Yesterday I took part in the Oregon Rafting Team’s Class V training weekend. The Oregon Rafting Team is an organized group of whitewater rafters who train and compete in raft races. They are also pushing the limits of the sport by taking rafts down Class V rivers and creeks that have never been rafted.
The weekend was devoted to learning and practicing skills required for planning and running a rafting trip on Class V water. The West Fork of the Hood River was flowing high, so we decided to train there. This also gave us a opportunity to work on our technical rope skills since the take-out requires pulling boats up a 100 foot cliff.
Put-in for the West Fork of the Hood
The West Fork is know for it’s fun Class III and IV rapids, but at higher flows the rapids are solid Class IV. The high water also made the river more challenging since there was little (if any) recovery time between rapid.
Long, Complex Rapid on the West Fork
The West Fork is one of the beautiful and challenging sections of river in Oregon, but it is rarely done due to the difficult river access. We take out just before Punchbowl Falls, a 12 foot waterfall with a nasty recirculating hole. The take-out involves carrying boats up a steep 100 foot slope.
Take-out for the West Fork of the Hood
Having done this take-out many times, we’ve developed a mechanical advantage system that helps us pull boats up the hill. The training was the perfect opportunity to put this system into practice. Here’s a quick diagram.
West Fork of the Hood Take-Out
The pulley on the boat gives us a 2:1 mechanical advantage. We added a second pulley to the system so that we could use our body weight by pulling downhill. This looks a lot like a Z-rig, but it’s actually a simple (and safer) 2:1 system with a direction change.
It was great to see the West Fork at high water!
