| May 1999 |
| Volume 1, Issue 3 |
| THE |
|
RAP |
| Inside this Issue: | River Safety & Cleanup | ||||||
| Foot Entrapment Avoidance | 2 |
We are focusing this month on River Safety and Rescue. We asked
Charlie Walbridge, renowned river safety expert, to talk about foot
entrapments, one of the most potentially hazardous situations that
can occur on a river. His thoughts are on page two, along with a list
of river rescue resources and the dates for our River Rescue classes,
one of which will be taught by Charlie himself (July 29-30). And, to round out your outdoor rescue skills, why not consider enrolling in our Wilderness First Responder Course from May 31 to June 8? The first Dryway release is coming up on May 23rd. Why not help out with the River Cleanup on Fife Brook on Saturday, the 22nd, and |
paddle the Dryway on Sunday with us? We are meeting at the Zoar Gap at
10am on Saturday. I will be guiding a raft from the dam to the Gap and
collecting trash along the way. We will have an impromptu barbecue at
the Gap when we?re done. In accordance with their FERC license, US Generating Company will be improving the put-in at the Dryway. We?ve heard that they should be starting soon and are hoping to be finished for Memorial Day weekend (the 1st 2-day Dryway weekend) - no more scrambling down the steep rocky bank! We?ll keep you posted on their progress.
Evie Locke |
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| River Rescue Workshops at Zoar | 2 | ||||||
| Wilderness First Responder Courses | 2 | ||||||
| River Rescue Resources | 2 | ||||||
| Hot New Boat Reviews | 3 | ||||||
| Demo Day - May 23 | 3 | ||||||
| Clearance Corner | 3 | ||||||
| New Boats on Sale | 4 | ||||||
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8th Annual Zoar Outdoor Film Series |
4 | ||||||
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The Outfitters Shop |
Karen's Corner | ||
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April 1 - October 15 Tuesday - Friday Saturday - Sunday (closed Mondays) |
9am - 5pm 8am - 6pm |
To kick off this year?s Dryway season, Zoar is hosting a "Hot New Boat Demo Day." On May 23rd, representives from Dagger, Perception, Wave Sport, Necky, Prijon and Pyranha will be on hand to answer questions and give you the inside scoop as to why their boats are the hottest. The really great news is that you can demo a boat for free! The site for this new event is the Zoar Gap. Arrangements can be made to paddle the Dryway or play at the Gap by calling us at 800-532-7483 to reserve the boat of your choice. Boats not reserved in advance will be available on a first-come first-served basis. Boat availability is subject to Zoar's instructional needs and limited by the number of boats |
brought by each sales representative. Paperwork, including waiver
forms and rental aggreements, will need to be filled out. Demos are
for experienced paddlers, paddling within their ability level. If you
miss this demo opportunity, we will be hosting additional Demo Days on
July 17th and August 21st. I'd love to hear from those of you who take part in the Demo Day to pass along your feedback in a future Zoar Rap. Maybe we can settle the question as to which boat really is the hottest!
Karen Murphy |
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October 16 - October 31 Wednesday - Sunday |
10am - 4pm | ||
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November 1 - February 29 Tuesday - Friday |
10am - 4pm | ||
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March 1 - March 31 Wednesday - Sunday |
9am - 5pm |
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On July 25, 1998 there was a foot and leg entrapment on the Fife Brook
section of the Deerfield River during a whitewater swim drill. Adam
Dzialo, 12, was taking part in an outdoor adventure program run by
Greenfield Community College when he attempted to stand up in a Class
I rapid about 1 mile below Zoar Gap. After his leg slid into an 8"
diameter space between two rocks, the current forced his body
underwater. A rescue attempt, organized by Crab Apple Whitewater
guides who happened to be on the scene, took over 20 minutes. This was
a very fast response, but it was not quick enough. Despite immediate
medical attention and a helicopter evacuation to a trauma center, Adam
has suffered severe brain damage. As of this printing he has not
recovered fully. This accident was widely publicized and has caused a
furor in Western Massachusetts. As a result, readers of this newsletter
may want to know more about the risks of river swimming. Swimming rapids is pretty safe for people who remember a few basic rules. You should get on your back with your feet in front of you, line your body up with the current, and arch your back to avoid hitting rocks. Time your breaths so you take in air between waves and holes, and be ready to swim aggressively for safety at the first opportunity. Standing up in a rapid is an instinctive reaction for novices who have not been warned of its dangers. This is a very dangerous mistake, comparable to crossing a street without looking both ways first. Although most people who stand up in fast current do not catch a foot or leg, a few are not so lucky. This error results in several deaths each year. As Adam's predicament reminded us, the |
presence of trained swiftwater rescue professionals and advanced
medical care cannot guarantee a happy outcome. You may wonder why people who wade in the river regularly, like fishermen and rescue-trained river guides, almost never catch their feet. Wading is safe if the wader maintains good balance. Rather than lunging wildly, you should feel your way across the bottom with your feet and move with care. If your foot slips into a crevice, you should be able to remove it without becoming trapped. If you start to get swept away, don't struggle for your balance or footing; instead, relax and let the river float you to safety. When the current lets up, swim to shore. This is why experienced fishermen often wear a life vest along with their hip waders! Remember that even a strong, well-trained wader will have trouble staying upright in fast current deeper than mid-thigh. The shorter you are, the less current depth will be required to knock you over. It is important for us to remember that whitewater paddling, like most active outdoor sports, will never be risk-free. Meeting the dangers of river running with skill and courage is the modern embodiment of the pioneer spirit that settled the Deerfield Valley over two hundred years ago. Wild rivers require a different mind set than stepping onto an engineered thrill ride like a roller coaster. You have to respect their power, learn how they work, and pay constant attention to your surroundings. Since millions of people participate in river running each year there will be injuries and fatalities. We must try to learn from each one so we can avoid making similar mistakes. |
Geared toward the intermediate to advanced paddler, our River Rescue
Workshop is based on a curriculum developed by the American Canoe
Association, and is designed to teach both rescue techniques and safe
river-running practices in all river craft. Our emphasis is on
judgment and managing river rescue situations, as well as rescue
techniques that can be performed with a minimum of equipment.
