The same abundance of snow that prompted Mammoth Mountain to extend its season until July 4 last week has whitewater rafters in the region predicting a long and successful season.

 

Water content in the Sierra snowpack is above average-106 percent of normal for this time of year,  said James Rodger, California & Oregon Regional Manager for O.A.R.S, an outfitting company. This bodes well for an exciting and lengthy California whitewater rafting season. We could also see some rather high water on rivers throughout the state this spring.

Last April, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) reading was 81 percent of normal in the Sierra. This year, electronic sensors show northern Sierra snow water equivalents at 126 percent of normal for the date, central Sierra at 92 percent, and southern Sierra at 105 percent. Snowpack water content normally is at its peak on the first of April, although DWR makes a final manual survey on the first of May.


O.A.R.S. officially kicked off its 2010 California commercial rafting season this month with rafting trips on the North Fork and South Fork of the American River as well as on the Tuolumne River near Yosemite National Park.


With a substantial snowpack and the fact that more California residents are seeking active family vacations closer to home, we anticipate a record year for California rafting, said Steve Markle, O.A.R.S. Marketing and Partnerships Director.


O.A.R.S. offers trips on nine California rivers including the North Fork of the Stanislaus, Merced, Tuolumne, North Fork of the American, Middle Fork of the American, Upper Klamath, and the California Salmon, as well as the family-friendly South Fork of the American River and the Lower Klamath.