Whitewater Express and Nantahala Outdoor Center will be the outfitters operating on the Chattahoochee River whitewater course that’s to open next summer.

Whitewater Express will be in downtown Phenix City and the Nantahala Outdoor Center will have a site in downtown Columbus to provide the gear and services needed to raft the 2.5-mile course, Uptown Columbus announced today. The outfitters were selected from proposals submitted to a committee of civic leaders and whitewater advocates, said Uptown president Richard Bishop.

Both businesses have tried out the portion of the course now completed. Said Whitewater Express president Dan Gilbert: “We’ve been running this part of the Chattahoochee for over a year and this is by far some of the best rapids and experiences to be had on any river.”