# ejection seat in lava



## DoStep (Jun 26, 2012)

It's Lava, shit happens. 

But the buzzards are gonna have a field day critiquing that run and recovery!


----------



## seantana (Mar 5, 2015)

I thought it was going to be this one when I saw your post:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctg3GCU11_8


----------



## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

DoStep said:


> ...the buzzards are gonna have a field day critiquing that run and recovery!


Recovery?

And that was some interesting scenery toward the end as well. Looks like the the rest of the crew was in yardsale mode.


----------



## UTMIKE (Nov 25, 2013)

yea, what recovery!


----------



## UTMIKE (Nov 25, 2013)

yea one boat flipped, 4 had good runs. The rest was another group whose passengers decided to walk, only end up swimming along the shore on the left...


----------



## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

Very entertaining and not a complete shitshow. did he run son of lava?

Did you?

15 seconds to unhook a throwbag is way too long. And where it was attached? You need to have that shit accessible. When upside down too. That is why I have one on bow D Ring and both oar towers. FWIW.


----------



## UTMIKE (Nov 25, 2013)

Yea he ran son of lava while i got picked up. Met back up at tequila beach. Completely agree about the throw bag. I always wear one around my waist.


----------



## zbaird (Oct 11, 2003)

Good video. Its funny to see what your passengers do when you're not on your boat. Has me thinking.


So you guys walked back up to tequila beach? I watched it go by in the video thinking damn, they missed tequila beach, the only real blunder in a lava run.

I was surprised that he hadn't done at least some rowing up to that point. I know my passenger would have at least had some flatwater strokin in by lava.


----------



## trevko (Jul 7, 2008)

Thanks for sharing and opening yourself up to the buzzards. I did have to chuckle at your passenger's lack of reaction. Lava always makes things interesting and better too far right than going into the ledge hole. I've seen the ledge hole do some strange magic (and none of it good) to rafts that go in there.


----------



## UTMIKE (Nov 25, 2013)

yep, i caught a lift thru son of lava and my passenger got her to shore just below tequila beach. Met back up with our group and spent three hours there havin a blast! cant wait to go back!


----------



## johnryan (Feb 6, 2013)

Well, that was an ugly run. Sideways into the V-wave!!!



seantana said:


> I thought it was going to be this one when I saw your post:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctg3GCU11_8


----------



## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

UTMIKE said:


> Yea he ran son of lava while i got picked up. Met back up at tequila beach. Completely agree about the throw bag. I always wear one around my waist.


And thanks for offering up the video for the Buzz viewing pleasure. 

Not so much for pool drop but say a very high water Middle Fork I have my peeps practice the "oh shits" - as in getting throw bag ready etc. Especially on the upper ( Marsh Creek ) I may not have the opportunity to use the bag myself. 
I have even gone to the extent of having my passengers practice oar replacement with a spare so they know what was involved in getting the strap loose enough to slide it out. 

No blood, no foul. Or very little. Can't wait to get back there myself.


----------



## fdon (Jul 23, 2008)

Just returned from the GC yesterday. Saw the same thing happen to another group while at the Lava scout. The uncertainty of Lava always has some back rowing at the entrance setup. That tends to feed the boat into the right side. Try powering forward into that top wave and then towards the left below the ledge hole. That run seems to have much better odds at success. Glad it all worked out.


----------



## DoStep (Jun 26, 2012)

Rapids change over time, but I remember a nice clean line on the left that emerges at the levels reported.


----------



## UTMIKE (Nov 25, 2013)

left wasnt looking too good, i could be off on levels, was a guess based on time of day


----------



## mcfarrel (Apr 1, 2006)

UTMIKE, I heard some stories from your trip... sounds like a wild time!


----------



## UTMIKE (Nov 25, 2013)

was amazing! def some exciting times


----------



## spencerhenry (Jun 21, 2004)

wow, that passenger was clueless. stand there and look for a while with no attempt to get on the oars. a half assed attempt to install the oar, then forever to pull out a throw bag, then forever to try to reinstall an oar, with the oar tether inboard of the tower.

i would hope passengers get some kind of instruction and familiarization with the gear before launching!


----------



## zbaird (Oct 11, 2003)

The left starts to open up at 14-15 or so. It goes a little lower but is easy to blow it. It is still ledgy and Ive seen good boaters flip over there trying to avoid running the right which is munchy at those levels (13-15), alright its munchy at all levels. At 17-18K the left would have been open. It would have boated easier than it looked, but I would have run right as well. Getting to far right like he did is fairly common and ends in swims or flips. I remember one right run where my passenger was yelling at the top "were going into the ledge!!!" when in fact we werent. Staying fairly tight to the ledge with a little left angle accelerates you and surfs you right and keeps you set up to hit the V wave straight and center which typically lets you through and keeps you left of the cheesegrater and god forbid, that fucking corner pocket. From experience, you don't want to be in corner pocket!!


----------



## UTMIKE (Nov 25, 2013)

exactly the run i was hoping for, but like those passengers you described, i got spooked by the ledge hole, even though i knew i wanted to stay on that left side of bubble line and skirt the ledge hole on the right side. O well! live nd learn! cant wait for next time!


----------



## zbaird (Oct 11, 2003)

After swimming corner pocket i'll flirt with the ledge every time. Good ol lava, never disappoints. Its a pretty awesome place for sure.


----------



## ppine (Jul 1, 2015)

The bowman was pretty slow to recover. It points out the need to train everyone in your boat how to row.


I have only run Vulcan once in a commercial rig. I was all the way forward on the bow, holding onto to two straps. The captain overshot his eddy line and punched through it, causing the 6 ton raft to swing wildly with amazing G forces. No one got flung off the raft, but it was the biggest hydraulic force I have ever felt.


----------

