Riverfront Chalets & Rafting Newfoundland

Last Day for Hodges Hills

Riverfront Chalets — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:00:54 +0000

A sad day for me! You all know how much I enjoy snowmobiling. It all went out with a bang yesterday. We had two great tours to end it off though! Friday was fantastic. Still lots of snow but it got pretty soft towards the end of the day. However we still did the regular route to the top of Hodges, through Peace Valley, back-country chalet, Monica Bog and out. We only had one small brook go out on us which wasn’t a big deal. It was over 20 degrees and we were riding with shirts or thin jackets on. On the way back out to greet Saturdays tour (my family was spending Easter in the back-country chalet) it was clear the snow was going to take a beating that day. I met the group, drove to the top of Hodges and looked down on Peace Valley (where I passed just 2 hours before with very little slush evident) and saw that the whole valley was filling up with water. It looked like fun to me and after consulting with the group, we decided that we would take the fun route….through Peace Valley where we normally go. Keep in mind the water was not deep and the group was very interested at learning what this “skipping water” was all about. It was a laugh! I would go through first on my wide track which cleared the slush which filled in with water and the group, one by one would follow. Out of the group there was only one guy who had skipped water before so it was a wonderful learning experience for them all as they found out the true capabilities of them and their machines. I think when it came to the Peace Valley portion of the trip we did more sea-doing than ski-dooing with no incidents and no-one getting stuck. All arrived to the back-country chalet with-out incident. One exception actually…a brand new floater coat got sucked into the suspension and torn to shreds. In hindsight we all had a good laughat that. The temp at the chalet was nearly 20 degrees and sunny…a beautiful day and it was hard to leave. We had lots of water skipping up to the higher country again with one ski doo getting stuck which only took a few minutes to get out. There is till lots of snow on the back-country roads, over 2 feet for much of it. I was in for a ride this morning. With these higher temps though, it won’t last long. Now its a waiting game until enough snow is melted off the tracks to get to the Gaff Topsails where I hope to get another couple weeks. Other than that, my cousin and I are heading to the West coast for some playing soon. As you all know I am very grateful for all the snowmobilers who rode and toured with us this year and I thank you all. I make so many freinds with this business..how lucky am I at all? Now the only thing I have to do is prevent that pit that is proposed for just upstream of us. Please visit savetheexploitsriver.ca for more details. See you all next year and even this summer for most of you.

Paul

Sledding Conditions in Central

Riverfront Chalets — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:53:09 +0000

Hello everyone. I apologize for the lack of Blog updates since this Fall. Been busy sledding pretty well everyday! Its been a struggle all winter convincing people we have snow here, and lots of it. I realize how dismal it looks as you drive by the chalets but i9ts actually been a pretty good winter just North of the chalets. In fact, its been the best year in my memory for getting to the tower top of Hodges! Customer feedback for this season, like last season, has been 100% overwhelmingly fantastic! Thanks for all the compliments and encouragement guys…we have to adapt the slogan “come as customers, leave as friends”. I know its old and overused but it suits us so perfectly! The season is far from over yet so if you haven’t got your fill of sledding yet, come on out to Central and treat yourself. See the picture I have attached taken 2 days ago on the Gaff. It is Hinds Hill and winter wonderland doesn’t even come close to describing it! This year has been a fantastic year for pics. I have a new Nikon SLR which is always on my back and always in use. It has been paying off. Check out our facebook page for all the best pics from this season. We still have a couple openings for this weekend which I suspect won’t last long and if, by freak of nature we lose our snow, your downpayment will be refunded. What have you got to lose? Come on out and go sledding!

Paul

Not a rock or tree to be seen! Just point the skis and go!

Winter Packages

Riverfront Chalets — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:10:08 +0000

Hello everyone! Great news for many of you. We now have 3 GTX 500cc snowmobiles for rent this season! A little update on the chalet grounds…all the decks are completed. You can now walk from chalet to chalet on the upper deck level or at the hot tub level. No shoes required to get to the hot tub! Our snow packages will be posted over the next couple days but here is a sneak preview….a four person, two night package including a 6 hour snowmobile tour (with Joys famous hot home-made meals) on weekdays – $149 pp. The same package on weekends will cost $169 pp. If you are thinking about booking in for a weekend, I wouldn’t wait too long. We were very busy last winter! For those of you who would like to come out and check out the chalets before this winter, we will be offereing a preseason promotion during November and December…$169 on weekends and $139 on weekdays (up to four adults). An amazing price for a 4.5 star resort! If we don’t see you then we will see you this winter. Can’t wait!

Paul and Joy

Canyon Rafting

Riverfront Chalets — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:09:09 +0000

For today only! We will be doing rafting trips in the canyon section of the Exploits River, right in Grand Falls! This is an excelent section of white water, with 7ft crashing waves! The tour will run for about 1 1/2 hours, and will cost $40/person! This trip is for the high adventure seekers! The first trip down will be at Noon, then again at 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm! All safety gear will be provided, all you need to bring is clothes to wear on the river (Avoid cotton). Look for us in the Sanger Park boat launch! Or call 709-486-0892 for more info!

