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Article: Whitewater ebbing? Rafting industry paddling for new profit sources
- Article from:
- Charleston Gazette
- Article date:
- October 3, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2006 Charleston Gazette. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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susanwilliams@wvgazette.com
AMES - A few red leaves stand out against the black bark of trees
in the New River Gorge, and the sounds of music, laughter and back-
slapping add to the air of excitement for a whitewater rafting trip
about to start.
Class VI River Runners was celebrating its entry last week into
the elite class of companies who can say they have launched a half
million rafting trips.
But behind the spirited scene, black and white numbers reflect a
decline in the number of people who come to West Virginia for
whitewater rafting trips.
The whitewater rafting industry peaked in 1995, said Dave Arnold,
an owner of Class VI. His company enjoys the same profit margin that
it has in ...