Big Drops Two

Big Drops Two

a Carolina Paddler Article

by Alton Chewning

-After our last article on running waterfalls, “How to Run a Big Drop?”, Boyd Ruppelt of the Send School Kayaking Tutorials contacted Carolina Paddler to comment on the story and to share his video series on running waterfalls.  We discussed a couple of points: how modern boat design with higher rocker affected boat angle on drops and additional techniques for determining safe plunge pool conditions.  We’ll get to those points soon but first we’ll look at information learned from watching Boyd’s Waterfalls Techniques.

TERMINOLOGY

Ruppelt does this well, clearly explaining words we casually use.  The Lip can be more precisely labeled as the Lip Line.  This is the point where the green water of the river meets the white curtain of the waterfall.  It encompasses the change in angle of the horizontal river to the more vertical falls.  Lip line is where green meets white.

The Curtain is the vertical (or diagonal) sheet of falling white water.  The curtain extends from the lip line to just above the plunge pool.  Waterfall height is measured from the top of the curtain to the plunge pool.

The Plunge Pool is the water directly at the base of the falls.  This can be foamy and boiling, with mists shrouding the area from the dynamic conflict of falling water meeting standing water. The plunge pool is the larger area where the jumper enters the water.

Beneath the plunge pool is the Boil of water.  The boil is the vertical rotation of the water hitting the bedrock of the river, bouncing off and coming back to the surface.  A “good boil” means the depth of the water is sufficient to allow a rotation to form and the water returns to the surface on its own so there are no rocks or undercuts which disturb the water.  An irregular boil, or a disruption in the boil line, reveals rocks or other obstructions below the water that are forcing the water back to the surface.  A good plunge pool should have a very even, usually oval, boil line that matches the width of the curtain.  A welcoming cup.

The Aeration of the water at the surface of the plunge pool reveals the depth of the water.  Soft aeration–foamy and misty, lots of bubbles–that gradually fade into greener water indicates deeper water.  Hard aeration with more splashing and irregular shape denotes a shallower pool. A pool with some green water (tricky because green water can be shallow or deep) may still be deep enough for a kayaker’s plugging of the drop but the surface will be harder, more resistant.  Pools with greater aeration, more bubbles, cushion the impact of a dropping kayak.  Ones with greener surfaces make for a more violent and painful intersection.

Plugging is the act of landing vertically into a plunge pool.  This is opposed to a more horizontal landing, such as those resulting from a Boof, where a jumper vaults off the lip and the kayak lands flatter.  Boofing or horizontal landings can be safe and painfree on shorter drops, say, up to fifteen or twenty feet, depending on the plunge pool’s condition and assuming good form. Poor boof form can cause injury. Higher drops require a more vertical boat angle to prevent damage to boat and body.

Impact

As an aside let’s look at the phenomenon of cliff diving.  Cliff divers launch their bodies off high places and land in water.  Divers enter the surface in a headfirst position or in a tombstoning position, feet first and arms tucked close to the body.  In both cases the idea is to be as streamlined as possible.

Water resistance increases with the speed of entry, so a high-velocity dive induces rapid deceleration.  Horizontal velocity derived from a running jump may also add to the speed of impact.  Below is a chart of velocity of a diver hitting the water from a stationary position.  Since kayakers are adding their boat speed and the speed of the current to their impact, these numbers would be somewhat higher.

Boyd adds this to the discussion of impact: “One tricky fact that is both fun and terrifying is that on waterfalls, the water in front of you breaks the wind resistance just as you break the wind resistance on the water around you. Air flow follows and it’s almost more like falling in a vacuum. That’s why wind proportionately moves down with the falling water. Because of this, it’s a consideration that on waterfalls you may exceed typical cliff jumping, BASE jumping, or skydiving fall rates.  The waterfall volume and your position in the curtain are both factors.”

