How to Run a Big Drop?

How to Run a Big Drop?

a Carolina Paddler article

by Alton Chewning

-Baby Falls on the Tellico River in Tennessee is regarded as a great training ground for paddlers wanting to learn how to run waterfalls.  The section of river above Baby Falls has several four-to-seven-foot drops to help the paddler get vertically oriented.  There are several acceptable lines on the Falls.  The recovery room below is brief but reasonable.  Many people have used Baby Falls as the start of their vertical career, a boon to their boof skills and a good PFD photo op.

But what if you were doing something bigger and less well documented?  Something considerably more challenging and dangerous.  Carolina Paddler doesn’t purport to know anything about big drops, or the skills and conditions needed to successfully execute them.  We do have something to share on the subject.  While preparing a report on the book, “Going Vertical”, by Tao Berman, we discovered many of his techniques for doing ambitious, big league first descents of towering waterfalls.

Berman held records for several drops, one being a 1999 descent of Alberta’s 98.4-foot Upper Johnston Canyon Falls.  Records are made to be broken and in 2009, Tyler Bradt, made a stunning breakthrough, descending the 196.5 Palouse Falls.  This is still regarded as the world record.

Several others have run the Palouse, including Knox Hammock and James Shimizu, who did it ten years later. Rafa Ortiz dropped it too but came out of his boat in the pool below, an event which is now considered a disqualification.  And wunderkind Dane Jackson has run several hundred-foot-plus falls, more than anyone, including this year’s 134-foot drop on Salto Del Maule in Chile, recognized as the second tallest descent.

How do you go about it?   Here are a few big drop tactics shared by Tao Berman and other jumpers, offered for those of us who can only descend easily into armchairs.  This is not an encouragement to go out and do something stupid but more of an appreciation of the skill and forethought and concentration needed to accomplish a big drop.

First of all, big time paddlers make the point that every falls is different and techniques need to be adjusted to the drop at hand.  Above is a photo of Bald River Falls, a tiered cascade in the Tellico Plains of Tennessee.  People run this, both from a lower entry point and the whole damn thing.  However, most of the discussion in this article regards vertical drops of thirty or more feet, where a paddler goes over a lip and descends into the pool below.

Scouting

Scouting is imperative in running bigger falls, particularly one not often run.  The condition of the pool at the bottom of the falls is a primary concern.  Is the water frothy, full of friendly boils, or is it greener?  Green water makes for a harder impact, like hitting concrete.  Foamy water is softer, more of a cushion.  The pool must be deep enough to allow the plunging boater to pencil in cleanly.  On some falls, an expert can angle his or her boat with the bow tilted slightly up to accommodate for shallower water, but this is very risky.  Too horizontal a landing can do serious harm to boat and spine.

Rocks are a major concern.  There must be a clear landing zone free of submerged rocks but how to know?  If the falls have friendly aerated water, the mists could be hiding rocks beneath the foam.  Visual scouting from the base of the falls could be helpful but the view often is obstructed.

Berman has a unique way of scouting pools.  He pushes logs over the lip and watches their progress. Berman says, “It may sound primitive but it’s the best way I’ve found to determine the depth of a pool at the base of a falls.”  He used this method to scout the 98-foot Upper Johnson Falls.  “But before I’d even consider running this tall, thin giant, I needed to know whether the pool was deep enough and rock-free.  If none of the logs we pushed over the falls shattered on impact, and if I liked where the logs resurfaced, I’d be closer to saying yes.”

The first small log the team pushed over the lip disappeared into the shrouded pool ten stories below.  After three or four seconds it reappeared about twenty feet downstream. Berman: “If a log reappears well downstream from a falls, it means the log plunged deeply and traveled along the bottom of the river before resurfacing. If the log pops up right away, that indicates the pool is probably shallow. Had it resurfaced quickly but in pieces, on the other hand, that would have alerted us to rocks just under the surface. Shattered logs and logs that get tumbled under water for ominous amounts of time worry kayakers.” A log underwater for a long period indicates retentive hydraulics or a hidden undercut.

Very tall waterfalls are difficult to scout from pool level.  Access to a good vantage point for observation can be difficult or impossible.  The thick fog over the pool from the falls-created wind gusts and pounding water obscure the view.  The idea of having scuba divers do underwater scouts is impractical. The water is too turbulent and dangerous for divers.

