Glacier Outdoor Center Blog

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

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!

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.

We didn’t let a little rain ruin our fun this past Memorial Day weekend—we were on the river!  Whitefish-based freelance writer Brian Schott was on a story assignment for the Great Falls Tribune and shot this footage of his team running Tunnel Rapid with Glacier Raft Company guide Travis Paris. The river was running at 8000 cfs (4.5 feet on the bridge) – a perfect level for big waves and big fun.  Thanks, Brian, for sharing this video–we’re looking for the story coming up in the Great Falls Tribune.

The water on the Middle Fork is at a great, fun level and people are psyched to be on the river again! Rafters were plenty warm in Glacier Raft Co standard issue wetsuits, splash jackets and booties.

Come join us for a great season on the river!

Recently, Glacier Outdoor Center guides Alex Vandevoort, Karsten Carlson and Marc Evans attended a Mountain Travel and Rescue class in Utah. The two-day class took place at Albian Basin at Alta Ski Area. The three guides are members of the Flathead Nordic Ski Patrol and the certification is necessary for all snowshoe and cross country ski guides inside Glacier National Park.

The winter course offers instruction in building snow shelters, ropes skills and search-and-rescue. The group of eight students in the class learned from six different instructors who are based in and around Salt Lake City. The interactive hands-on weekend involved building and sleeping in snow caves, packing enough food and layers for the weekend, mock search-and-rescue operations, ropes course to belay, ascend and traverse, compass work and overall winter survival skills needed for backcountry safety.

It snowed 36-40 inches during the weekend, making travel with 80 pound packs and digging out shelters quite tiring. The crew had a great time and enjoyed the experience gained in Utah.  Check out some more photos below:

Here at Glacier Outdoor Center, we enjoy anything dealing with the outdoors.  Not only do we dabble in rafting, fishing and boating, but over the past few years packing in the backcountry with the mules seems to have found an important place among our summer and fall activities.

This past weekend, I got first-hand instruction from the legendary mule packer Smoke Elser. The course included everything from knot-tying to properly loading packs and even basic First Aid kits for mules.  Most of the students had experience in backcountry packing, but Smoke showed how 50-plus years experience can fine-tune a trip.

Mules at his side, Smoke gave hands-on instruction for the 16 students who wanted to achieve a better understanding of packing.  Between the classroom discussion and working over the mule, the 76-year-old Smoke laid out more information than most could retain in a two-day course.  Proper use of a Bankrobbers knot, how to top pack anything with a diamond hitch and what not to use if your mule gets cut are basics to the Smoke  Elser Wilderness Outfitters training course.

In the end, Smoke proved to be a good instructor, great packer and fantastic story-teller.   Smoke is constantly on the road giving packing clinics throughout the Northwest and continually works with the U.S. military as a consultant on backcountry packing.  With his busy schedule Smoke does however, still log about 250 miles a year in the back country.

I’m sure you caught our Holiday Gift Guide over Christmas as it probably saved the day on your last-minute stocking stuffers. Well, we are back with a great shopping list for Spring at the Glacier Outdoor Center. We’re all getting the itch to get outside, dusting off our waders, pumping up the old bike tires and preparing to expose those legs to the sun. But you’re probably going to need a few things to augment your camping expedition or afternoon of fishing. Don’t sweat it–jump in your rig and head up to the Glacier Outdoor Center. We’ve got you covered.

Montana Fly Co River Camo Accessories

1. Montana Fly Company River Camo Accessories–Montana Fly has introduced a new line of fishing accessories, which includes tackle boxes, nippers, reels, phone covers, and scissors to  get you started right this season. At least you’ll look good.

MT Fly Box with Chous Fortun Cookie Fly, Berrys Dirty Bunny, and the True Fly Skwalla

2. Montana Fly … again. Here is a  River Camo Tackle box with Chouse Fortune Cookie Streamer, Berrus Dirty Bunny and the True Fly Skwalla-is a surefire way to nab the big one.

Stohlquist Descent Rescue Pack

3. The Stohlquist Descent Rescue Pack is a must-have for anyone looking for an active paddling PFD. With all the bells and whistles, this innovative vest has been extensively tested and has all features necessary for a River Rescue Pack. A necessity for the ultimate river adventurer.