TECHNIQUE

Speed II

The amount of speed a boater gathers in approaching a drop affects the boat angle attained on the drop.  Speed here means the velocity of the boat compared to the velocity of the water, the difference between the two.  For a boof launch, as much speed as attainable works most of the time.  For plugging or more vertical boat angles the speed of the kayak should be the same or slightly faster than the current of the river.  Ruppelt points out, “Doing the same speed as the current allows the boat to melt into the lip, just make sure that’s what you want.”  The downside (or backside) of melting into the lip is it increases the chances of popping up behind the curtain of a waterfall.  Sometimes the rock face of the falls is undercut, and a turbulent rear pocket can grab and hold the paddler.

Going slightly faster than the current allows the boat to melt into the lip and propel the front of the boat out from the curtain while not allowing the stern to break free of it. This ensures the jumper lands on the downstream side of the curtain and not behind it.

Hinging at the Lip

Going over the drop, it’s important to maintain the same angle of the boater’s body in relation to the boat.  Let’s say it’s perpendicular to the kayak.  The paddler begins to hinge forward as the boat goes over the lip, looking down towards the target area.  Since the boat takes a dip at the lip from horizontal to diagonal to vertical, the kayaker needs to match this change in orientation.  If the kayaker reacts to the pucker factor of seeing the drop below, there is a tendency to pull or lean back.  Pulling back unhinging the hips, tilting the torso, and inadvertently doing a leanback on the rear deck.  This will pitch the boat forward.  The same boat pitching can happen by tucking too early in the drop.

Lip approach

The lip can be approached straight-on by the paddler or it can be approached more obliquely.  With a straight-on heading the bow of the boat blocks the paddler’s downward view while at the lip.  This is okay if the intention is to boof the drop rather than plug it. The paddle can be used to give a stroke at the lip.  The paddle can also be inserted into the water at a angle parallel with the boat and then turned to give a stroke at the lip.

After throwing a boof lip stroke, the paddler needs to “chicken wing” the paddle, holding it perpendicular to the water with the elbows straight above the paddle.    Most jumpers, particularly on higher drops, turn the paddle to the side, parallel with the boat, to avoid hitting it on entry.  The most common injuries in drops are face to paddle or face to boat. Tucking will be discussed later.

The oblique or off-angle approach to the lip is best for big drops because you can see your landing area as you approach the lip. In this maneuver, the paddle is held in a stationary stroke.  The paddle can be pushed to hold the bow down or pulled to bring the bow up.  Pulling on the paddle can cause a boof, something to be strictly avoided on big drops.

Once in freefall on larger drops, the paddler should stay hinged forward so the landing area can be seen, the hole or pit created between the curtain and the pool.  The jumper aims for this precise target.

Leaning the body side to side (while not using the paddle) during freefall can adjust the horizontal angle.  Leaning back can tilt the bow down, leaning forward pushes the bow up.

Any movement needs to be subtle and smooth; Ruppelt calls them “Quiet”.  Abrupt moves can cause unintentional changes in boat angle.

Plugging and the Art of the Tuck

The art of the Tuck is paramount for jumpers who wish to plug waterfalls or to run any waterfalls greater than twenty-five feet.  Timing is critical to tucking.  Tucks should be saved until the last second of the drop, the last 10-20 feet.  Earlier tucking can cause the boat and paddler to pitch forward, past 90 degrees.

To tuck the paddler hinges forward from the hips and gets as low as possible.  This makes for a more aerodynamic entry.  Again, think of the cliff diver knifing into the water.  Hinging forward also takes the shock of impact into the legs and hips and not into the spine.

Waterfall dropping or flying needs to be practiced on real waterfalls.  There is no substitution. The practice waterfalls need to be twenty feet or so and in as safe a situation as possible.  Landing too flat on even a shorter waterfall can harm the back. Tucking too early or too quickly can cause the boat to pitch forward. True tucking is not fully feasible until the drop is thirty feet or more.  So, the art of tucking is difficult to learn safely.

What to do with paddle, part 2

Do you toss the paddle?  Or hold onto it?  Ruppelt says the decision should be made while scouting the waterfall.  On impact, keeping the paddle risks having the paddle flying back into the face or chest, or grabbing the water in such a way to force the paddle behind the paddler, possibly dislocating a shoulder.

If the decision is to let go of the paddle, it should be flipped up and away.  The paddle can also be flipped to the side, but this must be done cleanly and with as little movement as possible so as not to alter the boat angle. Without the paddle the face should be tucked against the arms crossed over the combing or front deck.

