# have you been pinned?



## okieboater (Oct 19, 2004)

Back in the 90's, I was on a lower water level Selway trip. We camped last night just above the last "big" rapid. Don't remember name (Wolf Creek ?) but good sized cliff river right and the obvious run was down the chute there and miss or hit a hole at the bottom.

Several of us in kayaks, most in rafts. 

We were ready to push off and one of the kayakers (in a creek boat) just for the fun of it, decided to run far left through a bunch of large boulders. He took off. We watched from the boats and did not see him exit the bottom. I was in a RPM Max with the bulkhead foot setup. Since I was in my kayak, I decided to go over river left to see if he was ok. Got there and saw a obvious very tight line off the river left bank with what looked like a easy low drop pour over. No sign of my bud so I elected to drop down into the next little pool a short distance below the little pour over. Looked easy and I drifted into the drop. Instantly bow was sucked left and disappeared. Turned out that pour over was a slanted log not easily visible above water. Boat slid down and as it did I could feel the right side pushing in. Immediately I started pulling my legs back. Ended up feet almost in the cockpit and butt up setting on the back band. Had a really good spray skirt and could feel the pressure and did a balancing act to not pop the skirt. Water was rushing up on lower chest but the boat's movement downward stopped. I just sat there. In a few minutes, I saw one of my buddies (we had been thru SWR training together) running up the bank with throw rope in hand. He got into good position and we decided on a rope toss. Perfect throw in my chest. I held on, popped free of the skirt and washed down the chute. He angled me in to the shore at the top of the next pool. Others came up and it took quite a while to finally get my RPM Max released. The right side was bent in big time. Bulkhead and aluminum side braces bent and ripped some screws out on the plastic bulkhead. Not much distance to the take out and I got on a buds big cat boat and with beer in hand enjoying the ride out.

We found out that my bud in the creek boat had the exact same experience I did. His boat tho did not stick like my Max did. Just rolled over cockpit facing down stream and he swam out. Boat followed and they both missed the undercut and swam to the bottom ok. My RPM Max was bent in big time and would not pop out. Back home, I ordered a new bulkhead (NOC sent me a new one free after hearing the story). I could not get the bump out. Finally one hot sunny day I left the boat out in the sun on our concrete driveway. One of my buds on the trip happened by. I secured the kayak while he got his size 12 foot into the cockpit. A really good push on his part and the boat popped out. Even knowing it was there, hard to see a crease mark and no cracks. I still have the boat and it is one of my favorites.

Lessons learned: 
After that experience, the solid bulkhead kayak foot brace became my foot brace of choice.
Next, while the RPM Max is a great all around river running boat, it is not the boat to have in certain creeking drops. Maybe I did not handle the drop properly myself. 
Finally, if you make a mistake - stay cool plus it pays big time to have your buds along who know what to do, how to do it and act accordingly.

Finally, at the time lots of people were complaining about Dagger kayak plastic. 

Maybe I got lucky when my kayak was cooked but my Dagger plastic took a beating, probably saved me from serious injury and when popped out is still working and surfing just as good now as it did the day I bought it. For us larger kayakers, the RPM Max is a classic design that has stood the test of time in my opinion.


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## dirtbagkayaker (Oct 29, 2008)

No, but I pinned a couple girls back in the day! Does that count. (-;


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## barry (May 6, 2004)

Back in the 80's.....Took my first trip into the two black box sections of San Rafeal river in central Utah. After a long flat-water paddle and we could see that we were entering the whitewater section of the canyon, myself and partner got out to stretch our legs and discuss strategy. I launched back in off of a 4-5 foot undercut bank. In a patch of brush at the waters edge there was a completely hidden noose of rusty barbed wire. The nose of my old Dagger Response scooped it up and in a millisecond I was jerked to a halt & being held at a steep angle by a loop of taught barbed wire that went right over my waist/cockpit area and around under my boat. The entry angle and current teamed up to rotate me underwater....but, I was able to counter by bracing off the river bottom w/ paddle. I have no doubt that is the position the next group through would have found me in had I been boating solo or not had a capable partner. I could not have freed myself on my own & felt lucky to get away with a leaky skirt and a couple of small puncture wounds. Lesson: Paddle with capable & aware crew.


