By Ellie Boeschenstein EBS CONTRIBUTOR
Explore Big Sky sat down with Montana Whitewater, one of the must-visit attractions for trips to Southwest Montana. We learned about the history of Montana Whitewater and how it has always been and will always be one of evolution and change. Just like the rivers we run, life will always have obstacles and different levels of danger that we face and must be approached with respect and adaptable strategy, explains owner Melanie West.
This series is part of a paid partnership with the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce. The following answers have been edited for brevity.
Explore Big Sky: How did Montana Whitewater get started, and what inspired its founding?
Melanie West: The birth of Montana Whitewater began when Bill Zell abandoned his studies and drove out West to find a seasonal job at a ski resort. After bopping around the West and coming up empty handed–and pocketed–he thought Canada was going to be his end game, so he started driving north. On U.S. Highway 191, he saw a sign for Big Sky Resort, and made the turn. Getting up to the mountain, he got the last open job at the daycare. After that, he worked at the Huntley Lodge, volunteer ski patrolled on and off and worked as a server for a bit. In 1991, Bill got a job at Yellowstone Raft Company in Big Sky. After that first summer at YRC, Bill and his buddy Pete Mommson started Montana Whitewater with the headquarters at the Funny Farm in Gallatin Gateway. That first year, they took 11 people rafting. In a matter of 15 years, Montana Whitewater went from taking 11 people rafting that first year, to operating on three rivers, with two locations and a fly fishing operation.
EBS: What makes your location and offerings unique compared to other outdoor adventure companies in Montana?
MW: Our facilities, rivers and staff make Montana Whitewater unique to other outdoor recreation companies in that we run our operation with high standards but maintain our family founded and operated feel. We provide a great product day in and day out, love what we do and strive to operate within the industry standard in terms of training, risk management, service and fun. We love our funky vibe and the wild characters we have hired and have stayed with us over the years. It truly creates an environment like no other that our staff and clients can feel.
Our location on the Gallatin River is unique. A large number of our raft trips enter and exit the river on our private accesses. This helps congestion at the public river put ins and take outs and gives our guests a better experience. Our location also allows our guests to be back in their dry clothes within minutes from any of our takeouts.
We also are very fortunate to have our zipline course at the Rockhaven camp which is three miles north of our Gallatin base. When our guests arrive at our location we provide them with transport to our zipline course or rafting experience. For our family friendly “Learn to Fly Fish” program guests drive to Karst Camp which is conveniently located off of U.S. 191.
EBS: What safety measures and training do you have in place for your guides and guests?
MW: We maintain an extensive training and risk management protocol across our operations. We approach almost every decision for our operation with a risk management approach. At a company level we require our guides to have more advanced medical training than we are required to have, we provide rescue equipment at all offices and in some of our vehicles, and we blend in house and third party training to maintain strong responses in realistic scenarios. We implement and enforce clear and strong policies and procedures for our staff to abide by. At a staffing level, we maintain and require detailed documentation for all staff, the training that we do, and any incident that may occur. We take care of and inspect our equipment and make sure our guests are comfortable and capable for trips we offer. We also have implemented multiple physical requirements for our trips that guests must formally agree to. We provide detailed information on the expectation, responsibility, and liability of our trips to each and every guest. We believe that transparency is the best way for guests to feel prepared for our activities.
EBS: How do you cater to different skill levels, from beginners to more experienced adventurers?
MW: We offer various trips that can cater to beginners to experienced adventurers. Different rafting trips that vary in difficulty and size of raft, tubing for a lazy river float that caters to younger kids, affordable learn to fly fish lessons and guided zipline tours. And of course, Lake Levinsky and Madison River rentals which allows folks to grab a tube, canoe or stand up paddle board and experience the
outdoors on their own terms. But most importantly Our staff truly bring all our trips to another level providing the instruction and guidance to be able to tailor the experience for our clients.
EBS: Do you partner with local businesses or contribute to the community in any specific ways?
MW: In the past few years, we have started and completed a number of rental units in Gardiner that provide long term affordable housing to the year round residents of Gardiner. With more and more properties transitioning to short term rentals, in an already low inventory small mountain town, we wanted to provide great housing for the community.
We partner, donate, and try to contribute in any way we can in our local communities. In the past five years, we have donated over $50,000 worth of trips to local auctions, benefits, events and fundraisers. We work with multiple local nonprofits, schools, and youth programs every year offering discounted trips to provide more access to those who might not have it. Some groups we work with are Big Sky Youth Empowerment, Gallatin Valley YMCA, Rockhaven Camp, Sacajawea Middle School, Belgrade Middle School, Gallatin Gateway School Foundation, Eagle Mount, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Morningstar Learning Center, Ecology Project, Hopa Mountain, Montana Outdoor Science School, Montana Wilderness School, AlpenGirl, Smokey Waters, Castle Rock Baptist, Camp Thunderbird, and more!
Rockhaven Camp allows us to operate a zipline course on their property. The camp offers affordable camps for kids in our community. Our revenue share with the camp provides the money to offer scholarships for campers and helps maintain the camp facilities.
We also support the Wave Train Kayak Team with donations and help in any way we can to keep their program growing and successful in getting local kids on the water.
EBS: How does Montana Whitewater promote environmental stewardship on and off the river?
MW: It is important and imperative for us to develop new and innovative ways to save energy and be conscious about what we consume as a business. We are well aware that our stewardship of the natural environment is directly related to the success of our business and the health of our community. We work with and maintain relationships with various local non profits that are putting in serious science based work and fighting for our beautiful environment at the local, state and federal government levels. Groups like the Upper Missouri Waterkeeper, Gallatin River Task Force and Cottonwood Law.
Even though we do not have curbside recycling services in the communities we operate in, we have implemented an internal recycling program for our facilities. From the paper we use in the office to printing our brochures on recycled paper to separating and hauling out recyclables.
We opt for local products whenever possible. From our snacks and drinks that we have in the office to our full day trips, food, merchandise and more. We follow a Leave No Trace mindset everywhere we operate.
Our biggest concern and problem is the gas we use for our business. We have been looking into alternatives and affordable options to alleviate our reliance on gasoline and are really excited for the technology to get even better and more accessible to us. It is an ever-changing process that
We work our hardest to keep up with and evolve our business to be more environmentally friendly.
Because of our proximity to the river we use portable toilets to the dismay of some of our clients. We believe that this keeps the quality of the Gallatin River at a higher standard given the number of guests that visit our location.
EBS: What are your goals or plans for Montana Whitewater in the next few years??
MW: We always hope to always improve our operation in all ways to become more efficient. We have felt the growth of our area, and we are working tirelessly to grow sustainably without sacrificing the quality of our product, the areas we operate in, and rivers we run. We are currently building a brand new property in Bozeman for our winter admin and Madison River Tubing operation that we are super excited about. We want to continue to grow as a trusted, appreciated and dependable outdoor provider for all of you and your friends and family that come to our amazing area.
We are also working on improving our staff housing in Gardiner. We have built apartments for our management staff and improved our camping facilities for our guides with kitchen and bathrooms. In Gallatin canyon we have built a couple of nice abodes for our management and we are improving our guide camping facility.
Our biggest concern is Highway 191. We have spoken to the highway department, our state senators and the governor. After 18 months of emails and calls to our government officials, the section of highway in front of our location at Beckman flats has been altered from a passing zone to a NO passing zone. We are working with MDT on their plans for the new highway improvements to make sure they don’t affect the quality and beauty of the Gallatin River.
