Kayaking To The Extreme - Man Against Nature
December 4th, 2008

A kayak is a small boat with a cockpit where the kayaker sits. The cockpit has a piece of waterproof material (called a spray skirt or a spraydeck) that is designed to be secured around the kayaker's waist and keep water out of the cockpit. This makes the kayak almost unsinkable unless it runs into something, like a big rock, and develops a hole. While a kayak may be virtually unsinkable, it is easily capsized (turned upside down) which, considering that the kayaker is more or less tied into the cockpit, makes it the kayaker's least favorite position. As you would expect, the first thing a kayaker learns is how to recover from that upside down position. The kayak is moved through the water with a single paddle that has two blades, rather than the single blade you normally associate with a paddle.

The recreational kayaker will take a leisurely paddle down a river and "shoot" right through some mild (slow) rapids. However, when confronted with whitewater (dangerous rapids or waterfalls) the recreational kayaker will portage (carry the kayak) around them. Not so the extreme kayaker. The extreme kayaker not only anticipates dangerous rapids and high waterfalls, the extreme kayaker looks for them.

Whitewater areas on rivers have six classifications in what is known as the International Grading System. The easiest whitewater to navigate is called Class I and the nearly impossible to navigate is called Class VI. These classifications change as the river or the whitewater itself changes from season to season or, sometimes, from day to day.

Here is a rundown of the six classes from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitewater#Classification_of_whitewater):

Class 1: no rapids, smooth flowing water

Class 2: some rough water--the line is easy to see and pursue

Class 3: whitewater but very safe for larger rafts; kayakers and canoeists should have good rolling or self-rescue skills

Class 4: whitewater for experienced paddlers only; the route through the rapids may require quick maneuvering

Class 5: whitewater for advanced paddlers; scouting the rapid may be required, and there may be hidden hazards, which require precise maneuvering

Class 6: impassable or exploratory; for teams of experts, taking all safety precautions

The extreme kayaker's world of pure adrenalin consists of billions of gallons of water powering its way through narrow canyons, pouring down granite-lined chutes and cascading over multiple waterfalls, some as high as 80 feet. However violent and dangerous this sounds to the person who is not addicted to the extreme, this scene of wet mayhem is only an interlude in their search for the next Class VI rapid and the next 80-foot waterfall.

Also called "steepcreeking" and "hairboating", many of these extreme kayak adventures are organized by American Whitewater (http://www.americanwhitewater.org/) a group that has a goal of protecting and nurturing the enjoyment of America's rivers. The sport was born in the mid-1980s, when a small group of kayakers began looking for something more than overcrowded rivers with weekend warriors out in their kayaks and canoes. This group began a concerted effort to find the places where the others would not dare go and they went. Places like Triple Falls on the Little River in North Carolina. Triple falls takes the dauntless kayaker over three waterfalls that total a 125-foot descent. The unwritten rule for "steepcreeking" is: a one-mile stretch of the river must drop at least 250 feet to be a suitable venue.

Kayak designs have changed along with the sport. Extreme kayakers require more maneuverability and a tougher hull on their kayaks and kayak designers have responded with new styles and new materials. It should be a surprise to no one that safety among the extreme kayak community is a big issue and some extreme kayakers are worried that those concerns will attempt to ruin their fun.

Extreme kayaking, whatever you call it, is evolving and maturing and while it may or may not get safer, it will always provide the adrenaline high that gives extreme sports their reputation. Extreme sport, remember, isn't a death wish or even a desire to take wild and ridiculous chances. Extreme sport is about an individual challenging him or her to beat the odds, regardless of the odds. It is about an individual achieving a level of focus, determination and resultant accomplishment that that individual had previously doubted him or herself capable of achieving

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