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## pilom (Dec 28, 2010)

I was running Meadow Creek in Ohiopyle, PA. As I was peeling out of an eddy I didn't see a 3 inch diameter log sticking out of the water about 12 inches out of the water. I tried to duck under it but it caught my lifejacket strap. My boat continued on but was floating in such a way that my head got pulled under water. Fortunately I was able to pull my skirt which let my legs drop to a semi vertical position which brought part of my head out of the water. About that time a friend came running up the shore and was able to pull my shoulder strap off the log.


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## floatingk (Aug 5, 2008)

dirtbagkayaker said:


> No, but I pinned a couple girls back in the day! Does that count. (-;


6.2 by the judges 

Getting pinned sucks, is scary, and ends up sending yourself and boating friends right into SWRC like someone already mentioned. Im very thankful that such a thing exists. Ive been punished so many more times than my liking by the river that I think it must be some kind of river spirit playing poker with my guardian angel. whatever that means....


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## Miller Time (Apr 3, 2009)

Pinned twice so far.... Big south there was a log on weird creek that I got stuck on across the chest. I probably could have let go and went under but I didn't want to try it. My crew was in an eddy below me telling me to let go. Lesson (for them) learned: if someone wants your help, and it doesn't jeopardize the safety of others just get out to help him. Later that day our friend Daniel was pinned with his stern in the river bed and he was facing downstream. He was slowly sinking. My mistake I learned was giving him the bag side of the rope when clearly I could have reached out and given the end instead. When you're in a hurry sometimes we don't think clearly. Practice practice practice. 

The other time I was pinned was on SBC in the runout to the brain. Justin was in front of me and took an eddy behind a large rock. He couldn't see me. I concentrated on not moving as I've seen any little change in your posture can cause repeated change in your boat position. Lesson already learned in the past: keep your whistle accessible near your mouth so you can get your crews attention without moving or letting go of the rock/log.


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## Miller Time (Apr 3, 2009)

PS - Hey Bob. I need to make a custom atv ramp for my camper. I believe you said you were fairly good at welding. I could buy the material and pay you to come down and build it for me. Let me know. 

-Syd-


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## bobbuilds (May 12, 2007)

Miller Time said:


> PS - Hey Bob. I need to make a custom atv ramp for my camper. I believe you said you were fairly good at welding. I could buy the material and pay you to come down and build it for me. Let me know.
> 
> -Syd-


Yo Syd,

I just built one for our long bed. I made each ramp 22" wide and 7'6" long. Our tailgate is 40" tall and there is plenty of ramp travel with out being too steep. We used 2x2 angle all the way, length and runners, it came out sick!

It is steel, so it is heavy, but i figure it can handle the weight easy when we upgrade to the 800 h.o next season. Right now we have an 05 sportsman 500 h.o in the bed and it works fine.

I originally was going to build a trailer to pull the boats up to the crystal, after some debate, test fitting and thought, we decided to build a boat rack on the quad instead of a trailer and the neighborhood tests are holding up great, so boats go overhead on the quad. Right now it can pull me and 2 creekers plus gear, we should only have to make 2 trips to the mill to get all our shit in!!!

Just so you know, there is an aluminum ramp sets pre built for 169.00 to 209.00 that you could have longer ramps than your truck bed allows to fit inside w the tailgate up, or we could make em fold in half etc...

Are you keeping the ladder rack on the truck? If so you can store longer ramps than the bed allows up on the ladder rack, and if we use aluminum instead of steel, we can keep the weight down quite a bit, tho steel is not bad.

