The Economic Value of Idaho Outdoor Sports
Outdoor recreation in Idaho supports more than 77,000 jobs, $6.3 billion in consumer spending, $1.8 billion in wages and $461 million in state and local tax revenue, according to a report from the Outdoor Industry Association.
“Idaho has many world-class recreation areas — mountains, rivers and desert canyons — that draw people to the state from throughout the world,” said Mike Lanza, an outdoor author and blogger in Boise and the Northwest editor for Backpacker magazine. “When people come here to experience these places, they spend money on new gear for the trip as well as on food and lodging.”
Ketchum Whitewater Park Runs Into Problems
Officials in Ketchum say private supporters of a proposed whitewater park will pay for an environmental assessment on a possible transfer of federal land needed before the central Idaho project can move forward.
Ketchum Parks and Recreation Department Director Jennifer Smith told city councilors last week that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has listed the city’s land transfer request as a low priority and, due to budget restraints, won’t complete a review in less than three years.
Read more HERE
Boise ThrowDown #5
Saturday was out last Throwdown for the year in Idaho. Weather in
Cascade was awesome with a bit of a breeze. But you could tell that
Fall is not far off.
I am so jazzed to see the kids from Kelly’s Kayak Academy continuing
to return and have Troy Wilson run a clinic for them prior to the
Throwdowns. These kids are really excited about paddling.
Water was down to about 1400 cfs (from the normal 2200), so made it a
bit shallow but the more skilled paddlers could still throw ends and
loop. Water still feels good and you just gotta love that Idaho has
water clear into the fall.
We ran 3 runs in the wave and scored the best 2. Was great to see
paddlers from 10 to 50. Afterwards we sucked down some free dogs
provided by KWP and met on the lawn to draw for all the awesome prizes
donated by our event sponsors and local sponsors.
Thanks to Troy, Devon, Devin and Daniel for helping run safety AND
compete. That kept ‘em busy 
thanks also to our Event Sponsors:
Jackson Kayak, GoPro, Smith Optics, Mt. Khakis, Chaco, Astral, Shred
Ready, Kokatat, Rapid Transit, Stony Boater, Immersion Research
And to our local sponsors:
Alpenglow Mountain Sports, River Gear and H2OVelocity
Results:
Adults -
Devon
Troy
Daniel
Devin
Willard
Jr – men
Skye
Thomas
Brady
Quinton
Trevor
Jr – Women
Roxy
Paige
Hailey
Boise ThrowDown #5
Saturday was out last Throwdown for the year in Idaho. Weather in
Cascade was awesome with a bit of a breeze. But you could tell that
Fall is not far off.
I am so jazzed to see the kids from Kelly’s Kayak Academy continuing
to return and have Troy Wilson run a clinic for them prior to the
Throwdowns. These kids are really excited about paddling.
Water was down to about 1400 cfs (from the normal 2200), so made it a
bit shallow but the more skilled paddlers could still throw ends and
loop. Water still feels good and you just gotta love that Idaho has
water clear into the fall.
We ran 3 runs in the wave and scored the best 2. Was great to see
paddlers from 10 to 50. Afterwards we sucked down some free dogs
provided by KWP and met on the lawn to draw for all the awesome prizes
donated by our event sponsors and local sponsors.
Thanks to Troy, Devon, Devin and Daniel for helping run safety AND
compete. That kept ‘em busy 
thanks also to our Event Sponsors:
Jackson Kayak, GoPro, Smith Optics, Mt. Khakis, Chaco, Astral, Shred
Ready, Kokatat, Rapid Transit, Stony Boater, Immersion Research
And to our local sponsors:
Alpenglow Mountain Sports, River Gear and H2OVelocity
Results:
Adults -
Devon
Troy
Daniel
Devin
Willard
Jr – men
Skye
Thomas
Brady
Quinton
Trevor
Jr – Women
Roxy
Paige
Hailey
Idaho Hometown Throwdown #4
Idaho is on Fire….and we were reminded of that during our 4th Hometown Throwdown as Long Valley filled with smoke so thick you could taste it. Fires near Horseshoe Bend, Stanley and Mountain Home have been burning for weeks and Idaho is second only to Colorado for fire activity this summer.