RiverFront Chalets update

Riverfront Chalets — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:07:33 +0000

Hello eveyone! Its been too long but we have been accomplishing so much! Just a quick note on what we have been doing around the chalets. Nearly all the deckwork is in place so you can now walk from chalet to chalet on the hot tub level or chalet level. The deck around the tub is also completed with seats around the sides. Most of the landscaping and rockwork is completed and we have grass showing between the chalets. Its all turning out nicer than we had envisioned! The rafting is busy now as well. We had a full crew out for Canada Day and we all had a blast! The weather was hot and the water is warming up nicely. Now that school is out will be on the river most days.

The biggest news I have for you is that we will be developing the canyon section in Grand Falls – Windsor this season. We are going to kick off the new addition with a fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. How? None other than a raft race through the canyon! Keep in touch for more details if you are interested in racing a raft through a tight canyon with 7 foot crashing waves for a great cause. Teams will consist of 6 paddlers per raft…we will be providing guides. We intend for this to be an annual event supporting a different cause each time. Its going to be the ultimate high adventure fundraising event!

In other news we have had a new guide on form Ontario by the name of Mike Cooper. Some of you may have seen him swinging fire last night at the Grand Falls – Windsor Canada Day fireworks show. It is an art he has mastered called poi. He puts off a great night show in front of the chalets at night. He also very highly qualified and experienced at guiding with all the certifications we require and much more. He is enjoying the season here on the Exploits River very much and looks forward to meeting you all! Thats it for now!

Paul

RiverFront Chalets Update

Riverfront Chalets — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:04:57 +0000

Hello everyone,

It is a beautiful day here at Riverfront Chalets…warm and sunny! Just a quick update as to what we are up to. I hope to have a landscape technician here soon to finish the rock wall, between the chalets and sods down in front. We are incorporating the beach volleyball court in front of chalet 3 & 4. We also have a deck man hired. He is coming out soon to interlock all the chalets together and to the outdoor hot tub. Pretty exited about that! I was sad to put away our snow machines last week but am looking forward to getting on the river again. We had an awesome winter! We were flat-out with snowmobile tours and got rave reviews on out testimonial page. We also had a couple bands stay here, the Fleetwood Mac Tribute band from St. Johns and Buddy Wasisname and the other fellows who also posted very nice testimonials. For those of you who are interested we are selling some gear which we have replaced new for this season, mainly PFDs and paddling jackets. Most everything is in perfect shape and is going cheap. We also have a few sea kayaks (both single and doubles) to sell. We are focusing on rafting only this year. Drop us a line or give us a call if interested. Hope to see you this summer!

Paul

Family Tour with the Keats (March 18-19th)

Riverfront Chalets — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:44:47 +0000

Had an awesome family move in today from England. They had never been on snowshoes or snowmachine before so their experience was rich to say the least. We went for a hike up to Thunder Brook Falls and had a boill-up. Little Charolette of 7 years did ver well! Got some great shots as the day was clear and cool. They will be posted under CHALETS in the gallery later today. The next day we went for a snowmobile ride using two machines and sleds up to the Badger Chute for a boil-up. Another beautiful day…as always in Central! The two days far exceeded their expectations so I can’t wait to see their expression when we go into the camp for the night this afternoon. They are going to love it!

Gaff Topsails Tour (Saturday March14-15th)

Riverfront Chalets — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:43:23 +0000

Had a group of 10 men in for the weekend for the double whammy…we did the Gaff Topsails run on Saturday and Hodges run on Sunday. The temp was well below zero so there was plenty powder around to keep machines cool. Had to stop once after a stretch without powder. Among the group were two muscians who kept us all entertained for the weekend, both at the chalets and the camp. They were awesome! Between the guitar, fiddle, mandolin, voice and a banjo they put off a great duo show. I even got out my drums for a beat. What a weekend! I am headed to Thruway today to purchase a new Shadow 750 from the empties of Coors Lite and Lambs bottles they left! ha ha! See you this summer on the river guys and bring the instruments!

Hodges Hills Tour (Saturday March 13th)

Riverfront Chalets — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:42:56 +0000

Had another awesome day up to the camp. Took the Smith group from the Avalon in today. Very cold today…about minus 20. Lots of snow in Central still so if you are looking to squeeze another couple days riding in this is the place to go. We should be good until into April unless we get a major mild. The snow is quite hard so riding two up may cause some slide overheating but it wasn’t much of a problem today. Went to the top of Hodges for a quick look but did’t stay too long as it was very cold up there. A big pot of chili was on the menu for today and it hit the spot at the camp. We all had a great time! Can’t wait to take in the next group. The Smith group booked in from Wed – Thursday but staryed all weekend too. Before they left they booked in for rafting too. See this summer guys!

Paul

Guide Position

Riverfront Chalets — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:42:06 +0000

Hi all!

Thought I would use the blog in search of a guide for this year. If you are interested in helping me out drop me an email and I will forward a job description to you that you can post online, at the local outdoor shop or forward it to your email list. Hope you can help! Thanks.

Paul