I'd be glad to help, tell me your design ideas and we will build it!

bob


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Pinned in Pinball Rapid in Browns at record low flow last spring (it was like 125 if I remember right). Pinned backwards in the slot to the right of 4wd rock with my stern down and bow up. My face was about 10" below the surface. Easily flushed through the slot when I pulled, but my paddle was pinned around 10 minutes before it came loose.
I was the least experienced paddler in the group and the only one to attempt the move. In hindsight I should have followed the group's lead instead of trying it, but everything turned out OK.


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## Swank (Jun 20, 2009)

I got pinned on Pinnacle to Parkdale on the Arkansas against a rock. I wasn't under but almost all of my boat was. I had my right side of the boat against the rock with my upstream edge pushed down against the rock. A buddy came into the eddy below the rock and helped work my boat off of the rock. Didn't swim. My pin wasn't near as bad as I've seen in many videos and I'm thankful it wasn't.


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## jmack (Jun 3, 2004)

Getting Pinned on Baker's on Vimeo

The professor's video of Dave's pin in Bakers last fall. This pin occurred in "finger bang", fka that shitty little rapid below boof or slide and above the portage. Importantly, the whole river drops into a heinous undercut slot about 50 feet downstream of this spot that we always portage at this flow.

I think the important safety points from this video are: 1) running through your options, ie: trying to pull him free by hand then breaking out the ropes when that failed; and 2) listening to the pinned boater because only he can feel the forces on the boat and decide how he needs to be helped.

FYI- it took about half an hour to get Dave's boat free once he was out of it. It was pinned really badly.


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## peterholcombe (Mar 8, 2006)

My last good pin was caught on video from two perspectives at the same time. Once edited it makes a interesting glimpse into a sticky situation. The pin starts at 2:30 in the video.


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## cayo 2 (Apr 20, 2007)

Body pins in Honduran undercuts are not fun....lessons learned :when swimming undercut (or pin rock) infested runs assess the river downstream before swimming aggressively toward shore....death ferry swims above undercuts is unwise, stay in the main current until you see a safe situation to exit......it is dark down there and everything goes into a sort of slow motion :/suspended animation type of sensation...never give up ...break for the light



Sometimes in a situation like Peter was in you are initially just barely pinned and you can react quickly, before the current pins you worse, but I suppose you could make it worse if you react wrong...have just noticed that boats often catch s little THEN shift into a worse pin so you have a split second to react before you are locked into.a pin...


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## mdignan (Dec 26, 2010)

My buddy got pinned swimming on Wilson Creek last year: https://vimeo.com/58826003

27 seconds heads down, though he had an air pocket from that Sweet full face


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## deepsouthpaddler (Apr 14, 2004)

Never been pinned badly, or been in a situation where someone was. Have been pinned heads up after broaching on rocks a lot.

Learning to put a hand on the rock you are pinned on to push / pull yourself out of the pin is key. It takes practive to figure it out.

A big pet peeve of mine is folks that don't eddy out below a drop to watch the rest of the crew come through... or just drop the next horizon before the whole crew is safe. If people are watching the first paddler through a drop, then the first paddler is watching everyone else from the bottom, every paddler has eyes on them (except the first if the horizon is too steep).

Another thing is getting really good at getting out of your boat fast and hustling upstream with intention. Seconds could make a difference. Get really good at jumping out of your boat, throwing your boat and paddle up on the bank, and getting up to a pinned boater quickly. 

Always have a rope handy... don't want to spend 10-15 seconds trying to get your rope out of your boat.


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## tango (Feb 1, 2006)

Once I was paddling the Gauley with a huge group, but we were very spread out. I was complacent with the river because of my familiarity, guiding and kayaking there for a while. 

The first rapid after Insignificant is unremarkable. Some call it Get Right. I usually run a narrow creek line on the left, catch an eddy, and ferry back to the current in front of an undercut. No big deal. 

