BY BOATERS FOR BOATERS January/February 2005 Are you at risk? Protect your head Compressed air in your kayak? 2004 accident summary CFC United Way #2302 $4.95 US $7.70 CAN www.americanwhitewater.org A VOLUNTEER PUBLICATION PROMOTING RIVER CONSERVATION, ACCESS AND SAFETY Columns: American Whitewater Journal • Safey First! Protect Your Head by Eric Nies ................ 4 Volume XLVI, No.1 • Letters to the Editor by Todd Hoffman ........................... 6 • The Journey Ahead by Mark Singleton............................ 7 FEATURES • History: To PFD or Not by Sue Taft................................ 8 Field Notes • AW News: Taxes to Charity ...................................... 9 • Safe Winter Boating by Clay Wright .............................10 Winter Boating • Big Water Surf Alert! by Tanya Shuman.........................12 Features: • Accident Prevention by Andrew Jillings .......................14 • Compressed Air by Dr. Thomas Johnson ..........................18 pg. 10 • Accident Summary 2004 by Charlie Walbridge............20 • California Madness by Fred Coriell ...............................26 • 3 Girls are Better Than 1by Nikki Kelly ........................30 Seven Rivers Expedition • River Story / Photo Contest ..................................38 Conservation and Access California Madness • Regional Updates.....................................................40 • River Stewardship Institute...................................52 River Voices • Winter Creeking by Sandi Metz .....................................56 • Politics by Kevin Colburn ...................................................61 pg. 26 • A Dog’s Lament by Barbara Wiedemann ..........................62 • Stone Valley Smackdown by The Dogg.....................64 • Don’t be Afraid to Rock the Boat by Adam Herzog..67 • Charlotte WW Park - update.................................68 River Story / Photo • Surviving the Winter by Ambrose Tuscano....................69 Contest Events • National Paddling Film Festival...........................63 CFC UnitedWay #2302 Support American Whitewater through CFC or United Way pg. 38 All the federal campaigns, and a few of the local United Way campaigns will allow you to donate through them to AW. Check to see if yours in one of them. Also, check to see if your employer will match your charitable contribution - double your money , double your fun! Publication Title: American Whitewater Issue Date: January/February 2005 Bill Sheppel being roped into Statement of Frequency: Published bimonthly Authorized Organization’s Name and Ad dress: the water to biner off a pinned American Whitewater 1424 Fenwick Lane boat on the Russell Fork River. Silver Spring, MD 20910 Printed on Recycled Paper Photo by Jimmy Blakeney Our mission is to conserve and restore published in its official Access Policy, AW Difficulty) and publishes and disseminates America’s whitewater resources and to enhance arranges for river access through private lands the internationally recognized AW Whitewater opportunities to enjoy them safely. by negotiation or purchase, seeks to protect the Safety Code. right of public passage on all rivers and streams American Whitewater (AW) is a national navigable by kayak or canoe, resists unjustified EVENTS: AW organizes sporting events, contests organization with a membership consisting of restrictions on government-managed whitewater and festivals to raise funds for river conservation, thousands of individual whitewater boating rivers and works with government agencies and including the Gauley River Festival in West enthusiasts and more than 100 local paddling other river users to achieve these goals. Virginia (the largest gathering of whitewater club affiliates. boaters in the nation), and the Deerfield Festival EDUCATION: Through publication of the in Massachusetts. CONSERVATION: AW maintains a complete bi-monthly magazine, and by other means, national inventory of whitewater rivers, monitors American Whitewater provides information AW was incorporated under Missouri nonprofit threats to those rivers, publishes information on and education about whitewater rivers, boating corporation laws in 1961 and maintains its river conservation, provides technical advice to safety, technique and equipment. principal mailing address at 1424 Fenwick local groups, works with government agencies and Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone other river users, and-- when necessary-- takes SAFETY: AW promotes paddling safely, publishes 1-866-BOAT-4-AW or 1-866-262-8429. AW is tax legal action to prevent river abuse. reports on whitewater accidents, maintains a exempt under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal uniform national ranking system for whitewater