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Class I - Easy. Fast
moving water with riffles and small waves.
Few obstructions, all obvious and easily
missed with little training.
Class II - Novice. Straightforward
rapids with wide, clear channels which are
evident without scouting. Occasional
maneuvering may be required, but rocks and
medium-sized waves are easily missed.
Class III - Intermediate. Rapids with
moderate, irregular waves. Complex maneuvers
in fast current and good boat control in
tight passages or around ledges are often
required; large waves or strainers may be
present but are easily avoided. Strong
eddies and powerful current effects can be
found, particularly on large-volume rivers.
scouting is advisable for inexperienced
parties. Self-rescue is usually easy but
group assistance may be required to avoid
long swims.
Class IV -
Advanced.
Very difficult, long, extended rapids that
require careful maneuvering of the raft.
Powerful irregular waves and dangerous rocks
are common. The course is hard to determine
and scouting is necessary.
Class V - Expert. Long and violent
rapids. Large waves that are unavoidable and
irregular. Extremely difficult and complex
course. Scouting is essential.
Class VI - Extreme and Exploratory
Rapids. Maximum difficulty. Nearly
impossible and extremely dangerous. Class V
carried to the limit of navigability.
Involves risk of life.
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Awareness - Having a broader scope of
vision that encompasses not just one self
but the surroundings and other paddlers on
the river.
Boil - This is a water feature
created when water churns upward and creates
an elevated region in the river.
Bony - A run or rapid requiring lots
of maneuvering because of the abundance of
obstacles, mostly rocks.
Boof - A boof is a maneuver where a
kayaker uses his paddle, rock or water
feature to lift the bow of the kayak over a
drop, usually performed to avoid a piton or
getting stuck in a hydraulic.
Bracing - Any paddle stroke that
helps the paddler maintain his/her balance.
The high and low brace are the most common
bracing strokes but forward and turning
strokes also work as bracing strokes in many
situations.
C.F.S. -
Cubic feet per second. A unit of water flow used to indicate the volume
of water flowing per second past any given
point along a river.
Carabiner - A clip, used to secure
items into the boat, and to construct safety
and rescue systems.
Carnage - General term for a mishap,
as in a boat flipping or someone falling
out.
Confluence- The point where two or
more rivers meet.
Control Hand- Refers to the hand that
controls the angle of the paddle blade.
Drop - An abrupt descent in a river.
A pitch.
Downstream "V"- Describes the
shape of the current when it passes between
two obstacles. The V points downstream and
could be further delineated by wave trains.
Dry Suit -
A suit designed to keep all water out, under
which any amount of layered clothing can be
worn.
Duckie (or ducky) - An
inflatable kayak.
Eddy - A river feature formed by an
obstacle in the downstream flow. A well
formed eddy will have a defined eddy line
and a calm pool behind the obstacle. Being
able to "catch" or stop in these calm pools
is one of the keystones of whitewater
paddling.
Eddy Out - Term used to describe
leaving the main current and entering an
eddy.
Eddy Line - A current differential
between the upstream current of the eddy and
the downstream current of the main flow of
the river.
Ender - A play maneuver enacted by
nosing the boat's bow down and deep and the
stern up, which results in the boat popping
vertically upward. Good fun!!
Ferry - The act of crossing a
section of river without going downstream by
maintaining a boat angle.
Gauge - Measures river volume in
feet (physical height of the water in the
river), cubic feet per second (CFS) which is
the amount of water passing that particular
spot on the river. A visual representation
of this is to imagine that the water in the
river is made up of basketballs thus the CFS
in this case would be the number of
basketballs passing a given spot in a
second. A higher CFS means more water in the
river. Can also be measured in meters per
second (MTS).
Grab Loop - Loops placed in
the front and back of a kayak typically used
to carry the boat or tie it down to a
vehicle. Grab loops can also be utilized to
rescue swimmers by giving them a place to
hold onto while you tow them to shore.