Rescuing swimmers and pinned boats will be covered. One-day workshops
focus on throw rope basics, swimming in rapids and effective wading
rescues.
Old clinic dates and prices removed.
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Whitewater Self-Defense
Heads Up! River Rescue for River Runners
River Rescue: A Manual for Whitewater Safety by Les Bechdel
& Slim Ray
Whitewater Rescue Manual: New Techniques for Canoeists, Kayakers,
and Rafters by Charles Walbridge & Wayne Sundmacher Sr. |
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at Zoar Outdoor All outdoor people may find themselves in situations where help is more than a phone call away. Typical first aid courses train students to provide care before an ambulance arrives. This course is designed for people who often travel where dialing 911 is not an option. It is experiential and tough, with emphasis on practical sessions and video taped simulations using made-up victims. Old dates and prices removed. See link above for current dates. |
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Recently, I had the opportunity to demo both the Mr. Clean by
Perception and the Medieval by Dagger. On first inspection, the two
boats appear to be very similar: the Mr. Clean is 7?9" and has a
volume of 54 gallons and the Medieval is 7?11" and 57 gallons. Both
are designed to do retentive moves at your local playspot. Both do
enders, cartwheels, and other vertical moves with ease. I'm 165 lb. and stand 6'1" tall. I have a 31" inseam and have size 10 1/2 feet. I normally paddle a Pyranha Blade and have lots of experience doing squirts and tossing ends. On this day the Fife Brook section of the Deerfield was running at 1100 cfs. I took both boats to Zoar Gap and decided to see what they could do. With each boat, I started at the top of the Gap and ran the rapid and eddied out at the surf wave on river right. The low volume of these boats combined with the edges on the bottom of their hulls made running the drop very different from the more "traditional" hulls. First of all, the waves seemed very big. I was dropping deep into the wave troughs and getting pounded. To get to the eddy from the current took full power and a very aggressive lean backwards to make sure the bow stayed up as I crossed the eddy line. Getting on the surf wave from behind the rock on river right took several tries due to the slow hull speed, however both boats were very stable when water was running lengthwise down the hull. Once on the wave, the edges on the hull made carving easy and effective, but I had to make a concerted effort to keep the bows from diving. |
A little bit downstream I dropped into a small hole and was surprised
by the side surfing stability. Any time I wanted to go vertical, all
I had to do was expose an edge and up I went! Once I had an end up, I
could generally swap bow for stern with one paddle stroke. I?ll admit
I am not the world?s greatest rodeo star, but I was surprised how easy
it was to link three- or four-point cartwheels. Part of this was due
to the volume that has been packed around the cockpit of each boat.
Once you submerge an end the volume wants to make something happen,
and that something is usually some kind of end swap, provided you toss
in a sweep or pry to initiate the move. I feel that both boats perform similarly, but there are some differences. I would recommend the Mr. Clean to smaller people or people with narrow legs or smaller feet. I have found the boat to be roomy almost everywhere except down where my feet were. I found the sitting position more comfortable than a 3D, but the low volume ends will make this an "interesting" boat for river running. The "duck bill" decks make room at the ends of the boat cramped. People with size 11+ feet or heavier people might want to consider the Medieval. It has more volume for your feet and more volume at the water line. For me, the Medieval required more energy to initiate vertical moves than the Mr. Clean but the added stability and volume would make it more forgiving when running larger rapids. I would not recommend these boats for creeking, over-night expeditions, or downriver racing, but if you want to shred at your local play spot or make class II seem like class III, try these boats out. |
Demo Day
Come join us at Zoar Gap on May 23rd to demo the hot new boats for the season. Try boats from Dagger, Necky, Perception, Prijon, Pyranha & Wave Sport and talk shop with the manufacturers? reps about their products. Along with the Mr. Clean & the Medieval, look for new boats such as the Necky Gliss, Dagger Infrared, Prijon Samurai, Pyranha Zone, & Wave Sport Z. |
 Perception Mr. Clean
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River Sandal Sale
Outdated sale items removed. |
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Saturday, July 10th
Biking in Vietnam presented by Julius Rosewood, a freelance
writer & world traveler
Saturday, July 31st
Whitewater Self Defense presented by Kent Ford, owner of
Performance Video & Instruction, Inc.
(to be held at the Deerfield Riverfest Site)
Saturday, August 21st
Rock Climbing in Thailand presented by Glenna & Earl Alderson,
Directors of Hampshire College?s Outdoor Programs
All programs (except Whitewater Self Defense) will be held at the Zoar
Outdoor Pavilion and begin at 6:00pm.
They are free and open to the
public. A simple summer barbecue starts at 5:00pm for $5/person.
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New Boats on Sale
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Outdated sale items removed. | |
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Sale prices apply to in-stock items only. Sale ends May 31, 1999 | |
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The Zoar Rap is edited by Evie Locke and Karen Murphy. Contact us at Zoar Outdoor with suggestions, feedback, ideas, etc. Copyright 1999 Zoar Outdoor Adventure Resort Inc. |
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