Revenue Code. RIVER ACCESS: To assure public access to rivers (the International Scale of Whitewater whitewater rivers pursuant to the guidelines American Whitewater Journal Staff Board of Directors & Staff TOLL FREE NUMBER AW STAFF Editor Ambrose Tuscano Sutton Bacon 866-BOAT4AW 20 Battery Park, Ste. 302, Asheville, NC 28801 [email protected] phone 828-252-0728 Rome, GA e-mail: [email protected] Mark Singleton Assitant Editors Chris Bell Tim Kelley Executive Director Tim Catalano and Mike Hoffman [email protected] [email protected] 20 Battery Park Ave., suite 302 Graphic Design/Production Asheville, NC Potsdam, NY Christie Dobson Asheville, NC 28801 Photo Editor Rich Bowers (Honorary) Jay P. K. Kenney Scott Collins [email protected] [email protected] Bellingham, WA Jason Robertson Artwork Editor Denver, CO Chris Conlin Managing Director Dave Cernicek Don Kinser Contributing Writers [email protected] 1424 Fenwick Lane Ambrose Tuscano, Eric Nies, Todd Hoffman, [email protected] Mark Singleton, Sue Taft, John Gangemi, Tanya Jackson, WY Marietta, GA Silver Spring, MD 20910 Shuman, Clay Wright, Todd Hoffman, Sue Taft, Andrew Jilling, Dr. Thomas Johnson, Charlie Walbridge, Tom Christopher Fred Coriell, Nikki Kelly, Jason Hartz, Chris Hoffer, Mark LaCroix Tom O’Keefe, Bill Sedivy, Kevin Colburn, Emily Geery, [email protected] [email protected] Kevin Colburn Ryan Weiss, Sandi Metz, Barbara Wiedemann, The Lancaster, MA Thorton, NH Dogg, Adam Herzog, Eastern Conservation and Photo Contributors Adam Cramer Jeff Leighton Access Director Jimmy Blakeney, Nikki Kelly, Christie Dobson, [email protected] Clay Wright, Marlow Long, Tommy Hilleke, Tanya Faux, [email protected] 20 Battery Park Ave., suite 302 Jason Hartz, Chris Hoffer, Ben Edson, Ben VanCamp, Washington DC LaFayette, CA Kevin Colburn, Sandi Metz, Chris Conlin Asheville, NC 28801 David Ennis Advertising Coordinator Kevin Lewis Gerald Eldridge [email protected] [email protected] John Gangemi 20 Battery Park, Ste. 302, Asheville, NC 28801 Bryson City, NC Anderson, CA phone 828-252-0728 e-mail: [email protected] Western Conservation and Steve Exe Evie Locke Access Director Safety Editor [email protected] [email protected] Charlie Walbridge Mercer Island, WA 482 Electric Avenue Route 1, Box 329F, Bruceton Mills, WV 26525 Charlemont, MA e-mail: [email protected] Bigfork, MT 59911 Liz Ferrin Eric Nies Conservation and Access Editors Jason Robertson, [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] John Gangemi, [email protected] Santa Barbara, CA Morgantown, WV Carla Miner Kevin Colburn, [email protected] Conservation Assistant and American Whitewater Magazine Task Force Jennie Goldberg Aaron Pruzan Jeff Espy, Dunbar Hardy, Dale-Marie Herring, John [email protected] [email protected] Membership Coordinator Mason, Tanya Shuman, Ambrose Tuscano Seattle, WA Jackson Hole, WY 482 Electric Avenue Missing Copies and Address Changes [email protected] Joe Greiner Norwood Scott Bigfork, MT 59911 [email protected] American Whitewater is printed by [email protected] Spencer-Walker Press, Inc., Newark OH. Raleigh, NC San Francisco, CA All rights reserved. Ben VanCamp Kristine Jakcson Patricia Suspanich Events Coordinator [email protected] patricia@achievepeakperforma Rock Island, TN nce.com 20 Battery Park Ave., suite 302 EDITORIAL DISCLAIMER Asheville, NC 28801 The opinions expressed in the features and Andrew Jillings Charlie Walbridge editorials of American Whitewater are those of [email protected] [email protected] the individual authors. They do not necessarily Clinton, NY Bruceton Mills, WV Gerald Eldridge represent those of the Directors of American Chris Kelly BOARD OFFICERS Advertising Coordinator Whitewater or the editors of this publication. [email protected] 20 Battery Park, Suite 302 On occasion, American Whitewater publishes Columbia, MO President: Sutton Bacon official organizational policy statements drafted Vice President: Jennie Goldberg Asheville, NC 28801 and approved by the Board of Directors. These Secretary: Chris Kelly policy statements will be clearly identified. Treasurer: Jeff Leighton 2 American Whitewater www.americanwhitewater.org www.americanwhitewater.org American Whitewater 3 January/February 2005 January/February 2005 2 American Whitewater www.americanwhitewater.org www.americanwhitewater.org American Whitewater 3 January/February 2005 January/February 2005 by Eric Nies What’s on the Market? take multiple hits? Some helmets (e.g. bike Editor’s Note: helmets) are built with light, brittle foam American Whitewater There are lots of helmets out there, so how that’s designed to crack and splinter with a do you tell the good from the bad? I like a hit. Not so good when you’re still six miles is proud to unveil the