Whitewater Kayaking and Rafting - Summit County, Colorado

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Whitewater Kayaking and Rafting, Summit County, Colorado

Whitewater is an adventurous recreational sport for those who love the speed, the challenge, and the competition of man against nature.

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Whitewater Kayaking and Rafting, Summit County, CO

Summit County, CO > Summit County, Colorado > Local > Whitewater Kayaking and Rafting
Whitewater Kayaking and Rafting Whitewater is an adventurous recreational sport for those who love the speed, the challenge, and the competition of man against nature. It can be done safely and without injury if the person takes along knowledge and skill. The rivers are constantly changing depending on water flow, debris, and rock formations so knowing the river and staying educated about the hazards is the best way to have a fun, safe time. Below are a few terms to familiarize you with the whitewater features. 1. A wave is created when the water flows upward. Kayakers will surf waves just like a surfer rides ocean waves. The only difference is one is stationary and the other is moving. 2. A hole is created when the river current drops over a rock or ledge and circulates instead of continuing its downstream flow. A significant feature because it either offers play opportunities or danger of trapping, depending on the power of the hole. 3. A bony run is one in which many rocks are showing and it can be difficult to maneuver 4. Class I-IV is the international scale of river difficulty classification system. Class I the easiest and Class VI the most difficult. 5. Confluence - The junction of two rivers or forks of a river. 6. An eddy is an area of usually calm water behind or downstream of an obstruction in the main current, where water flows counter to that of the main current. 7. A Boil is unpredictable currents pushing to the surface. Usually caused by rocks pushing the water to the surface. 8. A Drop is a short, well-defined, rapid or section of a rapid. Named for the abrupt drop in elevation between the top and bottom of the rapid. 9. A Wave Train is a series of standing waves or a runout of a rapid. 10. Pourovers are rocks with flat tops that are just under the surface of the water. Now that you are familiar with the terms of whitewater formations, a brief description and terminology of the tricks that kayakers perform will give you a better understanding of kayaking and will allow you to recognize a maneuver. When kayakers are heading down a river they may stop catch an eddy and surf on a standing wave. Surfing a standing wave in a river is much like surfing a moving wave in the ocean. Getting onto the upstream face of a wave, keeping the boat straight, and letting gravity pull the boat down and upstream creates this surfing sensation. Staying in the eddy allows remaining in that part of the river without floating downstream. Further down the river usually in a flat-water section, paddlers will boof or bounce off a rock or two. If they encounter a pourover, many kayakers will practice there ender/pop-up skills. The idea is to paddle the boat into a spot where the river pushes the bow down, thus lifting the back of the boat, or the stern, into the air. Doing this correctly will launch the entire boat into the air resulting in a pop-up. Many times a boater will flip upside after performing a pop-up and must perform an Eskimo roll to turn the boat right side-up. This is the basic self-rescue technique used by kayakers. Sometimes when kayaking there may be an obstruction that hinders the paddler. They may become stuck between the riverbed and this obstruction, which is known as a pin. A pin can be a dangerous position to be in especially if the paddler is upside-down and unable to dislodge the boat from the obstacle.

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