On this day I was listening to music on my headphones, and was pretty much alone because I was way out in front of the group. I didn't entirely catch the eddy, just turned around, and drifted maybe a foot too far downstream while ferrying in front of the rock. My stern hit a submerged rock, I braced on edge, lost momentum, and flipped upstream while I went into the undercut. I was pinned upside down with the hull of my playboat flat against the rock above me. Nobody saw it happen and I couldn't be seen from the surface. I let go of my paddle and tried to reach for the rock to pull myself up. Impossible. The rock was smooth and the current too powerful. After a few unsuccessful attempts with my hands just above the surface of the water I pulled my skirt and pushed out of my boat. The kayak flushed beneath the undercut but I was body pinned by the current. It was a unique experience. My torso was held in place against the rock by the current. I sprawled for the surface but was again unsuccessful. I opened my eyes, looked at the tunnel below the rock and could not see an exit, but it was my only option. I pushed off the rock and swam deep into the undercut, flushing through the back. Fortunately this pile of rocks was table shaped. The undercut did not end in doom. I popped up in an eddy next to my boat, recovered it, and crawled up on the rock. My friends were just coming through the end of the rapid upstream. 

At very low flow I have inspected the spot where I pinned. The undercut and its exit are much smaller than I thought. I got very lucky. I don't listen to music when I kayak anymore and I try to use better judgement, especially when paddling solo. The creek line I described is still my preferred route through that rapid.


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## darinm (Nov 7, 2005)

I've had two fairly serious pins, one was with a Colorado boater so I guess that warrants posting it here.

On the Middle Kings, maybe 1/3 of the way through the four mile boulder garden section between Simpson Meadow and Tehipite is a rapid that has a lot of channels up top. I was in the lead and didn't keep my bow up enough in a little entrance move, went deep and pinned on the bottom of the river. I wiggled around a bit but felt the boat settle in more. I don't think I was visible at all, and certainly not resurfacing in the boat so I pulled and jumped up off the boat towards shore. Thankfully I was able to hug and rock and get out before swimming the rest of the rapid.

The team was on task and out with a rope, but not sure there is much they could have done unless I was more visible than I thought. The boat flushed out pretty quickly but my paddle pinned and broke. We found my camera bag about a mile downstream, sitting in a small eddy in the middle of a rapid.

Very lucky considering the overall situation!


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## CO14 (Nov 12, 2003)

I was pinned one summer while running Foxton. The flows were around 1400 if I remember correctly. I was in the boulder garden section. Some people call the portion of the rapid I was in the " Green Slide". There is a big left to right move above several rocks that sort of create a sieve. The move is pretty easy with normal flows. I did not account for the larger, pushier flow. I did not make the move all the way across and pinned on the last rock. I flipped upstream with the bottom of my boat on the face of a fairly flat rock and my deck catching the down stream flow. My cockpit and torso were under the water. I was able to "brace" up and keep my face above water and breathe. My crew were all downstream and not aware of what was happening. At first I wasn't super concerned as I could breathe pretty well, but after wiggling my boat around I realized that I wasn't going anywhere. Then my boat slid sideways down the rock and I was pinned deeper. It was now harder to keep my face up. I wasn't even sure that I could pop my skirt and swim. I took a deep breath, went under and reached way out with my paddle and was able to grab a bunch of green water, while under I continued wiggling my boat back, and then suddenly I just broke free and slid off the rock. I was able to roll up immediately and joined my crew in an eddy downstream. None of them had been able to see me or were aware of what had happened. I really don't know how long it took. Lessons I took from this is that it pays to stay calm, the group needs to stay in contact and watch each other, and sometimes you get lucky.


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## cayo 2 (Apr 20, 2007)

I wish Foxton would run1400 ...monitored it for years and, besides a couple floods, have never seen it at over 970 at Grant, maybe more at a lower guage...Good Bailey boaters would be psyched...a lot of folks who run it at 300 /400 would be destroyed..some class v friends call 650 "swim fifty ", as someone usually will be drinking booty beers...I only need about 275/300 to swim there...