Gradient - The "steepness" of a
river, measured in feet of elevation loss
per mile of river.
Haystacks - A large standing wave
caused by deceleration of current.
Headwall - Steep cliff where the main
channel of the river drives against it at a
90-degree angle.
Highside! - The act of jumping to the
"high side" when coming up against an
obstacle sideways in a raft. When executed
properly, it can help prevent a wrap or a
flip.
Hole - Where water flowing over a
rock or other obstacle flows down, then back
onto itself in an eruption of whitewater.
Horizon Line - Usually indicates that
the river gradient has dropped implying
rapids, falls, or drop ahead.
Hydraulic - Also known as a
hole, is a river feature where water drops
over a obstruction (rock ledge or a rock)
into deeper water on the downstream side.
This causes water on the surface to be drawn
back toward the rock or ledge. This can be a
potentially hazardous feature but it could
also be a feature used for playboating. Low
head dam's are the most dangerous example of
a hydraulic.
Hypothermia - A serious physical
condition caused by a lowering of the core
body temperature.
Peel Out - Term used to describe
leaving an eddy and entering the main
current; bow catches the main current and
quickly swings the boat downstream.
PFD - Personal Flotation Device.
Otherwise known as a life jacket.
Pillow - Pillow
is the water that builds up on the upstream side of an obstruction.
Portage - To carry the boats around a
rapid or obstacle.
Put-in - The starting point of a
river trip where boats are put into the
river.
River Left - The left-hand side of
the river when looking downstream. When
downstream looking upstream it is on your
right.
River Right - The right-hand side of
the river when looking downstream. When
downstream looking upstream it is on your
left.
Roll - A maneuver that will
right a kayak after it has been turned
upside down. There are many types of rolls -
C to C, the Sweep Roll, Hands Roll and the
Back Deck Roll.
Roostertail - Spray of water that
explodes off a submerged rock or obstacle.
Safety Talk - A pre-trip talk to
learn about safety on the river to maximize
awareness.
Shuttle - The most dangerous part of
the trip. Driving between the put-in and
take-out. One-vehicle shuttles require
logistical foresight using options such as
biking, walking, hitchhiking, etc., to
return to the put-in.
Sit-On-Top Kayak - As the name would
suggest, the paddler sits on top of the
'sit-on-top' kayak rather than inside a
cockpit.
Surf- A surf is a maneuver in which a
paddler stays on a wave or in a hole. Can be
done on purpose or by accident.
Spray Skirt - A neoprene or nylon
accessory that fits around the waist of the
paddler and the cockpit lip of a canoe or
kayak for a watertight closure.
Standing Waves (also known as wave
trains) - Standing waves are associated with
constricted areas of water most commonly
called Downstream V's. Water can only be
pushed out downstream so fast so the water
pushes upward into waves.
Strainer - An opening or openings
where water can flow through, but a solid
object such as a person or boat cannot.
Usually formed by trees on the banks, or by
rocks on top of one another with water
flowing through them. A serious hazard!
Sweep Guide - This guide stays at the
rear of the trip.
Take-out - River access where a trip
ends
Technical - This describes the
character of a rapid that requires skillful
maneuvering because of frequent
obstructions. Also describes specific,
difficult-to-master paddling techniques.
Throw Bag - A rope made out of either
poly or spectra rope that is flaked into a
stuff sack that makes it easily stored.
Tongue - The smooth "v" of fast water
found at the head of rapids.
Trip Leader - A Guide designated to
oversee the smooth running of a trip.
Undercut - Overhanging rock or ledge
with water flowing underneath it. A serious
hazard!
Upstream "V" - Found on either side
of a downstream "V" which represents the
shape an eddy makes. Obstacles on both right
and left will create downstream "V's" and
those obstacles create eddies.
Waterfall - A major drop in a
riverbed, usually over six feet in height.
Wet Suit - A close-fitting garment of
neoprene foam that provides thermal
insulation in cold water.
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