520 Durant Ave., Aspen. 970-920-3511; 866-377-4837 Aspen Whitewater Rafting is a small guiding company with 10 guides. It’s also one of the most trusted, with more than 75 years of combined guiding experience on local rivers. Full-day and half-day trips are available for paddlers of all ability levels on the Roaring Fork River and the Arkansas. Inflatable kayak (ducky) trips are also offered. Rates vary depending on length of trip and river. For a trip that’s also educational, take the EcoTrip on the Roaring Fork and learn about local plant and animal life and water’s role in the local environment. RIVERS: • Roaring Fork: Middle Roaring Fork (Class II and III), Cemetery (Class II and III), Eco-Trip (Class II), Upper Roaring Fork (Class III) and Slaughterhouse Falls (Class IV). Ducky trips available near Basalt Mountain (Class II and III). • Arkansas River: Fractions (Class III), Browns (Class III), Numbers (Class IV) and Pine Creek/ Numbers (Class IV and V). • Colorado River: Shoshone (Class III).
Blazing Adventures www.blazingadventures.com Locations on the Snowmass Village Mall and 555 E. Durant Ave. (Gondola Plaza) in Aspen. 970-923-4544; 800-282-7238 Blazing Adventures has catered to individuals, families and groups in Aspen for 35 years and offers the largest selection of fulland half-day raft and inflatable kayak trips on the Roaring Fork, Arkansas and Colorado rivers. Expert guides offer something for everyone, from mild half-day Class II and III trips for families and kids on the lower Roaring Fork River to intense outings on the Class IV
Something for everyone and V rapids on the Pine Creek/ Numbers section of the Arkansas River. Costs vary depending on which trip (trips closer to Aspen are the cheapest) and the length of the trip. Overnight raft/fishing trips on the Gunnison River also are offered. RIVERS: • Roaring Fork: Upper Roaring Fork (Class III), Slaughterhouse (Class IV), Middle Roaring Fork (Class II and III) and Lower Roaring Fork (Class II and III). Ducky, or inflatable kayak, trips available on the Middle Roaring Fork (Class II and III). • Colorado River: Shoshone (Class III and IV) and Triple Shoshone (Class III). • Arkansas River: Browns Canyon (Class III and IV), Numbers (Class IV) and Pine Creek/Numbers (Class IV and V).
Elk Mountain Expeditions www.elkmtnexpeditions.com 902 Highway 133, Carbondale. 970-456-6287 Launched this year by Aspen natives James Foerster and Langdon Adams, Elk Mountain Expeditions runs trips in the Roaring Fork and Crystal rivers. Trips offered vary from a scenic float in view of Mount Sopris to an advanced ride over Slaughterhouse on the Roaring Fork. Staff member Elly Harder said for the company’s fi rst season it is specializing in private and custom trips. “It’ll be small,” Harder said. “(There’s) a lot more guide interaction — a little more personal experience.” Duration and prices vary by trip. RIVERS: • Crystal River: Avalanche (Class II and III) and Mount Sopris Scenic (Class II) • Roaring Fork River: Slaughterhouse (Class IV), Upper Roaring Fork (Class III) and Lower Roaring
Each company offers a specific niche that they feel is their stock in trade. Aspen Whitewater boasts of its smaller trips which top out at four boats so “you’re with 20 of your best friends rather than 60 of them,” owner Jim Ingram said. The company also features an Eco Tour led by a specially trained naturalist from Jackson Hole’s acclaimed Teton Science School. While novelty is great, most guests prefer the regular river runs on the Arkansas, Roaring Fork and Colorado Rivers. There’s no shortage of choices depending on your nerve and the river’s daily levels. For a lively whitewater adventure, consider the Slaughterhouse stretch of the Roaring Fork or Pine Creek/Numbers on the Arkansas. Though the Arkansas River trips are on the eastern side of the Continental Divide, which requires a trek over Independence Pass, in reality the drive time is about comparable to the trip downvalley to Glenwood Springs (where the Colorado River trips take place). Easiest to access and arguably a river that has it all, the Roaring Fork runs utilize the upper, middle and lower sections, depending upon the season. That and the Crystal River are most likely to have mellow floats at their disposal. In general, beginners and intermediates can handle class II and II/III rivers while class IV/V rated waterways are best left to the advanced rafters.
Fork (Class II). • Colorado River: South Canyon (Class III+)
Blue Sky Adventures www.blueskyadventure.com 319 Sixth St. (Hotel Colorado), Glenwood Springs. 970-945-6605; 877-945-6605 The oldest Glenwood Springs rafting company, Blue Sky Adventures specializes in guided halfand full-day raft trips through Glenwood Canyon on the Colorado River. Trips on the lower SUMMER IN aspen 2012
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