifts, temperatures in the teens and cold rain.
2. The Warrior Hikers may be the most spoiled hikers on the trail: VFW posts and American Legions along the trail are holding receptions for them. In Franklin, NC the local American Legion raised over $2,300 at a cookout event. This money goes to support current and future Warrior Hikers.
3. The group believes in "Hiking Your Own Hike," so the team spreads out on long trail stretches and then regathers on zero days (when some hikers don't hike at all) in towns or at hostels.
4. Warrior Hiker ages range from 26 to 52 years old and the group includes veterans with anywhere between 32 and four years of service.
5. There's potential that the Warrior Hike may expand to do a Pacific Crest Trail section in the future as well. When he's finished with the AT Adam would love to donate his time to helping the Warrior Hikers on both coasts.

Note that 100% of all donations go to veterans thru hiking either the AT or PCT. You can make a donation to support the Warrior Hike here.

NOC sponsored this year's hike by providing dry sacks and free basecamp lodging here at the Nantahala.

Michal Smolen signed to NOC Elite Paddling Team

Nantahala Outdoor Center is proud to announce the launch of the new NOC Elite Paddling Team with the signing of the Team’s first member, USA whitewater slalom paddler Michal Smolen. NOC has a long history of leadership and innovation in the outdoor industry. Over the years, NOC has boasted over 22 Olympian staff members, and of those, two gold medalists. The Elite Paddling Team is NOC’s strongest effort yet to encourage athletic development, providing direct training support to athletes. The team will eventually grow to include athletes in multiple paddlesports disciplines as well as other outdoor sports.

John Burton, 1972 Whitewater Olympian and longtime NOC staff member, welcomes Michal Smolen to the NOC Elite Paddling Team

Smolen began his paddling career on the Nantahala as a youth member of the Nantahala Racing Club, a USA Canoe/Kayak Center of Excellence. Now, at age 19, he has been on the USA Canoe/Kayak National Slalom Team for two years, winning Team Trials in 2011 and finishing 2nd in 2012. “Michal is a promising and extremely dedicated young athlete, and we are pleased to have the opportunity to name him as a member of the NOC team,” said William Irving, NOC’s VP of Leadership Development. NOC has developed clear training and performance standards that will eventually apply to all members of the Elite Paddling Team. In return for demonstrating superior work ethic and achieving competitive goals, team members are rewarded with financial and logistical support to offset their training and competition expenses.

Smolen said he was, “Very proud and grateful to have been chosen for the team. I have a long season ahead of me, and this support will go towards my expenses from travelling to races.

Smolen came away with the gold medal from the season’s first race, the NRC Glacier Breaker, on February 23, and will be returning to Western North Carolina for the Bank of America US Open on March 23-24.

Michal Smolen powers into first place at the 2013 NRC Glacier Breaker on the Nantahala Bridge Gates

The Bank of America US Open is traditionally the last race in the United States preceding the annual USA Canoe/Kayak Slalom Team Trials. “Almost all the top US Athletes come to compete,” said National Team Coach Silvan Poberaj. “Their performance here gives a good indication of who will be strong this season, and who worked hard over the winter. It also gives athletes a chance to fix problems before the beginning of the team selection process.”

The Bank of America US Open is a two-day event, held on the Nantahala Falls Course. Excellent spectator access is provided via an adjacent US Forest Service walkway. The event is open to kayakers of all ability levels. For a full schedule of events, or to register for the Bank of America US Open, please visit NantahalaRacingClub.com.

 

Michal Smolen competing in the 2012 Bank of America US Open

Michal Smolen
Top International Results:
4th – Junior World Championships – 2011, Foix, France
5th – U23 World Championships – 2012, Wausau, WI
9th – World Cup #4 – 2012, Prague, Czech Republic
14th – World Cup Final – 2012, Bratislava, Slovakia
1st – Vajda Teen Cup – 2011, Bratislava, Slovakia

Top National Results:
1st – Junior National Team Trials – 2011
1st – National Team Trials – 2011
2nd – National Team Trials – 2012
1st – National Championships – 2012

2013 NOC Events Preview

Let’s not beat about the bush: the biggest thing going on at NOC this year is the 2013 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships. Top freestylers from around the world will be coming right here, to the Nantahala Gorge, to put years of training to the test and show us their best moves. Last year’s ICF Canoe Freestyle World Cup Final on the Nantahala saw record-breaking rides in both the men’s and women’s K1 classes, and the premier of a state-of-the-art digital scoring system that got the crowd jazzed up like never before. This year, we’re pulling out all the stops for a first-of-its kind outdoor festival here in Western North Carolina.

Spectators line the banks during the 2012 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Cup

What to expect: 300 top whitewater athletes from around the world. Appalachian Heritage Expo with artisan demonstrations of regional folk crafts, traditional Cherokee tribal dances, fun hands-on educational activities for kids, great live music, and plenty of contests, demos and games to get you moving and laughing, even if you don’t know how to do a Space Godzilla.

