Post by Thor on Sept 3, 2012 14:37:54 GMT
Date: 31/8/12
Paddlers:
Will
Moon
Burgers
Calum Peden of AUCC fame, you may have seen him in this video aberdeen made, its their end of year one, think its called two tons of guns or something...
Level: Low, another inch or 2 of water would've made it much, MUCH better!
Rain all day had meant the plan to hit the Nevis was a GO!!
We headed up Glen Nevis and met Peden and his ghetto roof bars made of 2x4 in the top car park. Heart rates were already rising at this point from quickly scouting the river on the drive up, it looked boney and painfull for paddler and boat in some places, Burgers concured!
Once we'd been talked through Pedens new anti deck implosion device, a sheet of ply wood he fitted under his deck, we made our way to the get in whilst being munched by midges.
First up was a few drops in quick sucession while navigating between boulders. This proved an uneventful bump and drop for everyone bar me. Got pinned and flipped and got bored of having my face scrape along then rocky river bed so took a lame swim... Swearing ensued! Boat emptied and game face back on, we continued down the river.
Next was a short left hand drop to be boof'd, this marked the point of no return of the looming Scimitar Gorge. Peden had a quick battle with the siphon at the top but managed to pull himself out, no biggie.
Scimitar Gorge (G5) comprises of 3 walled in drops that are not for the faint hearted!
First of which is a meter and a half drop on river left to aviod landing on an exposed slab rock! A good left hand boof here will see you sweetly through drop and on course for you to paddle out of the way of the tree below creating a big pin hazard on the left bank.
Next, it got even sketchier. This drop is one im in no hurry to repeat on the same water level. Moon and Peden hopped out to inspect as me and burgers waited for the diagnosis. "hammer it right to left" were the wise words of advice from Peden and Moon. Burgers stepped up and ran the rapid with his usual backing chorus of "Oooooooooooooooooooh" coming from everyone watching. I went next, battering towards river left and managed to make it down, didnt exactly style it but was a tidier effort.
At the bottom i looked back at the drop, HOLY SHITBALLS IT WAS MESSY!! Right below the drop was a boulder that could easily send you off course and into a nasty retentitive cave on river right. I manged to get enough speed to get over the top and to the left, Peden not so much.... He got pushed right into the cave and held leading to him taking a swim. Seeing this Moon took a hardcore verdon gorge style portage, chucking his boat past the drop first then jumping after. Mind that time the Captain portage a rapid me and Burgers nailed... Sanne has it all on video also.
Last drop in the gorge section was The Narrows, a very tight series of elbow worrying fast drops along the river left to miss the siphon riddled river right route.
More grade 3 drops and technical sections followed, abundant with chances to get pinned and laughed at.
Legbreaker and Sheep Trolley Falls came up next, first a drop taken river left to aviod an embarassing rock plant and then a double drop leading into a sticky hole overcome with a good boof. Nailed by all! More scrapey 2/3 setions brough us to the last feature, Polldubh Falls.
After a quick look from the bridge above we send test dummy Peden down first, seeing all was well we mounted up to astound and amaze on looking ramblers with our mad hucking skills! All you had do was hit the first little drop into the kicker straight, then tuck up, simples! So much in fact we ran it twice for good measure!
Overall a really good river but needs more water to make Scimitar Gorge friendlier!!
Paddlers:
Will
Moon
Burgers
Calum Peden of AUCC fame, you may have seen him in this video aberdeen made, its their end of year one, think its called two tons of guns or something...
Level: Low, another inch or 2 of water would've made it much, MUCH better!
Rain all day had meant the plan to hit the Nevis was a GO!!
We headed up Glen Nevis and met Peden and his ghetto roof bars made of 2x4 in the top car park. Heart rates were already rising at this point from quickly scouting the river on the drive up, it looked boney and painfull for paddler and boat in some places, Burgers concured!
Once we'd been talked through Pedens new anti deck implosion device, a sheet of ply wood he fitted under his deck, we made our way to the get in whilst being munched by midges.
First up was a few drops in quick sucession while navigating between boulders. This proved an uneventful bump and drop for everyone bar me. Got pinned and flipped and got bored of having my face scrape along then rocky river bed so took a lame swim... Swearing ensued! Boat emptied and game face back on, we continued down the river.
Next was a short left hand drop to be boof'd, this marked the point of no return of the looming Scimitar Gorge. Peden had a quick battle with the siphon at the top but managed to pull himself out, no biggie.
Scimitar Gorge (G5) comprises of 3 walled in drops that are not for the faint hearted!
First of which is a meter and a half drop on river left to aviod landing on an exposed slab rock! A good left hand boof here will see you sweetly through drop and on course for you to paddle out of the way of the tree below creating a big pin hazard on the left bank.
Next, it got even sketchier. This drop is one im in no hurry to repeat on the same water level. Moon and Peden hopped out to inspect as me and burgers waited for the diagnosis. "hammer it right to left" were the wise words of advice from Peden and Moon. Burgers stepped up and ran the rapid with his usual backing chorus of "Oooooooooooooooooooh" coming from everyone watching. I went next, battering towards river left and managed to make it down, didnt exactly style it but was a tidier effort.
At the bottom i looked back at the drop, HOLY SHITBALLS IT WAS MESSY!! Right below the drop was a boulder that could easily send you off course and into a nasty retentitive cave on river right. I manged to get enough speed to get over the top and to the left, Peden not so much.... He got pushed right into the cave and held leading to him taking a swim. Seeing this Moon took a hardcore verdon gorge style portage, chucking his boat past the drop first then jumping after. Mind that time the Captain portage a rapid me and Burgers nailed... Sanne has it all on video also.
Last drop in the gorge section was The Narrows, a very tight series of elbow worrying fast drops along the river left to miss the siphon riddled river right route.
More grade 3 drops and technical sections followed, abundant with chances to get pinned and laughed at.
Legbreaker and Sheep Trolley Falls came up next, first a drop taken river left to aviod an embarassing rock plant and then a double drop leading into a sticky hole overcome with a good boof. Nailed by all! More scrapey 2/3 setions brough us to the last feature, Polldubh Falls.
After a quick look from the bridge above we send test dummy Peden down first, seeing all was well we mounted up to astound and amaze on looking ramblers with our mad hucking skills! All you had do was hit the first little drop into the kicker straight, then tuck up, simples! So much in fact we ran it twice for good measure!
Overall a really good river but needs more water to make Scimitar Gorge friendlier!!