Glacier Outdoor Center Blog

It’s been a fun and busy summer for us at Glacier Raft Company/Glacier Outdoor Center.  And there’s still plenty of summer fun to be had up here.  As the tourist crowds start to dwindle, it’s prime time to come join us for whitewater and fishing adventures before sending those kids back to school.

And, it’s a great time to start thinking about late summer and fall fly fishing.  This area sees some pretty impressive trout action in the late season.  We’ll continue to fish the North Fork and Middle Fork of the Flathead into October with success.

In September, we see the biggest transformation of the seasons as summer turns into fall.  The nights get a little colder while the days stay warm and enjoyable.  (For the most part.)  The leaves start getting crazy with colors and at higher elevations snow begins to offer a hint at what we’re in for in the coming months.  Many locals say September in Montana is the best month of the year.

Also, right about now we start having people book our cabins for winter getaways.  We stay busy in the winter with our 15k Nordic ski track, and with our guided snowshoe trips inside Glacier National Park.  We have a full-service gear shop and ski/snowshoe rental shop that is open for winter enthusiasts.  If you are a summertime guest, we’d love to have you back in the wintertime too.  You’ll see that it’s an equally spectacular place with snow on the ground, but a very different experience.  You’ll see a lot of wildlife and stunning views, and the peace and quiet is therapeutic.

Keep in mind, we do have shoulder season and low season rates, as well as many special deals for winter guests.

So, enjoy this home stretch of summer–and we’ll see you back here in glorious September, and in the peaceful wintertime.

Check out the blog post over on Flyfish Magazine about shooting an episode of Trout TV on the the North Fork with us recently.

Funny stuff!

http://flyfishmagazine.blogspot.com/2010/07/confession-bad-day-of-fishingit-happens.html

It’s time once again for Glacier Outdoor Center’s annual Cutthroat Sale. Starting today, July 28th, and going through the beginning of August, we’ll be cutting prices on items throughout the store. You’ll be able to find all kinds of summer essentials at ridiculously low prices. Check out just a sampling of our sale items below and stop by the Glacier Outdoor Center at 12400 HWY 2 E to check them out for yourself! See you soon!

Darn Tough Merino wool Micro Crew Socks

Regular $17.00 Cutthroat Sale Buy 2 pairs get 1 FREE

30% off Drysuits

NRS Inversion Kayak Drysuit

Regular $694.95 Cutthroat Price $486.47

20% off all dry bags and boxes

Witz Sportcase 8 inch by 5 inch

Regular $17.95 Cutthroat Price $14.36

20% off all kayak and canoe paddles

Werner Player Paddle

Regular $305.00 Cutthroat price $244.00

20% off all PFDs

Stohlquist Women’s Kitty PFD

Regular $109 Cutthroat Price $87.20

It’s time to get the kids on the river, and  in an effort to help the youth of the Flathead Valley stay safe on local rivers this summer, we’re offering two one-day River Sense Classes, a comprehensive river training program for young people.

• River Sense Level 1  for 9 to 12 year-olds will be offered Thursday July 29^th from 9 am to 4 pm. This course is designed to introduce children to a moving water environment while stressing safety. Under supervision, children will have the opportunity to practice self-rescue techniques in a fun, controlled environment. The goal is to develop safety awareness on the river.

• River Sense Level 2 for 12 to 14 year-olds will be offered Friday Ju ly 30^th from 9 am to 4 pm. This one-day course is designed for young people starting to get out with friends in the river environment. This course teaches basic river skills and an introduction to rescue techniques. Participants will have the opportunity to swim in moving water and practice self-rescue techniques in a controlled environment.

Each full-day interactive class will be taught on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.  The cost is $90 per child. To register call Glacier Outdoor Center at (406) 888-5454.

The course instructor, Carl Motes-Conners, is an independent River Rescue Instructor for Rescue 3 International as well as an American Canoe Association Raft Guide Instructor, and is certified in First Aid/CPR.

The River Sense Class is part of the Glacier River School, a series of courses designed by Great Northern Resort and Glacier Outdoor Center to develop responsible practices among future river enthusiasts.

This Saturday is our annual demo day at the Glacier Outdoor Center. 

• 1/2 day FREE demos of rafts and inflatables.
• FREE BBQ at noon.
• 15% off all paddling gear and accessories.
• Visit with our knowlegeable staff that live and breath the river lifestyle.
• Enter to win some free gear from Aire, Outcast, Stohlquist, Kokatat, and Northwest River supply.

A whole day of talking boats, paddling and having fun in the sun!

Courtesy: Rick Olson

The summers in West Glacier sometimes define our existence here–amazing blue skies, hot summer days and endless wild water to play on.  One of our favorite things to do is show off our backyard, and this past week we were lucky enough to host two very inspiring journalists.  Rick Olson, an editor from Wend Magazine and Cali Bagby, a freelance war correspondent for KVAL and KATU in Oregon, stopped by our neck of the woods this week on their epic  journey to bike to 14 different National Parks as part of The Playground Tour.  It’s an ambitious cycling journey that will take several months. Since Glacier National Park was a must-see, we convinced them to stay the week, relax and go down the river with us!

