What the hell is going on?
So we arrive at the rapid, we can not see the bottom or are unsure of where to go, we scout. I always start at the bottom and work my way back to my boat. We do this so we can confirm that we have a safe exit, and there are no unrunable hazards blocking my path.
W.O.R.M.S.
Scouting white water can be confusing, there is a lot going on. Here is a handy and easy way to break it down.
WORMS is an acronym that we use to help break down a rapid into its components. It stands for Water, Obstacles, Route. Markers an Maneuvers, Safety. This is a linear list, as in if we have to safely check off each letter before advancing to the next stage. If for whatever reason we are unable to pass a letter, we can not run the rapid.
W: water
This is the most important question we have to ask our selves at any given time. We can break down this question into sub categories. How much water is there?
-Is there too much or too little?
Where does the water go?
-Is there a place for me to stop, should I attempt this rapid
-Does it go around any blind corners
-Is there too much or too little?
Where does the water go?
-Is there a place for me to stop, should I attempt this rapid
-Does it go around any blind corners
O: obstacles
R: route
Here we Identify where we need to go, in order to avoid the obstacles.
As mentioned above, we tend to get lost in all of the bad places we could end up inside the rapids To counter act this I look for all of the 'happy' places. I look for eddys, and downstream Vs that may point in the direction I need to go. Here is my step by step thought processes to determine where I need to go inside a rapid: 1) Determine the positive areas inside the rapid: eddies and downstream Vs 2) Asses where the water flows inside the rapid: -are there multiple channels inside the rapid? -where does the majority, minority of the water flow? 3) Draw an imaginary line linking positive area 4) What obstacles are in my route? 5) Can they be safely avoided? 7) Are there any features that can assist me in my route? |
M: markers and maneuvers
How we run run the rapid.
Markers
So we do not get lost in the rapid we identify stand out features that can serve to let us know where we are inside the rapid. Features could be; water (holes, waves, ext), topographic (rocks, cliffs, trees, ext), human made (bridges, buildings, ext)
Maneuvers
What are the specific strokes that I need to do in this rapid, where do I need to use them and on what side do I need to use them? Where do I need extra speed?
S: safety
What type of safety do we need and where do we put it
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