Winner Winner Chicken Dinner...

Think you can guess the peak this year? Submit your guess on a post here or on our facebook wall. Winner gets a prize... (To be fair, it's going to be something cool we find laying around the boathouse.) Winner will be the one who comes the closest on guessing the peak day and the peak flow. Game on!

Guide School ... the olympians ... Day 5

-Corinne Roberto (guide school student)
May 15th, 2009
Today was the final day of guide school. The sun came out at last, just in time for Guide School Olympics! My team, Funky A&& Panty Splash competed for the gold medal against the two other teams. There was a throw rope competition, story telling competition, and then the whitewater challenges. With only seconds to spare we won the boat slalom, then barely made second on the ferry of death. Our third and most difficult challenge was Lunchcounter style points. I rode the whold way through on Duke's shoulders. We had tough competitors, but I think we may have won against the hairy butts that went through on the other boats. It all came down to the final stretch... flip the boats and race to the finish! It was a blur of cold water and paddles flying. I paddled for my life to make it to the finish. We arrived at the takout last. But we still had a chance with our incredible performance throughout the olympics. It was a great day to cap off the events of this week. I'd do it again in a second!

Guide School ... we laughed, we cried, we swam ... Day 4

From moose and marmots to mayflies and mergansers, Thursday morning started with presentations from Guide School members, covering Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem flora and fauna and Teton geology. In addition to local knowledge, presenters shared choice river quotes and jokes.

After a quick eddy-in pep talk with Mad River staff, the crew hopped on the bus and headed for the water.

What a difference a day made. Everyone was bomber on the oar rigs, and real signs of improvement could be seen on each boat. Hitting high and deep on eddy-line entry was one of the main goals of the day - and the guide school rocked it. And, though the day quickly became cooler and cloudy, paddlers remained in good spirits.

Following the first trip, Guide School participants ate lunch and Mad River guides gave a brief run down of Snake River conversation efforts - such as the recently passed Wild and Scenic Bill and the annual Summit on the Snake, May 30th at the Teton Science School.

Fueled-up and ready for round two, rowers returned to the oars in the afternoon with a goal: swim Lunch Counter.

Having reached the point where they could run the Snake's most turbulent rapid with oars and paddles, the crew tested their human-powered ferry skills and deep breathing by cruising Lunch Counter as swimmers. All eighteen guide school members swam, and all eighteen got to know laminar and turbulent flows on a little more personal level.

The crew crushed day four, and, truth-be-told, wetsuits never looked this good.
Tomorrow brings the last day of the course and the Guide School Olympics.

Guide School ... big boats, big oars, no wind... Day 3

-Jade Johnstone (guide school student)

Day three of guide school... Sun is shining and the wind is down. We began the day with learning knots and preparing the boats. Everyones in high spirits and ready to rock the day! We put in 8 miles high of our usual spot where the scenic tours start. Our first attempts on oar boats instead of paddles... WOW! What a difference - steering much easier!
It was an incredible day. We completed three trips altogether. All of them in the sunshine too! Everyone learned a ton. Turns, ferries and self rescues. I'm having a bit of trouble on the oars but the instructors have a ton of patience and are quick to help where I get in a jam. We hopped out for lunch mid-way and everyone was stoked for the rapids. Rapids on oar boats are even easier to set angles. We got back to the boathouse around 8:00pm to unpack and debrief. Everyone was a little exhausted, but happy. Be back at 8:30 tomorrow...

Mad River Guide School ... Shenanigans ... Day 2

-Chris Dickey (guide school student)

Guide School 2009 from Chris Dickey on Vimeo.

Mad River Guide School ... Let the fun begin... Day 1

- Colette Miles (guide school student)

Mad River trainees met at the boathouse on a bright sunny morning. Decked in sleek wetsuits, we boarded a bus and began an epic day. The bus dropped us at West Table Boat Ramp where the guides enthusiastically met us and passed out splash gear and PFDs. For our first run down the Snake we were the tourists and experienced what a commercial run would be. 8 miles and 6 raging rapids later we emerged at Sheep Gulch Boat Ramp. After safely stowing the rafts we were ready for round two. This time, we would be the guides. Each raft carried about 5 trainees and a guide school instructor. We learned how to give the safety speech, which we all more or less butchered our first time- giving it a go from memory. Working as a team our captain would give commands and guide us through the treacherous (aka FUN) parts of the river. We spent a large portion of the afternoon practicing ferrying techniques, in a heavy current with large eddies on either side. Thoroughly drained of energy we completed our second and final trip of the day. Loading once more into the bus we headed south of Sheep Gulch and went on an excursion to scout a gnarly rapid on the Greys River. We wrote our interpretation of the hazards, problems and route we would choose. This individualized examination of the rapid gave our instructors a better idea of our knowledge of river morphology. An exhausted crew returned to Mad River and we reviewed the day, learned some knots and were given a reading assignment for the next day. Good first day.