Linville River

the deal with linville...

Forum: BoaterTalk

Date: Apr 24 2003, 22:35 GMT

From: Leland

seems like a lot of folks have been asking about linville lately, and there are some things that need to be cleared up about this run.

i've run a lot of rivers all over north america - many of them cutting edge class V+. LINVILLE IS THE MOST DANGEROUS RIVER I'VE EVER BEEN TO!! it makes the lower meadow look safe. it makes the lower meadow seem like the kiddy pool. there are many blind drops, and every rapid has a horrible undercut or 10. almost every time i've been i've seen some paddler who has been down the raven's fork, high water lower cullasaja, or who knows what other hair run with no problems get HAMMERED AND HAVE A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE on linville. someone loses gear on almost every trip because if you let something go, it will go under a rock and not be seen again. these events are not limited to the upper - world class paddlers swim and lose boats on the lower as well.

there are a lot of paddlers out there with the paddling skills to run the rapids on linville. there are few paddlers who have the skill and stamina to scout their way down this run successfully without mishap, and to accurately assess the dangers hidden at every turn. if people keep exploring out there, someone will get killed in short order. don't let it be you. be sure of your skills and ability to handle the sheer number of incredibly dangerous rapids that you will encounter in a day out there.

it's a beautiful place, and an incredible whitewater experience, but it deserves WAY more respect than people seem to be giving it judging by the number of questions i've heard lately about putins and takeouts.

please be careful!

Leland

ps. elvis has now left the soap box.