whitewater boating down 70%?....

[Fish]

Good point Tommy. I didn't think anyone is caring like that, but that last bit of my post made it seem that way. Sorry about that.

I'm downgrading my estimation of Tommy to 49% bs. :)

- Fish

[jim johnson]

if you are interested in the industry research of the issues mentioned here, including ethnic participation and recent participation figures, go to http://www.outdoorindustry.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and click on "research and resources" then "view all research" and download the 2008 participation study.
it's detailed and long but on pages 36-38 it details the number of whitewater participants, per cent of population and changes from the previous year.
from their figures things are pretty stable.
jim

[Dale Dailey]

If this is true, you guys are seeing this all wrong. The creeks been choked will people for the last 5-10 years. In the 90's you could boat during the week and not see another group. You can now take off on a wednesday alone and not worry about finding shuttle. The river can only had so many people,maybe it's time for us to downsize a little.

[jim johnson]

all who have boated for many years have noticed the increase of participation in our sport. however, the stats point out some interesting trends.

when I first started whitewater boating in the early 1980s, the Outdoor Industry Foundation did not track the participation in the sport as it was too small. I remember a friend in the industry estimating there were fewer than 10,000 whitewater kayakers in the US at that time.

Now, according to the Outdoor Foundations research, there are over 1 million whitewater kayakers who paddle at least once a year. this does not count touring (1.2 million) and receational (4.3 million) kayakers.
that speaks to tremendous growth in the 25 years I have boated.

HOWEVER, it should be pointed out that the numbers of US kayakers in the 2007 study (and all previous studies) is the smallest of all the 24 outdoor sports listed. Canoeing, for instance still is 9.6 million compared to 6.5 for all kayaking. (birdwatching has 11.1 million!)

All you kayak instructors have done a good job in advancing the sport. and yes, the crowds on the rivers are a downside to this success, but
we are still the most obscure of the major outdoor sports.

Growth in kayaking has remained flat for a number of years, and canoeing has declined. Changes in the industry have followed these trends- rec boats are 80% of new kayak sales and only a few companies can stay in business making whitewater boats. I think that says our sport has reached maturity. there will probably be fewer brandnames and models of boats for us to chose from and prices may be less competitive.

Still, we have come a long ways and the sport is known to the average American. That is different from when I first learned to roll a kayak and all my friends thought I'd lost my mind and had acquired a distinctive deathwish...

I am proud to have been a part of the growth and maturity of the sport
jim