Courtesy: Rick Olson

We packed up the boats, our Wend guests, a few office staffers, some rookie guides and our pals at Outside Media and headed to Bear Creek put-in to begin our two-day, one-night adventure down the  Middle Fork of the Flathead River to West Glacier. The day began perfectly with crisp blue skies complemented with clear, cold glacial runoff water.

With boats loaded and paddles in hand, we meandered through the upper sections of the Middle Fork through the heat of the day. We ate good food, had plenty of  good laughs and explained the area to our guests. The trio of rafts made it  to Lower-Burn camp late in the afternoon. We set up camp, endured a few rain drops and ate some great steak. The next day we made breakfast, broke camp and headed for the whitewater section of the Middle Fork. The river is at a fun level, and we got everyone good and wet.

Courtesy: Rick Olson

Rick has a great blog called Playgroundtour.com, updated almost daily. There are plenty of great stories and insight of their travels on the bike. Thanks to our new friends– we hope to see you again someday! Next time, come when there is white stuff on the ground and we’ll explore this place differently.

Courtesy: Rick Olson

The river levels are finally starting to drop and the water is clearing.  Its time to go fishing!  Our guides lately have been doing quite well with small bead heads, yellow sally’s, drake patterns and of course big golden stones.  Upper sections of the Middle Fork of the Flathead are doing the best.  Check out these pics:

Thanks everyone for turning out for an amazing day last Saturday for the first annual Middle Fork Marathon–A Downriver Race for the First Best Place.  With just a few weeks to prepare, Glacier Raft Co guides and managers hit the street to drum up support from many area businesses.  We were blown away by how receptive the local community was, and we are beyond grateful.  Glacier Raft Co managed to raise nearly half of the total fund raising amount–wahoo! We won the award for “Most Money Raised” and we couldn’t be more pleased.  So, here’s a special THANK YOU to all of our $100, $200 and $400 sponsors.
Edward Jones

Glacier Bank

J.A.T. Electric

Big Horn Divers

Newman & Buffington

West Glacier Merc

Whitefish Credit Union

Freedom Bank

Historic Tamarak Lodge

Belton Chalet

Glacier Grill

Three Forks Grill

Fashion Finds

Napa Auto Parts

Ogle & Worm

Western Building

Brian Caroll

The Shops at Station 8

Eagle’s Nest Antiques

We came in second in the race–and while we were gunning for the win, we would like to whole-heartedly congratulate our friends over at Montana Raft Company for their triumphant first-place finish.  They hauled butt the entire time and had us working to keep them in our sights.  Well done, guys!

From the First Best Place Press Release:
Montana Raft Company paddled away with 1st place at the inaugural Middle Fork Marathon downriver race on Saturday June 12th. Rafters and guides from Great Northern Resort, Montana Raft Company, Glacier Raft Company and Wild River Adventures participated in the event, with a total of 13 rafts racing the 27 miles from Moccasin Creek to the Historic Red Bridge in Columbia Falls.

With donations from Flathead Valley businesses and community members, the Middle Fork Marathon raised more than $7,000 to benefit the First Best Place and its efforts to rehabilitate the Historic Red Bridge over the Flathead River in Columbia Falls. The bridge would be a pedestrian walkway and part of a proposed county park, including a possible whitewater kayak wave feature at the bridge.

Guided by Keith Meehan, the 1st place team paddled 27 miles from Moccasin Creek to the Historic Red Bridge in 3 hours 5 minutes, beating Glacier Raft Company by two minutes. Team members included Eric Boyd, Kelly Ruffato, Ben Ruffato and Dan Block. The Montana Raft Company team was presented with a handcrafted medal trophy created by local blacksmith and long-time river guide Rick Schmidt.

Rick is, as many of you know, a legendary fishing guide for Glacier Raft Co.  Seriously, this trophy is amazing–thanks so much, Ricky Ray!

Rick and his masterpiece

Following the race, First Best Place hosted a barbeque and awards ceremony at Glacier Discovery Square in uptown Columbia Falls. With burgers and brats donated by Perfect Cuts (and a grill from Cimarron Deli) and beer from Tamarack Brewing, more than 200 paddlers and community members enjoyed dinner and music by the Flip Wilsons.

Some hearty guides stayed at Discovery Square after the BBQ for some good ‘ol fashioned tug ‘o war.  Our “everything guy” Colt, actually pulled two guys his size across the center line all by himself.  He’s a one-man army.

Thanks guides, thanks families, thanks business community–and thanks First Best Place.  Looking forward to next year.

And, if you’d like to get involved in working on a whitewater park in Columbia Falls with the Historic Red Bridge Committee of the First Best Place, send an email to hilary@outsidemedia.com.