Undercut caves at the base of a falls are a peril.  A person going over a falls, intended or not, might survive the impact and then drown while held under a rock by the tumbling current.  Berman speculated four of the five people to die from inadvertently going over Johnston drowned in the undercut area behind the falls.

The lip needs to be carefully scouted.  Are there any protruding rocks or flakes that can change the boat’s angle if hit.  Is the angle of the falls perpendicular to the river’s current or slanted?  How much orientation time will the paddler have before going over the lip?

The lip of Upper Johnston’s Falls is only eight feet wide.  With a 150 cfs flow, Berman estimated his drop would last three seconds.  His hitting the correct point on the lip was imperative to avoid a rock flake about eighty-five feet down that could vault his kayak wildly just before impact.  A rock shoulder on the other side left him a narrow thread to make.  To be successful, the landing had to be within a three-foot-wide area.

Lining Up to the Lip

Most waterfalls have a very precise point at which the boat will go over the lip.  The paddler must have good reference points at the lip to know where to drop over.  Then the paddler must maneuver the boat in current so the boat’s horizontal angle correctly matches the angle of the falls.  Some paddlers intentionally approach the lip at an oblique angle, using the lip to curl the boat around to a straight on, vertical drop.

Bradt: “Waterfalls with tight lines demand more precise placement and concentration to put you on the correct spot at the lip. My descent of Washington’s 186-foot Palouse Falls had a tricky thread-the-needle line between a pitching hump on the left and a kicker into space on the right. The lip at Palouse was one of the most difficult I have ever run—I lined up with a rudder and held a stationary stern draw to stick the right to left orientation of the lip. Lining up the lip is the most intimidating part of running waterfalls—it is very important to have good points of reference at the lip, so you know exactly where you are dropping over. I usually spend more time scouting the lead-in to the lip than the actual drop.

Speed

The paddler wants to approach the lip with a speed a little faster than the water’s.  Too fast can put the paddler vaulting outside the downward flow of water.  This can lead to an awkward angle and a loss of control.

Once vertical the paddler is accelerating at 32 feet per second per second.  In other words, picking up speed as the fall progresses.  By the time Berman hit the pool at the bottom of Johnston Falls he was going fifty-five miles per hour.

Crossing the Lip

Some falls have rounded lips that gradually curve to vertical, automatically putting the paddler at a good angle.  Other lips are more abruptly vertical and require a stroke just over the lip to keep the boat vertical.  Too much of a stroke can, yet again, put the boat more horizontal, a “boof”, increasing the likelihood of a spinal compaction and other damage to the paddler.

Bradt cautions, “It is usually a very bad idea to run a waterfall when your boat might connect with a rock at the lip. My definition of a shallow lip waterfall is when the river goes over a shelf just deep enough for a kayak.”

Bradt adds, “Ride down the lip with a neutral body position—using a stern rudder to control side-to-side angle as necessary—and slowly begin to tuck as the waterfall becomes vertical to maintain a good entry angle.”

Boat Entry Angle

Ideal angle of the boat upon hitting the pool water is 85 to 95 degrees.  This minimizes a hard hit on the surface of the water. In the photo above, Justin Kleber is landing in green water after a thirty-foot drop, so he has his boat at a sharply vertical angle with the paddle well tucked to the side of the boat to lessen impact.

If the recovery pool is shallow, the paddler should hit the pool with the bow slightly up so that the boat will land flat rather than “piton”.

The Target

The paddler stays upright until the last twenty or thirty feet of the drop.  The jumper’s visual focus stays fixed on the point of entry.  Like in so many other situations the body (and boat) will follow where the eyes look.  Look where you want to go.

The Tuck

Over the lip and headed down, the paddler slowly tucks in.  Darin McQuoid states, “The classic “Oregon Tuck” is the preferred entry position, but you have to tuck in nice and slow or you’ll pitch over vertical from the sudden movement.”  The tuck should become full when the boat is vertical.  It is not practical to do tucks on waterfalls shorter than 20-25ft.

There are various versions to the final tuck position, but one method is to put an arm forward across the kayak’s deck and tuck the head against the arm.  This protects the face from hitting the boat or paddle.  The head and shoulders are pressed as tightly as possible against the deck, so the boat makes a clean aerodynamic line for entering the water, providing a softer landing.