Tucks:  Oregon or Washington?

In some situations, a waterfall will dictate the need to keep the paddle to have for use in an undercut pool or when another drop quickly follows the current one.  So, a jumper should have ready a good tuck incorporating the paddle. The two main tucks are the Oregon Tuck and the Washington Tuck.

Oregon Tuck

The Oregon Tuck, often called the standard tuck, calls for the paddle to be pulled parallel to the boat, with the front blade pinned to the front deck by front arm and the rear blade and shaft tucked under the rear arm.  The head is turned to the side and down, protecting the face.  It can be rested on the front arm close to the deck.

Merely moving the paddle to the side of the boat, in a position like the set-up of a roll, can allow the arms to be aggressively forced towards the stern, possibly dislocating the shoulder.

Washington Tuck

In the Washington Tuck, both hands slide up the shaft just behind the front blade.  They hold the front blade down tightly and form a pocket to protect the head.  A loosely held paddle can be yanked back, again risking a shoulder injury.  A tightly held paddle can make for a very safe and smooth entry.

Ruppelt encourages jumpers to practice tucking to each side.  At times, a waterfall’s plunge pool might be softer on one side, and you should tuck to that side.  A previous injury may dictate tucking to one side or other.

On big drops, the plunge continues after hitting the water.  This is a moment to regroup and to prepare for what happens on resurfacing, a roll or quick maneuver, or a swim.  A skirt can implode, or the paddler can be thrown from the boat.

Safety and Practice

In addition to scouting any waterfall being considered for running, a safety plan must be in effect. This can mean as little as having one other competent boater/rescuer standing by in a boat or as prepared and comforting as having a team of safety people, some with ropes on land, others in boats on the water, to assist the jumper if needed and to retrieve gear.  The danger is significantly greater on back-to-back waterfalls, a not uncommon geological occurrence.  Even more care and preparation should be used.

In all endeavors, a person gets better at what they practice.  Ruppelt encourages a careful progression in running falls, going from ten or fifteen footers to twenties, then twenty-five and so on.  Remember, techniques begin to change in the twenty-to-thirty-foot range.  Boofs and other horizontal moves go away, plugging and tucks become more feasible and necessary.  Don’t try to skip steps in progression just to take an advantage of a “can’t wait” opportunity.

Much of the above information was gained from watching Boyd Ruppelt’s Waterfalls Techniques.  The following section is a discussion between Carolina Paddler  and Ruppelt about questions that arose in the last article and special circumstances.  The last section describes the progression of one young CCC paddler in his pursuit of big drops.

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A DISCUSSION WITH BOYD RUPPELT

Modern Rocker Design

Carolina Paddler:  Boyd, in a response to CP’s first article, “How to Run a Big Drop?” you mentioned some of the information is outdated in respect to modern, high rocker designs, particularly in regard to landing angle.

Ruppelt:  Modern rocker designs [which tend to be higher] have us landing either perfectly vertical or even past vertical in a lot of situations these days, often aiming for a slight pitch [backwards]…85-105 degrees if 90 degrees is dead vertical.  Some designs or specific drops offer more forgiveness, but many new designs offer less.  Bow width or flattened rocker under the seat of modern high rocker designs is also a factor on landing angle.

Reading Plunge Pool Depth

Carolina Paddler:  In Tao Berman’s 2009 book, “Going Vertical,” he mentions the best way he’s found for judging the depth and safety of the plunge pools on big waterfalls is by pushing logs off the falls and judging how they fare in the pools below.  At its simplest, shattered logs mean rocks.  Logs resurfacing far down river mean a deeper pool. You mentioned jumpers are much better at estimating depth these days.

Ruppelt: On big drops, it’s actually quite easy most of the time to tell about pool depth because the water hits with so much force. The simple question to ask is, does the amount of aeration match the flow and does it evenly leave the base of the drop… Even on a drop like Greeter Falls in TN (a classic Southeastern 50’er), plumes of water are launched obviously into the air where it hits the bottom in landing.

Ruppelt: Greeter’s is pretty misty, but if you’re scouting it, the river right side is the way to go, although a few of us are considering a tight left line between the rocks.

