In April when snow begins to melt, Kern River Outfitters’ general manager Keith “Luther†Stephens will be on the Kern River surrounded by two dozen guide-hopefuls. The young men and women will be participating in the 2009 Kern River Outfitters Whitewater School – an annual six-day course designed to teach the basics of being a whitewater rafting guide and a sort of “on-the-water interview,†as Stephens put it.
“Each summer we hire about five or six new guides for our Kern River rafting trips,†said Stephens. Kern River Outfitters is anticipating more applicants for their guide school, which is slated from April 18 through April 23, and to hire more guide school participants than ever before.
“Most of the participants we have had are college students who want to work in a fun, exciting, and outdoorsy environment… More info
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Cape Town, South Africa – Like a predator stalking his prey, Patrick Davids’s eyes rarely stray from the choppy green sea, and his radio is always at the ready.
While the assortment of sunbathers, swimmers, and surfers may not know his name, they know what he does and that one day they may owe him their lives.
Mr. Davids, or “Rasta” as he is better known, is a shark spotter who helped set up one of the world’s only shark-monitoring units along beaches in Cape Town, South Africa.
From a cramped beach hut, Davids has helped build up a network of full-time shark spotters on nine beaches, watching over one of the world’s most shark-infested shorelines.
Nearly seven years ago, the former …Â More info
For the action sports industry in 2009, it’s all about keeping your head above water.
Already struggling with a glut of inventory, the $14.4 billion industry is forecasting sales to fall as much as 25 percent this year. Some surfboard makers say their business is down 30 percent to 40 percent as consumers put off larger purchases.
With numbers like that, industry insiders say some brands will disappear and the economic undertow will pull down a number of mom-and-pop shops, considered the backbone of the business because of their connection to the core action sports customer…. More info
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| ‘Auckland brothers Warren and Scott Lewis bring ’Fairview Doors and Windows’ across the line to take out round one of the NZ Offshore championship. – Offshore action across the Tasman’   Phillip Hoskyn |
 It has been labelled ‘Thunder on the Gulf’ as New Zealand’s offshore racers prepare for the second round of the 2009 Rayglass NZ Offshore Powerboat championships set down for next Saturday (February 14).
Race organisers have mapped out an open sea course off the Gulf Harbour Marina, north of Auckland.
Cary Gleeson, vice-president of the NZ Offshore Powerboat Association (NZOPA) has described the course as ‘traditionally pretty challenging.’
Gleeson, driver of ‘Doosan’, is the current series leader in the Superboat Lite class.
‘Some parts of the course can be very rough, with other legs fairly flat depending on tide and prevailing conditions; the race will always be interesting as some boats will be set up for the rough and that can often produce an upset victory,’ he added…Â More infoÂ
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