BANKS, Idaho — We've been telling people to avoid rivers this time of year because they are running so fast and cold, the conditions create a dangerous combination that requires paddlers to really be on their game.
The South Fork of the Payette River is a class IV stretch above Banks that features two long rapids called Staircase and Slalom.
This week boaters were treated with warm weather and high flows with the water flowing over 8,000 cubic feet per second for most of the week, high water runs only happen once every few years.
The rapids don't necessarily get harder at high water than medium flows as water covers up most of the obstacles and rocks, but it does create giant holes boaters need to avoid, big water creates another element of danger because if everything doesn't go according to plan, it's hard to get out of the water.
"There is no margin for error right now that middle line at Staircase is about four feet wide," said Ted Day, a cat boater who has decades of experience under his belt. "If something goes wrong even if you have buddies around, you are on your own."
Catarafts and kayakers run the rapids in teams, it looks almost like a military formation as boaters stay close enough where they can help each other, but far enough away that they don't run into each other.
"It feels more like ocean waves meaning sometimes they are going to break, sometimes they are going to be green and there is a little unpredictability there," said kayaker Burgess Norgard a doctor at St. Luke's. "At the same time, there are no holes that are going to keep you."
Paddling in groups is one aspect of safety, but boaters also wear the proper equipment which includes a helmet, life jacket and a suit to guard against the frigid temperature of the water.
"A drysuit is actually probably your number one safety gear in terms of staying warm because these waters are cold," said Norgard.
Sound decision-making also needs to come into play as boaters shouldn't press their comfort zone in high water, we watched a pair of Boise State students walk their kayaks around the crux move at Staircase, they got back in and finished the run safely.
"We are all willing to walk away from the river," said Ted Day. "If we aren’t feeling it one day, we walk away, the river is always going to be there.”
Boaters need to know their own limits I'm pretty comfortable on the South Fork of the Payette, but I draw the line on the upper two sections on the class five North Fork of the Payette where the NFC has been held for the last decade.
Even on the South Fork on one of my runs I underestimated the speed of the river and got kicked by a wave into the corner of a huge hole and capsized, I was able to roll my kayak back over and finish the rapid as self-rescue in high water is paramount.
"There’s no doubt that a swim would be painful, it could be life-threatening if you don’t know what you are doing," said Norgard. "You got to be with friends, you got to have the right gear and you really need to have a roll, if you can’t roll this isn’t the level for you."
The South Fork of the Payette doesn't get above 8,000 cubic feet per second very often so paddlers flock to Banks to take advantage when mother nature delivers the goods to the whitewater state.
"It is so much fun there is a whole community of people that are looking forward to this day and are here to share it with you," said Norgard. "So not only are you getting to paddle these giant waves in 80-degree heat and sunshine, you are doing it with your best friends."
Whitewater brings a unique aspect because most sports people can start on a smaller scale and work their way up, but we get hit with high water right off the bat so fitness level also has to be considered.
“It’s a scary flow for a lot of people, but for those of us that have been running rivers for ten twenty thirty years this is what we live for," said Day.
The Payette River system is one of the best places I've seen to learn how to boat, but people need to start off by learning how to roll and getting a feel for the river during the warm summer months when there are better conditions.
Banks provide natural progress for paddlers starting with the Main Payette and the Cabarton, then paddlers can graduate to the South Fork runs and if they continue that progression the North Fork of the Payette provides one of the toughest challenges in this part of the country.
We also tell people without experience to go with a guide, they will provide the proper equipment and assess the risk to make sure you and your family have a fun time, right now guide companies are running trips on the Main, but not the South Fork.