Chaco Z1 Pro

4. Chaco Z1 Pro Sandal- Without the binding toe piece this open-toe sandal is perfect for water socks or neoprene booties. Also, with this new Vibram Marine Outsole this sandal has a slip-resistant nonmarking outsole created to reduce slipping on the rocks.

Smith Maverick

5. Smith Maverick Polarized Sunglasses- A must to protect your retinas from the water’s glare.

Kleen Kanteen

6. Kleen Kanteen-No Taste Retention- Do you want to drink your coffee in the morning, but don’t feel like tasting the grounds on your hike the next day? I know — Gross! So buy Kleen Kanteen no retention water bottle and…voila! Problem solved.

Dermatone Sunscreen

7. Dermotone Sunscreen-Do we really need to remind you the importance of sunscreen? No, but you always need some and we’ve got it here at GOC.

Simms Bug Blocker

8. Simms Bug Blocker Shirt- Prevent unsightly sunburn and massive mosquito welts by wrapping yourself in this innovative shirt. The folks at Simms have thought of everything. You don’t even need to remember to apply deodorant because with the anti-odor management built into the shirt to avoid musky-ness. Hmm…this shirt might be a standard issued uniform for raft guides…

NRS Rogue Gloves

9. NRS Waterproof Rouge gloves-  This glove is designed for the early-season paddler looking for warmth and a grippy pattern on the palm to give a sturdy hold in any watersport. This flexible glove is a must for spring in Montana — no numb fingers here.

Simms Freestone Boot

10. The Simms Freestone Boot-Streamtread offers an affordable price and all the comfort and dependability you need in a boot. Don’t slip around on the rocks or get caught with cold feet.

So, yeah, we had a big snowstorm this morning, but here at GOC all we can think about is summer sun and whitewater trips. So while we wait impatiently for bluer skies and warmer water, we decided to team up with our pals from the Great Northern Resort to teach local kids some river safety skills.

Recently Glacier Raft Co marketing guru Rachel VandeVoort and Great Northern Resort GM Carl Motes-Conners brought the Glacier River Schools’ youth river safety course called The River Sense Program to sixth, seventh and eight-graders. Sixteen of Whitefish Middle School’s health enhancement classes learned basic skills regarding rafting equipment, self-rescue, risk awareness and navigation. Carl 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.

Whitefish school administrators say river safety is an important part of their students’ overall education, especially as young people prepare to enjoy local waterways with their friends and family this summer.

We’re bringing the course to Whitefish High School later this month.  Whitefish school administrators encourage parents to talk with their children about the importance of river safety.   Parents can also sign their kids up for The River Sense Program taught on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River this summer.   Registration is open through both raft companies.  Both companies also offer river safety, whitewater skills and boatman classes for adults through Glacier River Schools.

Here at GOC we’re excited to announce that Smoke Elser, the legendary outfitter and packer, will be hosting a two-day outfitting and packing course on May 1st and 2nd.  It’s a two-day hands-on course designed for novice packers with no experience necessary.
World-famous Smoke Elser has spent more than five decades as an outfitter in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. As an educator, mentor and wilderness steward, he built relationships between Forest Service officials and outfitters across the nation by finding common ground in protecting wildlands. Elser is one of the founding fathers of the concept and practice of minimum impact packing.
The main topics include general horse handling, packing, minimum impact horse use and camping techniques. Participants will receive an introduction to safe handling of horses and mules, main injury points, riding equipment, picketing, hobbling, emergency shoeing, and basic backcountry horse care. The course also teaches cargoing, loading, stringing of stock and light on the land travel techniques
•    What: Smoke Elser led Wilderness Outfitting and Packing Course
•    When: May 1st and May 2nd 2010 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
•   Where: Ridgetop Retreat Conference Center at Glacier Outdoor Center in West Glacier
•    Cost: $175 for the two-day course; includes lunch both days
Class space is limited to 20 students. To register or for more information, contact Glacier Outdoor  Center at 406-888-5454 or grc@glacierraftco.com