Ruppelt: It’s hard to tell from this one of Josh Arntzen but the boil to the river left is actually quite disturbed and not moving cleaning away. It’s constricted in a couple of spots hinting at rocks. The river right side is a cleaner, a more consistent and softer moving boil because it’s deeper.  Here is a better view of the water hitting the rocks on river left.

Here’s a view of Greeter’s rocks with and without water:

 

Ruppelt: These photos were from a discussion where a few of us were mapping out the rock pile on river left to figure out if the left line was clean enough to go. I did not run Greeter on this day because I wanted more flow. The top view photos are without water, the bottom view photos are taken from an angle behind the curtain, more river right and obviously with water flowing.

The purple rock shelf is the one in question. If you look back at the picture of Josh running the falls, you can see the vertical plumes of water caused by this rock pile on the river left.

Carolina Paddler:  Your method, which you explain very well, seems to work if you can clearly see the surface of the plunge pool and the boils formed or not.  From my layman’s perspective, it seems like on these big drops, 60 plus feet, the pool is often obscured by foam and mists of water splashing back up.  Also, clouded by wind disturbance caused by the height of the drop, the uplift of wind.

Ruppelt: On this shot of me on Demshitz Drop, the main drop is 60 ft.   You are getting the mist you’re asking about but look at the base.   It’s a little blown out in the photo, the video is better, but you can see where the main boil has been disturbed on the river left side by some rocks.

Ruppelt: On Desoto, the base is completely clean but notice how the boils leaving the falls match/correlate evenly with the shape of the curtain.

I’d typically recommend tucking on the other side by the way. I ended up in that position after having to correct a near boof accident cause by a slightly positive stern draw… just goes to show how delicate lines on big waterfalls are. I took quite a hit.

Here’s a great one for what you’re asking about, one I took of Huilo Huilo falls in Chile.

Ruppelt: Zoom in and look at the base. there’s definitely mist and wind blowing in view, but the actual water leaving the drop isn’t clean. You can also see the large pulsing splash on river left from impact with a rock.

Carolina Paddler:  Thanks so much for these explanations of how to estimate the depth of plunge pools.  Let’s see if we have this straight.  If water plumes high above the pool, it indicates a shallow bottom.  And softer, moving boils in the outflow suggest a deeper bottom.  Irregular or disturbed outflow could mean rocks.  Smooth regular outflow that matches the shape of the curtain probably means deeper water.  Of course, these observations are just some of the indications for both possibilities.

Ruppelt: Exactly.  Also, we never run waterfalls without actually checking them out. Many times, drops are scouted while dry and if someone’s worried they may check depth in other ways.

Carolina Paddler:  One other consideration we haven’t touched on is Timing. Seems like big time jumpers spend a lot of effort trying to hit a falls when the water is at the perfect Goldilocks level.

Ruppelt:  Yeah it’s really a key to longevity in the sport. Dane [Jackson] is content to walk away if something doesn’t feel right or look right… really cool to see this when scouting in person [with him.]

Most of us are also good about not adding pressure to each other. We all get scared off and on and have to make our own decisions accordingly.

Anyway, on waterfalls I’d rather have a spicy level than a low level. More water can soften a landing and aerate the pool, less water hurts.

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THE PROGRESSION OF A YOUNG JUMPER 

Nathan Anderson has been paddling for a couple of years.  He’s moved fast, being naturally skilled, dedicated to practice, a good researcher and having exposure to experienced paddlers who share their insights.

Carolina Paddler asked Nathan to share notes on his progression.

Anderson:  I went from running Baby Falls and Hooker Falls ->Bottom ledge of Bald River Falls->Stateline Falls (Watauga)-> Compression Falls (Elk) ->Harper Creek Falls -> Great Falls of the Potomac and various Waterfalls in Colorado on Oh Be Joyful Creek and Daisy Creek (Heart Attack Falls, Dead Zone Falls, Big Woody Falls).

 For each of those waterfalls, I’ve been with different people. I would watch other paddlers go through and then I would run it.  Safety wise, there would be people already at the bottom in case something happened.  Regarding technique, I’ve mostly studied videos but I’ve also watched what other people did when they ran the drops.  I’m a very visual learner.

