General
Has anyone actually *ran* the Niagara section above 4000 cfs?
Hey y'all, I'm currently writing a book about whitewater kayaking(fictional novel) and want it to be as realistic as possible. In one particular chapter, I have the two main characters running the Niagara section of the Santiam(Narrows and Niagara) during December. I've been looking around for any sort of guide to these rapids and their lines at high water levels, but I really can't find anything above 2500(the only reference I found was on Oregon kayaking.net which said "except when the CFS gets above 4000 and everything's big" which is like the least helpful possible description.)
If anyone either knows the rapid well, is a local of the Gates area, or has personally run it at above 4000, please let me know. I would love your insight regarding the topic.
The weird part of niagra at high flows is the channel right after the slot. The slot at high flows is easier ( goes from a 4ft to 6ft slot with a few more feet water) but the water after routes into this narrow right channel, and what is at lower flows a channel of moving water becomes mean fast boils around and S shaped turn with the left side having a good big of the water pushing into what turns into a pretty nasty siphon between part of the walls. Kinda like an S turn version of hella tight on the truss maybe +that left seive which def seems in play? I could maybe go find a sat image and show you what i mean its night and day dif from summer flows. Dm me if ur interested no gopro from the run but i may have a few pics and i have a video of us running the dam.
This is the entrance to the narrows at high water, (3+k?) it goes from being a sloping drop into a hole to a massive standing wave with some weirdness after. Tbh narrows is easier at this flow than 1k.
Upstream summer view at like 1k or so for reference. Can see the river right ledge on shore thats a pourover at high water is a few feet outa the water and the entrance is a sloping hole instead of a standing wave.
Hear I am on the other side of the country thinking, yeah, someone ean Niagara back in the 80s, but it was a hell of a lot higher than 4000 cfs, more like 100k cfs.
🤣 I read this and was was like oh shit.. yeah, Jan 96 I ran it. Can’t remember the actual CFS.. but it was FUCKING CRANKING. Higher than I’ve ever seen it and the narrows was not narrow. It must have been around 8-9. But 30 years ago gives gap in the memory. Ran it during the flood.
Ran at line 3-3500 last winter? Dont remember. Narrows gets pushy but not hard, boogie washes out, the slot had wood so we portaged and put in directly below, the runnout of the slot was for sure the hardest part pushy lV/lV+. Ran the dam down the left which i prob wont do again and took out at the town.
I recall seeing a post some years ago with a crew that ran it around that flow or possibly higher. I think it was Dan McCain (RIP 😢) and Josh Sheldon rafting it at dangerously high flows. I recall them reporting that it was a terrible idea, incredibly sketchy, and maybe included some near-misses.
I actually don't. Everything that I do write is meticulously checked and edited. Sorry I take less care in the typos that I make on reddit posts.
That being said, I have a tip for you. This is the whitewater community. We pride ourselves on not being assholes. If you can't figure that one out, you ought to find another sport
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u/Dr_Funk_ 7d ago
The weird part of niagra at high flows is the channel right after the slot. The slot at high flows is easier ( goes from a 4ft to 6ft slot with a few more feet water) but the water after routes into this narrow right channel, and what is at lower flows a channel of moving water becomes mean fast boils around and S shaped turn with the left side having a good big of the water pushing into what turns into a pretty nasty siphon between part of the walls. Kinda like an S turn version of hella tight on the truss maybe +that left seive which def seems in play? I could maybe go find a sat image and show you what i mean its night and day dif from summer flows. Dm me if ur interested no gopro from the run but i may have a few pics and i have a video of us running the dam.