It's a roll of the dice for those guys. The key to survival is also running more dependable rivers with longer seasons in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, said George Marsik of Globe, who bailed out this spring after 20 years of riding the ebbs and flows of the rafting business. He sold Sun Country Rafting's permit to Desert Whitewater. Desert Whitewater also runs the San Juan River in Utah and the Rio Chama in New Mexico. Mild to Wild runs the San Juan, Delores, Animas, Piedra and San Miguel in Colorado.
Costs are high for commercial river companies.
His company, Desert Whitewater, has up to 12 year-round employees and 75 seasonal workers. The rafting companies all have the usual business expenses for unemployment insurance and liability coverage for passengers and guides. Transporting boats, gear and passengers is a major expense. It's a challenge even in the best of times. He's encouraged with this season's success on the Salt.