Curious? Check out the USA Canoe/Kayak Freestyle Team Trials this April 26-28 for a sneak preview as America’s best vie for their chance to represent their country at the Worlds this September. Enjoy a real Appalachian hoedown at NOC's Spring Fling with craft fair, free film screenings by the Reel Paddling Film Festival, kids' activities, Roller Derby demos, and a special release of the Cascades & Upper Nantahala.

Emily Jackson rides the feature at the 2012 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Cup

For those of you who want to get in on the action, the Nantahala Racing Club will be putting on two slalom races this spring – the NRC Glacier Breaker and Bank of America Whitewater US Open. Come out to cruise down the course with some of the best slalom paddlers in the world, or just to cheer them on. NRC is also hosting two youth-specific slalom events in 2013, the NRC Youth Regional Team Qualifier and the NRC Southeastern Youth Championships - a great time to get your little ones out having fun on the water with kids their own age.

 Kids being kids at a Canoe Club Challenge

You won’t want to miss the Canoe Club Challenge, the nation’s most popular citizen’s whitewater race. The whole family will enjoy this fun, low-pressure excuse to splash around in the Nantahala on a hot summer day. Camaraderie, good-natured competition and raffle prizes are followed by live music at Slow Joe’s Café / Pourover Pub.

Other events we’re excited about:  

• AT Founder’s Bridge Festival, April 4-6, features wilderness-themed film screenings, live bluegrass, AT slideshows, group hikes and phenology education with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.  

 The AT Founder's Bridge Festival caters to thru-hikers and day-trippers alike.

• NOC’s Summer Music Series: Memorial Day through GAF weekend, enjoy live music, cold brews and good company at Slow Joe’s Café / Pourover Pub following a day on the river or the trail.

 

 Dirty Bourbon River Show plays the Pourover Pub in 2012

• We're always excited about thanking our guests for a great season! Come out to NOC's Guest Appreciation Festival, September 28-30 for blow-out gear sales, live music, beer specials, dance parties, bicycle pump-track, rock tower, story-telling, kids' activities, GAF Gates Race & World Kayak freestyle competitions, and a bounce house!

Bikers, kayakers, hikers and lovers of good times enjoy a GAF afternoon at Slow Joe's Cafe

• NOCtoberfest! This October, we’ll be serving seasonal brews in a German-style beer garden by the river while we jam out to the Autumn Live Music Series. On the 26th, don’t miss our Halloween celebration, including the Great Pumpkin Pursuit, costume contests and kids’ activities.

Kids show off their creations at NOCtoberfest 2012

NOC to Offer New Whitewater Rafting Trips on the Chattahoochee River

This blog has moved. You will be redirected to the new blog in 5 seconds. If your browser does not redirect, please click the following URL:

http://www.noc.com/blog/noc-to-offer-new-whitewater-rafting-trips-on-the-chattahoochee-river/

Big news! Last week NOC announced plans to open its eighth whitewater rafting outpost in Columbus, Georgia. The outpost will offer trips on a 2.5 mile section of the Chattahoochee River touted as "the longest urban whitewater course in the world." The trips will be the southernmost whitewater rafting trips available in the Eastern United States and will likely have an extended season thanks to the warm climate. Here's the whole scoop:

An NOC raft explodes out of the hole at the bottom of Cut Bait rapid on the Chattahoochee during a high-water  scouting run in Fall 2012. Photo by Mike Haskey for the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.

Coweta Falls: Before the construction of the Eagle and Phenix and City Mills dams in 1866 and 1907 this section of whitewater was known as "Coweta Falls." Like Great Falls on the Potomac, the rapids in Columbus are caused by a fall line, a geological boundary where a harder upland rockshelf transitions to a softer coastal plain. When a river drops over a fall line the elevation change often creates an opportunity for whitewater rapids, like in Columbus. The removal of both dams will be complete in early 2013, restoring the river to its natural state and revealing rapids long hidden below the city's reservoirs. Because only one dam has been removed so far, NOC has yet to actually see the entire run.

Rapids: Get ready for everything; NOC expects to offer trips for all skill levels on Class II to V rapids. Why such a wide range? Because the rafting experience varies with the magnitude of flow running through the rapids. At lower levels the river isn't as pushy or powerful, though it still flows quickly and makes for fun, splashy rafting. The water levels in the Coweta Falls section depend on upstream hydropower facilities; if those are running all-out, the big flows on the Chattahoochee will produce major Class V rapids rivaling the Gauley, New and Colorado rivers. We expect the flows to follow a standard daily schedule offering family/beginner trips in the morning and big-water/high-adventure trips in the late afternoon. 

A Fall 2012 NOC scouting trip paddles through Cut Bait at a moderate water level on the Chattahoochee River  between Columbus, Ga. and Phenix City, Al.

