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.

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.

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

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.

In years past, the winner of the annual down river race on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River has been awarded a trophy made from.. um.. garbage.  But with a revamped event this year, we decided to break out the big guns and offer up a shiny, new trophy to the team with the fastest paddlers. Check out our new trophy, created by Ricky Ray Schmidt!

Come join us this Saturday, June 12th to watch the Middle Fork Marathon — a Downriver Race for the First Best Place. Boats are launching from Moccasin Creek at 12 pm and should be coming through the finish line at the Historic Red Bridge in Columbia Falls between 3-5 pm. After the race, we’ll party down at the Discovery Square. There will be burgers and brats from Perfect Cuts for $10 a plate and music from the Flip Wilsons starting at 6 pm. Come join us!

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.

We’ve been hyping this event up for awhile now…but the legendary Smoke Elser is here this weekend.

Check the Flathhead Beacon’s article about the upcoming weekend:

Smoke Elser, a renowned outfitter, is hosting a two-day outfitting and packing course at the Glacier Outdoor Center in West Glacier on May 1-2. Elser has been an outfitter in the Bob Marshall Wilderness for five decades. The course’s main topics include horse handling, packing, minimum-impact horse use and camping techniques. There are still spots available.

Smoke Elser

Here’s the full press release from the Glacier Outdoor Center:

Legendary outfitter Smoke Elser is hosting a two-day outfitting and packing course at the new Ridgetop Retreat Conference Center at Glacier Outdoor Center in West Glacier this May. The two-day hands-on course is designed for novice packers with no experience necessary.

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

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.

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.

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 .

There are still spots available. If you are interested just give us a call!