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A raft
A river with complex rapids
Someone to set safety
Understanding what happens in a surf
Types of surfs
How to catch a surf
what to do when you get surfed unintentionally
In this lesson, Trevor is discussing how to raft multi move rapids by breaking them down into manageable pieces. We will be discussing how to chain your moves together by focusing on the theory of setting up to set up, understanding the impact of your momentum, maintaining boat control, and increasing your sphere of awareness by thinking 2 moves ahead.
A multi move rapid is most simply a rapid that has multiple large features flowing into one another. By large features we are referring to river features that would be consequential in and of themselves. When we look at the class rating system our team generally feels that having multiple larger class III features which feed into each other set the benchmark for class IV and V rapids. When we talk about features feeding into each other we are typically referring to when features are separated by at most a short bit of slack water requiring you to be set up for the next feature as soon as you exit the feature above.
In our intermediate scouting discussion, we talk more about scouting techniques, so you can learn more about scouting in that lesson. For this lesson though you will want to identify the crux move and make sure that you are in position for that. Multi move rapids may have several crux moves where you have to make last minute micro adjustments to set up for the next feature in a very narrow timeframe. You want to take careful note of these sections, because they are the parts of the rapid that can cause you the most trouble. Additionally, you want to make sure you are selecting solid landmarks to help guide you through the rapid.
Setting up for a multi move rapid can be a bit more complex because you may have to run a less desirable option in the first feature to help set you up for the next feature. When you are setting up look for alternate angles of entry that will help get you set up for the second move. You may have to catch a small eddy after the first move, or grab a quick surf to move you away from a dangerous spot in the river. When you’re setting up make sure you are taking note of your landmarks from your scouts. This will help you make your moves between features so you don’t wander into anything that may be hidden from view while you’re in the rapid. Remember it’s ok to stop half way through to reorient if you need to, just make sure you select these locations in advance. We’ll have another video about eddy hopping that will help guide you through that process, but have that in the back of your mind when you are evaluating contingencies.
The most important technique when you’re entering a multi move rapid is chaining moves together. You want to think of it not as a line, but a continuous flow of options you are designing to feed you along the correct course. Some rapids have particularly powerful features that can send your boat off in a direction of the river’s choice and this is not a position you want to be in. The goal is to make your moves flow together smoothly and that requires thinking outside the box or coming at the river from different angles. No two multi move rapids are the same, but there are a few principles that can help you move around in multi move rapids.
When you enter your first move make sure you are entering with the understanding that you need to end set up for the next move. If you’re having trouble finishing your rapids in class III, spend some time training to finish a rapid strong so you can have excellent boat control moving into the next feature. The core of this philosophy is to chain your moves together. Ultimately you need to make sure whatever route you chose to take in the first move ends you at the starting position for the next move so you don’t have to waste a ton of energy fighting to get in position for the next move.
Having a strong grasp of momentum is crucial to your success in multi move rapids as well. In our intermediate momentum discussion, we look more at how to control your momentum throughout the rapid. You need to understand where in the rapid that you can gain momentum to punch a feature, and where you want less momentum to get around something.
It is critical to maintain control over your raft as you are moving through the features. You may need to power through these features or adjust your route through a particular part of the rapid to avoid these features so you can get set up for the next move. Make sure you are focusing on you being in control of the boat’s ferry angle and momentum. If you remember back to our beginner lesson on momentum, when we look at what momentum is it is a function of mass coupled with speed over direction (velocity). The key element is direction and keeping your raft tracking in the direction of your choice until you are ready to turn and engage the next feature makes or breaks your success. You want to continuously utilize small corrective draw and pry strokes or using your crew to rapidly rotate your boat will help you achieve success.
Running multi move rapids requires that you are looking downstream and focusing on what is ahead not what you are actively in. You can learn more about this technique in our spheres of awareness lesson. For the purposes of this lesson, you need to increase your sphere of awareness to encompass at least the setup of the next feature, if not the next feature itself. We often say that setup is 80% of running a rapid, so operating on that premise, as soon as you enter the first feature, 80% of your focus should be free to look at what’s downstream. As you enter the rapid, 80% of what’s happening has already taken place, so again it comes back to minor corrective strokes to keep you going the way you want. Your focus needs to be on what is coming next. To use an analogy of driving a car, you don’t look at the hood when you’re driving on the highway, you need to be focused on vehicles ahead of you and what is further down the road. Maintaining this downstream focus will help you adjust for what’s next and where you want to go rather than your mind getting sucked into the feature you are falling into.
As with everything in rafting you need to make sure that you are maintaining good safety while you are running multi move rapids. Running multi move rapids involves considerably higher risk and should only be attempted by competent rafters. Before going out into harder whitewater you should seek qualified hands on training. This video should serve merely as a starting point of on the path to learning to navigate harder whitewater and is intended as for entertainment purposes only.