Columbus: NOC will be the exclusive outfitter of Columbus, Ga., and we will be one of only two permitted outfitters running the Coweta Falls section of the river. Beyond rafting, NOC's planned Columbus Adventure Center will provide gear and apparel from leading manufacturers, advice for do-it-yourself outdoor activities, and reservations for additional outdoor adventures.

Learning a New River: Throughout the company's 40-year history NOC has led early commercial rafting operations on nearly every major whitewater run in the Southeast. Most recently NOC started commercial rafting operations on the Cheoah River near Robbinsville, N.C.—the nation's most challenging commercially guided whitewater rafting trip. The Chattahoochee's large flow variations and its unique urban environment provide NOC's guides an exciting opportunity. Full scouting runs will begin as soon as the dam removal is complete, and then NOC will begin training staff for a summer 2013 opening.

How to Reserve a Trip: Reservations to raft the Chattahoochee will be available by phone and at noc.com. Trips are not on sale yet though. NOC must first complete a thorough evaluation of the river at all release levels before we are able to provide essential trip planning information including age restrictions, exact rapid difficulties, fitness levels and trip length. Updates on the Chattahoochee will be available via NOC's monthly enewsletter and this blog.

One Last Note: All of us at NOC would like to say how excited we are to be in Columbus. NOC operates in many communities that embrace outdoor recreation, and we don't know anyone more fired up for whitewater paddling. The restored Chattahoochee will be a great recreational opportunity in a great city! 

2013 Frosty Foot Fest: 50k, 30k and 8k Trail Races at Tsali

Foot Rx Asheville presents the 2013 Tsali Frosty Foot Fest on January 12th and 13th. The event will include 50k, 30k and 8k running races on the world famous Tsali Trail System, which includes over 40 miles of trails winding along scenic Fontana Lake. Click here to register!

NOC's Erika Brock registered for the 30k race because she was "looking for a new challenge close to home." Erika has run three half-marathons, but the Frosty Foot 30k will be her longest race yet. She is fortunate, she says, to be able to do about half of her training at Tsali. Last weekend's nine-mile run on Tsali's Right Loop was her longest training run for the Frosty Foot so far. "I did a couple of variations to make it work out to nine miles," Erika said. She chose the run because it happens to be the very beginning and the very end of the 30k race. Erika, who does much of her training on her own, enjoys listening to head phones while on the trail, mostly "fast-tempo music," she said, "for motivation." She confessed that the music she listens to while running is much different from what she listens to when driving or just hanging out. When I pressed her for band names, she blushed and ended the interview. For the record, NOC is cool with whatever is on your I pod, so long as it gets you up and out and training for sweet races like this!

Go Erika! Go Michigan State!

Tsali Frosty Foot Trail Race Details

50k (Jan 12): 200 runner limit - registration is $60 before December 12, $75 thereafter
30k (Jan 13): 200 runner limit - registration is $40 before December 13, $60 thereafter
8k (Jan 13): 100 runner limit - registration is $25 before December 13, $30 thereafter

What comes with your race registration:

1. A sweet Mountain Hard Wear Race Shirt and swag bag. Guaranteed to beat any race shirt you ever received! 
2. A solid run through some of the best trails in Western North Carolina.
3. Aid stations stocked with GU & Bonk Breaker Bar products and some other tasty treats!
4. FREE tasty treats from Flat Rock Village Bakery and chili from Green Sage Cafe at the finish-line celebration
5. Awards Ceremony at Nantahala Brewing Company - enjoy awesome beer, swag, and raffle items, including a Timex GPS watch for each of the 3 races.
6. Memories of a great race you'll never forget!

4 Reasons to Book Early

This blog has moved. You will be redirected to the new blog in 5 seconds. If your browser does not redirect, please click the following URL:

http://www.noc.com/blog/4-reasons-to-book-early/

As the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm! Unfortunately NOC does not have a worm for you, but we do have 4 benefits to booking early:

Early Bird Rafting Special
If you book your rafting trip before November 21st with offer code THX12, you will save 15% on your reservation. There is no catch to this deal, all trips are still staffed with our professional guides on our beautiful southeast rivers. For more details about how to secure your reservation and save some money, click here.

Most Popular Dates
Holiday weekends are a great time to get out on the water with friends and families making them our most popular weekends. By booking now you can secure your favorite dates before it is too late and they are booked up!

Kick Start Your Summer
Why wait to book your trip to wash away your end of summer blues, when you can book in the beginning of summer and kick start the season!  The end of summer tends to be much more busy, so beat the crowds and consider booking in the earlier months to get in the summer swing of things.

A Full Season of Activities
By planning a trip in the early summer, this gives you an opportunity to fill your summer with a variety of trips on different rivers. Or you can get hooked early in the season to grow and explore endless outdoor opportunities with NOC.