sidelines
Emerald sports magazine
Wednesday. May 2, 1984
Spring means
it’s time
for...
WHITEWATER RAFTING
SPRING OFFERS EUGENIANS THE OPPOR
tunity to escape the confines of campus and
explore the Northwest — including its beautiful
whitewater rivers.
But a lot of whitewater enthusiasts often
stumble over the cost, or even where to find
those whitewater rivers that offer a day of bliss
filled contentment.
Although Eugene has a number of profes
sional commercial outfitters who sell a vacation
experience and assume all responsibility for the
planning and preparation of the river trip,
there are other possibilities if your cash flow is
rather restricted at the moment.
Two inexpensive alternatives are the
Eugene Parks and Recreation Department and
the University Outdoor Program. Each offers a
different approach to running a whitewater
river.
Co-op is the key word for Bruce Mason — a
veteran whitewater enthusiast — and the Out
By Roman McCloskey
Emerald photos
door Program, which he coordinates.
"We are not a rental agency or a class," em
phasizes Mason. "Trips are run on a
cooperative basis. It's a unique approach. The
Outdoor Program served as a model for the
rest of the nation."
The Outdoor Program's raft trips cost in
dividuals less than $10 a day. The training clinic
which examines the philosophy of the program
and the rules it operates under is free.
"The idea is a group comes together and
divides up the chores. We have nine rafts
available, and groups that use the rafts are
responsible for replacement and repair," says
Mason.
Mason stresses taking it slowly-and going
on a trip that's already been initiated. There is
one trip each of the next five weeks on the
McKenzie River.
"They are mainly instructional in nature, to
give people a lot of experience on the river,"
Continued on Page 3B