# Westwater canyon @ 20,000 cfs



## Carlacat (Apr 7, 2011)

Hi all,

New to the forum has anyone been down Westwater canyon at 20,000 cfs? I have done plenty of class III - IVs. I have a chance to go June 3rd. Some people say it is dangerous. Comments?


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## Flohotter (Jun 22, 2010)

http://www.mountainbuzz.com/forums/f11/when-is-westwater-most-rowdy-29909.html
http://www.mountainbuzz.com/forums/f11/westwater-20-000-a-4538.html


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## Carlacat (Apr 7, 2011)

I have heard it's a toilet flush down the canyon at those flows and you are scrambling to keep your boat off the canyon walls.


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## Chaser (Apr 22, 2008)

There is a large wave/hole in funnel left of center, but more or less a flush with very pushy eddy lines and large boils.


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## richp (Feb 27, 2005)

Hi,

Kayakers will work to stay upright. Rafters will work to keep the doggoned thing pointed in the right direction.

It's pushy, with lots of swirlies and surprise eddies, and laterals in places where there usually isn't anything. Skull will show you a huge pulsing wave off the Rock of Shock, a massive surgng eddy fence between the Room of Doom and the main current, and a terrifying toilet bowl immediately downstream from the Rock.

Otherwise, nothing very notable. 

As it gets higher, things do tend to smooth out a bit. For instance in the 25k range, there is a nice clear left run at Funnel Falls instead of having to fuss around with the right side.

FWIW.

Rich Phillips


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## synergyboater (Jan 5, 2008)

It is managable depending on your skill level. Normally above 20,000 there tends to be an excessive amount of debris (trees, cows, & the mix). I personally feel around 15,500 is WW pushiest level. Marc


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## Ture (Apr 12, 2004)

Dangerous around 20,000? I think so. Swimming would be bad.

Someone with big water experience will probably have no problem in a raft or a kayak. But I wouldn't want to swim it no matter how experienced. I'd shit my pants if I swam above Skull.

The only times I've done it > 20,000 was a while back. I was comfortable on my local low volume class IV back then and I was kind of scared on Westwater at that flow. None of the other kayakers I was with were nervous so it was my low fear threshold. I asked them if they were scared because I was a bundle of nerves after a whirlpool that spun off an eddy line took me and my boat down deep for the count. They said, nope this is fun :smile:

If you are comfortable in class IV and have big water experience then no sweat. But if borderline in class IV and/or don't have any big water experience then 20,000 cfs in a kayak will be a rush for sure and if you swim in some spots you will be scared for sure.


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## BLott (Mar 27, 2010)

the only time i've done westwater was at ~22000 and it wasn't so bad. 

the long continuous rapids above skull was pretty big and fast with no eddies, but had no problem (raft) reading and running. 

Skull was huge and the rock-of-shock/room-of-doom was pretty nauseating...but getting Left wasn't so hard if you had patience. there were no eddies (that we saw) above Skull to scout, but one on the Left at the bottom of the rapid. before you knew it we were in there.

Then, we kept waiting for another IV...(Sock it to me, perhaps?) but it was completely washed out, just big eddy lines and crazy boils. 

we did all of Westwater as a day run. crazy fun and fast
dont stress it too much

EDIT TO ADD: yeah. um. i think i made it sound TOO easy. it's still effn' huge. swimming would be a big no-no as would going in over your head on this one. it's really big and really fast and there isn't a lot of places to pick-up the pieces after carnage. if you had a flip/swimmer in the continuous rapids above skull you'd be extra specially fckd.


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## yesimapirate (Oct 18, 2010)

More washed out than dangerous above about 17k. Still big and VERY pushy. Skull tends to still be flippy!


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## BCJ (Mar 3, 2008)

Agree with all of the above. WW is most challenging in the mid to upper teens, then begins to wash out around 20K, BUT, the boils, eddy lines and surprisingly strong laterals keep it interesting and it is fast, pushy and swirly and not a good swim as there are few places to stop. "T" up for all waves. Time yourself well at Skull Don't cut left too early - - that lateral is tricky - - but don't get too far right or stay on the right side too long either. Just look at the water and go where it appears obvious you should be going and DON"T BE TIMID about it. Pull hard at the right time. It's all in the timing.


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## wildh2onriver (Jul 21, 2009)

WW at 20k is somewhat easier than the "terrible teens". In over one hundred+ trips from 1200 cfs- to 34K, Skull is at it's nastiest in the teens, in my opinion. 20k is pushy, swirly, big and fast, but mostly rollers, laterals and eddy lines. Square up and go.


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## DocDC (Aug 18, 2010)

*Westwater above 20K*

My first three times down Westy were at 6k, 7k, and 6K. The next was at 23K and I had some concerns going in with my 14' Hyside. Not to worry-I agree with what has been said-there is a lot of washout and none of the rapids were any real problem. My cheif concern would be a swim in some parts because there are few places to scramble to shore. You could get to a rock wall and be pushed downstream for a mile and never see a shoreline of any kind.


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