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60/40 Falls (AKA "Top Drop")

Waterfall / Large DropClass III+

Description

A river-wide ledge forms a 10-foot vertical drop on river left-- the most frequently run part of Pedernales Falls.  It is called 60/40 Falls because it’s a very difficult drop to execute perfectly (i.e. you have a 60/40 chance of actually styling it.)  The good news is that screw-ups are low-consequence.

Typical line:  Aim for the boof flake just right of center on the vertical portion of this drop.  It’s tempting to go far river left, but there is a shallow rock shelf at the base of the falls on this side, creating a likely piton hazard.

Creek line (sneak):  At 500 cfs and above, the far river right line can be run over a series of small ledge drops.

The sloping drop on center right (between the typical line and the creek line) is a known pin/piton hazard and has handed an injury to at least one expert kayaker.

This rapid becomes more of a Class III at lower levels (< 200 cfs) and more of a Class IV at high levels (> 800 cfs.)


Photos