Thank you all for your tremendous turnout, enthusiasm, and support at Portland’s WildWater film premier. ORT wasproud to host the event and your energy and involvement made it a huge success. In Forge Motion Picture’s “Wildwater“, we were treated to a kayak film that took us to the soul of whitewater paddling and reminded us of the personal spiritual magic of the river. An eye-opening surprise viewing of Andy Maser’s “Spoil” took us into the passionate battle to save the Great Bear Rainforest in BC from the oil industry. And we got to see some awesome local whitewater and conservation films including Jacob Cruser’s “Balance” and Sam Drevo’s “Trout on the Wind”.

Special thanks to Next Adventure, eNRG Kayaking, Snapdragon, Team Quest, and Whitewater Designs for donating raffle and auction items.
Thank you to Sierra Nevada for donating beer.

And finally, we are very grateful to Forge Motion Pictures, Kokatat, Andy Maser, Jacob Cruser, Sam Drevo, and Trey Knollman for creating and sharing their awesome films.

It is truly an honor to be apart of this supportive, adventurous, and conscientious community. You guys are a darn good time!

Most Sincerely,
The Oregon Rafting Team

2011 is a big year for ORT. A packed training schedule and the Whitewater Championship Series IV races- starting in March in the Northwest- will test our dedication, teamwork, and fitness.

Setting our sights on the AIRE National’s race at the Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival in May, ORT began circuit training this past weekend riverside on the Clackamas.

It goes a little something like this. Burpees- run – jump ups – run – push ups – run - repeat - repeat - repeat. Well, you get the jiist. R6 paddling, technique work, and a couple H2H races wrapped up the day.

None of our kayaking friends wanted to join us on an exploratory float through the “war zone” aka the Upper Sandy above Lolo Pass Road that just got cleansed. Mom Nature did a tremendous job of hydro blasting out old wood and scrubbing the river banks in a biblical and fastidious manner. The air smelled like freshly cut wood. Home owners were penalized for building so close to a stream just a few miles from a snow pack that lasts year round in a region known for torrential rain. The event just a few weeks ago was good for the river, good for the economy, and great for boaters. Skiing is another story…

We put in at the closed bridge leading to McNeil Campground thus missing the first mile or so of the run. In regard to navigating expect; 4 portages,  2 log limbos, 2 more real sketchy log limbos, scout all blind corners, and make your first run down at a low level or you just might wind up in a debris pile. Oh and of course there is the potential for a heavy equipment hazard when you get towards the bottom of the run:)

Special thanks to our following supporters: Next Adventure, Aire Rafts, Shred Ready Helmets, Whitewater Designs, Team Quest, Immersion Research, and OS Systems.

Creekin is something whitewater paddlers do. Goin down to the “crik” is something the locals do. Since Eagle Creek is nearly in our backyard and given that I wore overalls this past weekend then throw in the variable that Ox “we goll darn gone and done it” pronounces it that way, well, ORT went crikkin.

This little tributary to the Clackamas wasn’t quite rip snortin with all the recent rain but it was full which buffered out the normally technical sections and made for some quality crikkin. After about 3 portages and several astonished looks from fisherman who do indeed say crik we finally arrived at what might be the most forgiving 18 footer ever.
After the crew successfully navigated that remote behemoth we bounced on down to the lower falls.

What is normally an undercut nasty horizon line was a big wave train with a few large holes which we smashed right down the gut. It was a goll darn hoot. The Oldsmobile that has been in the crik for years was still parked in the river bed but all those nasty trees which can clog up the busy III+ section below the lower falls were gone. Well shoot! So we parked the boats in the barn and headed on down to the No Place Saloon where we wetted our whistles and reflected back on just how fortunate we are to have such a lovely little crik.

Special thanks to our following supporters who provided safety gear which made our day in the country such a delight: Next Adventure, Aire Rafts, Shred Ready Helmets, Whitewater Designs, Team Quest (nice barn), Immersion Research, and OS Systems.

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The Wildwater Story

“When ordinary people, share a singular passion, the extraordinary emerges.

WildWater is a journey into the mind and soul of whitewater, into the places only river runners can go, places of discovery, solitude and risk. Its a visually stunning feast for the senses, and an expedition into new ideas. We set out to create a new kind of adventure film. One where image, sound and ideas trump all else. We wanted to communicate the essence of the thing – wild places and whitewater – and put its soul on film. A tall order. After thousands of hours of effort around the world and in our studio, we have achieved much of the goal. Borrowing Hollywood film tools and techniques, including RED digital cinema cameras and world class post production techniques, WildWater brings not only new perspectives, but new images to kayaking and the world of adventure cinema.

The film focuses on a handful of peoplle who share a deep passion for wild places, rivers and running whitewater. We meet Rod Nash, the wise elder of the river and one of the founders of the wilderness movement in the USA, while he is rowing the Grand Canyon once more at age 72. We meet Doug Ammons, author of the book Whitewater Philosophy and one of Outside Magazines Greatest Adventurers of the last 100 years. And we hear from the current generation of men and women, sharing their love of this shared epxerience. The result crosses beyond generational and experiental boundaries, even beyond whitewater, to look at the soul of adventure sports and what they mean to all of us as a practice that is about far more than just fun.”

Check out the Oregonlive article covering the day’s event.

A quote from TRR Coordinator (and ORT paddler) Shane:

“The point”, said Shane Conrad, a volunteer organizer who served three tours in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps, “was to ward off the drinking and isolation that often follows vets home when they leave the military.”

“We got too many guys locking themselves in their rooms, turning on their Xboxes and playing Halo all day,” said Conrad, 26, referring to a violent video game popular among Iraq and Afghanistan returnees. “A whitewater raft trip on a cold winter day offers a double dose of the camaraderie and adventure that most vets abruptly lose when their duty ends”.

To see more photos from the Sandy, visit the ORT Flickr page.