At one time, laid-back positions had advocates, meaning the paddler laying his or her back on the rear deck of the kayak to hit the water. If the boat angle is ideally vertically angled, this can make for a soft landing, but there are several potential problems with the laidback entry. If the boat turns during the fall there is greater chance of injury. The face and upper body are exposed to whatever rocks the boat contacts. The boater has less control while laid back so no balance or directional maneuver can be done with body or paddle.  If the boat lands inadvertently flat, and the paddler is lying flat or sitting upright, Berman say’s “all that compression is going to act on your spine–strongly enough to break your back or crush vertebrae.  If you lean forward, on the other hand, you remove pressure from your spine and transfers it to your buttocks, which can handle it more easily.”

Finally with a layback there is greater chance of losing the paddle or having it do damage to the paddler. Holding the paddle behind the paddler head in a layback increases the chance of a dislocated shoulder.

And on that note some paddlers use mouth guards while doing big drops. Berman also modifies the footrests on new kayaks by replacing any hard foam padding.  He uses soft foam with slits cut into it to better absorb a hard impact.  He’s even been known to use a half-crushed milk jug for additional cushion.

What to do with the paddle?

Berman recalls early waterfall-jumpers held their paddles over their heads as they went over the lip of the fall, whether for show or to have it out of the way when the boat hits the water.  Again, this puts the shoulders at risk and many paddlers blew out shoulders.  Berman keeps his paddle low and has never had shoulder problems.

Nick Troutman and others prepare for pool contact by tucking the paddle under one arm, running parallel to the boat.  Some people prefer to throw the paddle, flipping it into the air.  This is to avoid hitting the paddle with a face or body upon impact in the pool.  It also adds a style point to the descent.  Other paddlers feel it’s better to keep the paddle in case a last second stroke is needed, or a difficulty arises in the pool.  Sometimes the water at the bottom of a falls can develop unusual hydraulics and boils and or have undercut caves that can grab a boater, places where a paddle is handy. Berman says, “I only throw the paddle if it’s an easy drop.”

Berman and Bradt each broke paddles on their record drops. A paddle can withstand 800 pounds of pressure, probably more than human bones.

The Perfect Paddler Size

Tao Berman is five foot six inches and weighs 150-155 pounds.

Dane Jackson is five foot seven inches and weighs 155 pounds.

Visualization

Both Berman and Bradt stress the importance of visualization.

Berman shares, “Just before I race or run a waterfall, I create a clear mental picture of what I’m about to tackle and, over and over again, run a “film” through my mind of me attaining my goal safely.

Bradt observes, “Visualization plays a very important role at this stage. Visualize sticking the line, then focus on this image until it is embedded in your mind. When you are running the waterfall there is no space for conscious thought about right or wrong reactions—they must simply happen in immediate response to the present situation.

Berman: “It’s not as if there are ‘simulation falls-jumping’ exercises; visualization is the next best thing.  It helps me focus my energy.”

Bradt adds, “Visualization is also invaluable when deciding which waterfalls to run. If I cannot visualize myself running a waterfall successfully, I won’t attempt it. My best advice is to start small and work up to larger drops—nothing can replace personal experience.”

Risks versus Rewards

Berman “For me, it’s really simple. I wouldn’t consider myself a crazy person or an adrenaline junkie by any means. I look at something and I go, what are the chances of me being injured? And how bad do I want to do it? And if I decide that I can run it without being injured, then I’m going to do it. … It’s really this balancing act of risks vs. rewards. When I ran the 98-foot waterfall, I thought OK, I might break a couple of ribs. Well, the rewards are greater than breaking a couple of ribs, so I chose to run it.”

 

SOURCES:

Special thanks to Brian Dingman for the use of his photographs of Baby Falls and Bald River Falls.  Brian bought a camera last year and has really taken to photography.  He’s also very generous in sharing photographs he taken of paddlers at races like the Ocoee and Green Narrows.  His work can be seen on Instagram at dingman_photography

Berman, T. and Withers, P.: (2008) Going Vertical: The Life of an Extreme Kayaker. Menasha Ridge Press

National Geographic: Kayaking Over a Waterfall | Science of Stupid: Ridiculous Fails

Paddling Magazine: Running Waterfalls (with Tyler Bradt)

Spokane Historical:  Kayaker Tyler Bradt Who Paddled over Palouse Fallsl

Sports Illustrated:  Fall Guy Kayaker Tao Berman Redefines His Sport With Daunting Drops

Nick Troutman: How to Tuck/ Plug a Waterfall- Nick’s Kayaking Tips and Tricks