This is Nathan’s video of running Stateline Falls earlier this year.  He said, “This wasn’t my first time running this drop although it was my first time running it in my Small Dagger Code. The level was around 300 cfs which is a good lower level.”

Anderson:  Regarding my progression. I did a bunch of research and studied the various drops before running them.  After I was comfortable doing the tuck (which was honestly more of a mental game of forcing myself to tuck), I felt ready to tackle Compression Falls.

Anderson: Harper’s was a good one to get on after Bald River and Stateline because it combined moves from both drops as well as gave a big enough drop to get good experience with the tuck technique.

Anderson: Now do I recommend people step up to these big drops as fast as I did?  Not really. I chose to as I saw the lines/moves and felt I could execute them (which I did of course). Preferably people should practice things and slowly work their way up to bigger drops. One thing to note of my selection of drops is that they don’t have super complicated lead-in moves. The start of each of them is from a pool or eddy. The lips are easy too. Harper’s is really an extremely steep sloping drop. I stay connected the whole time till the very bottom. The most intimidating part is the back-to-back nature going from the 1st drop into the main drop.

Nathan has continued to run waterfalls and participated in his first Green Narrows race.  Here are some photos of those drops.

Carolina Paddler asked Boyd Ruppelt about Nathan Anderson’s progression in running waterfalls.

Ruppelt:  That’s a good progression, next step would be learning and practicing on more complicated lips (Rock Island, TN, is great for that) … it’s much easier to progress in places like the Pacific Northwest and Chile. The Southeast is hard.

Carolina Paddler would like to thank Boyd Ruppelt and Nathan Anderson for their help in putting together this article. 

“Every accomplishment is like a smooth line run and every failure is an epic story I can share at the campground when our earth expedition here is done.”

Boyd Ruppelt

Boyd:  I’ve been kayaking whitewater over 30 years, more than 20 of those years were sponsored, semi-professionally, and professionally. I’ve been an athlete on team Jackson Kayak 19 years this month, and I’ve guided and instructed on 3 continents. I’m featured in old school kayaking flicks like Hotel Charley: River of Doubt. I currently offer signature weeks on the Ottawa and will likely offer them in Ecuador and Chile as well.

Here’s my JK team profile.

Send School is my personal channel, no direct affiliation with anyone other than me. I created it because I have a ton of unique experience and knowledge from paddling at the top end of the sport with many of the best kayakers in the world, and I wanted to give back to the paddling community by sharing what I’ve learned. Videos made more sense than the private instruction I was doing. My goal has been to share it for free and make it available so that everyone can progress and have as much fun on the water as I do, but safely. Here’s the overview video for my channel.

Perfect Size Too

In the last Carolina Paddler article on big drops, we mentioned the perfect size for waterfall jumpers.  Boyd’s dimensions:  Height: 5’8”, Weight 155lbs.

 

Nathan Anderson

Nathan:  I started Whitewater Kayaking sometime around April of 2020. My first boat was a Dagger Katana 10.4 which I used and pushed all the way into Class III+ stuff later that year. By this point, I was already hooked and realized that I would need to get a more proper WW boat if I wanted to get into harder whitewater. I ultimately settled on the Dagger Nomad S (newer version). I continued to progress rapidly and kept pushing farther and farther. In early 2021, I stepped into Class IV stuff. I kept pushing and got on the Green River Narrows on Halloween of that year. I then went back to paddle the Narrows on race day to watch the race. The next day, I got my personal first descent (PFD) on the Tallulah and ran Oceana (Class V+) for the first time. I now paddle the Green often among other runs in the area.

Nathan’s dimensions:  Height: 5′ 7″, Weight: 125lbs.

SOURCES:

Waterfall Techniques from the Send School

https://youtube.com/playlist…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_jumping

Nathan Anderson’s  Youtube channel is www.youtube.com/@RogueTitanNate

 

For those of you still reading….

Compression Falls is often occupied by young people enjoying the view.  As intimidating as it looks, some intrepid souls launch off the top sans kayak. Boat-less jumpers have been known to poorly tombstone and bust a nut.