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## CO14 (Nov 12, 2003)

I know. I wish Foxton would run higher more often. I am usually incredibly stoked to hit it anywhere over 300. This particular summer was very rainy. It fact it was pouring rain during this run. I think this was 2006. Anyway I caught it many times over 600 CFCs that summer and got into Waterton at well over 1000. Good times!


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## bobbuilds (May 12, 2007)

I was fortunate enough to get on foxton at 600+cfs a few times this season after the rains in Sept. It was an absolute blast, padded and super fun. I dont know why we didn't go into waterton those days, looking back I should have. Though, we ran it with the local legend "ducky man Tom" one day. played football, talked safety, an all out fun time. For some reason, that is one of my most memorable runs each season.

Also, thank you to all who replied. The storys are amazing, there is a lot to be learned from a pin. So many variables, things to be accounted for. Take a SWRC, practice with your friends, and stay calm if it happens to you. There is no substitute for time in your boat, and even then, it helps to study and be prepared.


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## streetdoctor (May 11, 2012)

bobbuilds said:


> I was fortunate enough to get on foxton at 600+cfs a few times this season after the rains in Sept. It was an absolute blast, padded and super fun. I dont know why we didn't go into waterton those days, looking back I should have. Though, we ran it with the local legend "ducky man Tom" one day. played football, talked safety, an all out fun time. For some reason, that is one of my most memorable runs each season.
> 
> Also, thank you to all who replied. The storys are amazing, there is a lot to be learned from a pin. So many variables, things to be accounted for. Take a SWRC, practice with your friends, and stay calm if it happens to you. There is no substitute for time in your boat, and even then, it helps to study and be prepared.


No pin stories for me… but waterton over 1000 is all washed out, no fun. I ran it at that level last fall at night and the bottom hole was nonexistent. The first S turn was all washed out as well. The only thing that was semi-fun was the green bridge boof was in but I think that was better around 500 also as there's more vert. The lower the level the more difficult.

I'll also add that some SWRC classes suck. Look for a class that is geared for people that want to run class IV or at least harder stuff… You'd be surprised how many class IV boaters haven't taken a class. My wife went through a local class last year and what they taught her was pretty ridiculous. I feel like a lot of the classes around the front range are geared towards brand new boaters, which probably means the content is pretty weak.


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## craven_morhead (Feb 20, 2007)

I was horizontally pinned on two separate occasions in the Big Thompson below the sluff section in the larger rapid just before you get into Drake. The first time was in the runout of the rapid; the rapid drops in two somewhat separated sections, and at the runout of the second section there is a large-ish boulder near shore that creates a boat-width channel. I was spit out of one of the laterals heading towards the channel and didn't have time to set my angle, and was broached between the rock and shore. Fortunately my head was still out of the water and I was fairly stable. I whistled and waited for help, since I could breathe. I had forgotten one of our party decided to walk the rapid, so help arrived fairly quickly. He grabbed my PFD by the shoulder straps, since he could reach me from shore, and pulled me out as I pulled my skirt.

The second time was in the first tier of the rapid; I was pushed to the right and shoved into a little slot, where my boat was pinched between two rocks. This time my head was underwater. Worried things were going to get worse, I pulled as soon as I felt the boat lock in and stop moving. We had to do some significant boat chasing given the high water, but ultimately we collected all my gear.


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## shonuffkayak (Feb 2, 2011)

lmyers said:


> Pinned in Pinball Rapid in Browns at record low flow last spring (it was like 125 if I remember right). Pinned backwards in the slot to the right of 4wd rock with my stern down and bow up. My face was about 10" below the surface. Easily flushed through the slot when I pulled, but my paddle was pinned around 10 minutes before it came loose.
> I was the least experienced paddler in the group and the only one to attempt the move. In hindsight I should have followed the group's lead instead of trying it, but everything turned out OK.


Pinball my nemesis. I think I've only ran it clean one time. Logan you were there for my almost pin I got beat up. Lower water through there makes it tough.


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