However we had a great time and the 90* weather made the water all the better.
We had 6 kids return from Kellys Kayak Academy Devon Barker-Hicks has been teaching. Great to see them show up and show continued interest in paddling We had 16 paddlers in all.
We held two hole rides and the a boater-cross. We had a group of SUPs show up and held an impromptu SUP-cross at the end. The grassy amphitheater is our warm weather prize drawing spot. Pretty much everyone jumped back in the water and enjoyed the rest of afternoon – not wanting to think about the fact that summer is winding down. Enjoy it while it is here!
Scroll down for pictures
Placing:
Jr men:
Troy
Wesley
Skye
Brady
Quinton/Trevor
Jr women:
Roxie
Paige
Hailey
Men’s:
Daniel
Tyler
Ian
Boater-x:
Heat 1
Quinton
Paige
Heat 2
Wesley
Ian
Tyler
SUP-x
Jonathan G.
Samantha
Maria
Jonathan O.
Big thanks to Kristin Bierle from Alzar School (alzarschool.com) for helping us score
Idaho Hometown Throwdown #4
Idaho is on Fire….and we were reminded of that during our 4th Hometown Throwdown as Long Valley filled with smoke so thick you could taste it. Fires near Horseshoe Bend, Stanley and Mountain Home have been burning for weeks and Idaho is second only to Colorado for fire activity this summer.
However we had a great time and the 90* weather made the water all the better.
We had 6 kids return from Kellys Kayak Academy Devon Barker-Hicks has been teaching. Great to see them show up and show continued interest in paddling We had 16 paddlers in all.
We held two hole rides and the a boater-cross. We had a group of SUPs show up and held an impromptu SUP-cross at the end. The grassy amphitheater is our warm weather prize drawing spot. Pretty much everyone jumped back in the water and enjoyed the rest of afternoon – not wanting to think about the fact that summer is winding down. Enjoy it while it is here!
Scroll down for pictures
Placing:
Jr men:
Troy
Wesley
Skye
Brady
Quinton/Trevor
Jr women:
Roxie
Paige
Hailey
Men’s:
Daniel
Tyler
Ian
Boater-x:
Heat 1
Quinton
Paige
Heat 2
Wesley
Ian
Tyler
SUP-x
Jonathan G.
Samantha
Maria
Jonathan O.
Big thanks to Kristin Bierle from Alzar School (alzarschool.com) for helping us score
KKA Afternoon Session 07/23-27/12
This last week was the final week of KKA for 2012. What a great way to finish it off too! Great times all around. This group worked on getting used to their boats, edges, and paddles. They learned their strokes, eddie turns, how to surf, and how to run through waves. I wish I’d come as far as them in my first week! Good job everybody!
Here’s some photos:
KKA Morning Session 07/23-27/12
This last week was the final week of KKA for 2012. What a great way to finish it off too! Great times all around. This group worked on surfing and rolls all week. We did some ferries and a couple even surfed the bottom wave. Everyone of the kids made great progress this last week!
Here’s some pictures for you guys:
KKA Morning Session 7/16-20/12
Another successful week for KKA. The six kids in the morning session all got their rolls down solid in the eddy and even a few rolls in the current. They got plenty of surfing in while they learned how to get on the wave, switch their edges, and practice T-Rescues.
Here are a few pictures of what we did last week:
KKA Afternoon Session 7/16-20/12
Ten KKA students had their first kayaking experience here at Kelly’s Whitewater Park. They all learned eddie turns, edging, and how to surf. Most of them even got their rolls down in the eddie. I wish I’d gotten as far in my first week of kayaking as they did! It was amazing to see them catch on to the lessons so fast. Way to go guys!
Here are some pictures of the group:
