Anyone have more info? Happened Saturday.

Just so this is clear in my head - is this sieve on the far left at the nozzle? Any distinguishing features?

I can also recall hearing about an entrapment hazard on the far right, but can't recall seeing/noticing that one either.

JayB-

I've only guided a raft on the green 3 times (paddle raft), and I usually take the like that Slickhorn is advising against, but this is mostly because I like being able to charge with forward momentum through the slot with left hand angle. This usually means having to set up above the center rock before making my move left.

But as a paddle guide I usually end up coming through Mercury hot and having to backpaddle away from a large boulder upstream of the nozzle on river left before calling my forward command and driving through the nozzle.

I've never head issues with this move but that doesn't make it the preferred move. Again as a paddle guide I've always liked the way the right to left move set me up to get between the rocks and have always perceived that if I were to drive left to right I would either bounce off the center rock or broach in the slot. Next time I'm down there I'm going to take a better look at the move and see what other options are out there.

Slick, when you use that left to right move what craft are you in? I'm curious of how different crafts would approach running this rapid. For example I usually like catching a low eddy right above the Nozzle then drive left to right and catch the center eddy in my kayak.

And, Brian- if you want to tinker w/ the Nozzle Description, by all means do. Between myself, Jed, Joe and James, You know we all trust your judgement.

Yes that right slot is a hazard, particularly at the medium low to lower flows when the undercut/sieve is exposed. While we are discussing undercuts and sieves it is worth noting that the two terms are not necessarily interchangeable. But they often are characteristicly grouped together. What I mean is that some undercuts are squeaky clean. I have had the misfortune to swim under a few and the fortune of popping up on the other side. Some seives are on the surface. A kayaker in a boat may broach, pin, even get stuffed into it a ways and still have his/her head above water.

This undercut/sieve we are discussing is hazardous because of the combination of the two: that is to say that the rock flanking the River Right side of the rapid and the right side of the right-most chute is not only undercut, but also sieved out underneath it. Here is where terminology matters somewhat. Because it is by articulating ourselves and communicating clearly as whitewater enthusiasts that we can hopefully reduce the hazards for each other.

But, as we can see, even an experienced rafter who knew the run got tripped up enough to get into the worst kind of trouble. So like Slick said it always comes back to awareness followed by action. Even then, the river is inherrently wild.

The "Take Away" for the kayakers that I would like to see them absorb is this:

The most hazardous scenario I see for a kayaker over on that right side is most likely to be if a kayaker is swimming above it. Or, a playboat going into it upsidedown at the wrong (lower) water level. Having said that, at higher flows above 2500 or so, that right hand slot starts to become more viable (in kayaks) provided it is free of woody debris (wood does tend to chock up there). So this hazard is water level specific to a large degree. At flows above 4500 it can be a viable sneak route around the main line, which starts to get burly. So it is important to try to remain objective. Easier said than done tough in the wake of such a tragedy.


I'm mournful that we lost a fellow boater, and I'd like to think he would want us to continue to enjoy these rivers we love. That he would hope we could redouble our efforts to be safe, and to look out for each other even more than we might have last week. To heighten our awareness and our skills- from boatmanship to rescue. Easier said than done, but important that we strive for it. We have to each strive to stay a step ahead of doom. For ourselves, for each other, and for the ones we love who are on dry land while we pursue our watery endeavors.

At 5500 the right side is one of the last places on earth I want to visit again.  I had someone tell me this exact thing and thought I'd be okay there... I was but right after that are 3 bus swallowing holes.  I was lucky and paddling a lot better then than now... and came out seeing stars.  I'll never forget holding onto the underbrush on the side of the river somewhere downstream with fresh memories of being parallel parked in 2 of the biggest holes I've ever seen.

At high flows get out on the left far above (before Mercury) and scout.  I didn't try hard enough to make that eddy and MAN is that river cooking at those levels.  I thought I'd be okay... I almost wasn't.

The Green gets run a lot at many levels, this was a tragedy and thank you everyone for keeping this discussion on helping us understand what happened and keeping it positive.  It doesn't take much sometimes for a missed line to turn bad.