Announcements

We won’t have many more chances to leave work/class early during the week to run the James in Richmond. The James through this section at current level should only be run by intermediate-advanced paddlers. You should have paddled in atleast class 3 rapids numerous times, and should be able to hit your roll in flat water. If you are not …

This trip is a two-day introductory course on how to white water kayak. It begins Friday night at 8 at my place with a brief pre-trip meeting to pick out and organize gear. Saturday morning at 10 we’ll leave my place and head to Beaver Creek (~7 miles west, just before Crozet) to familiarize ourselves with the boats, learn basic …

This trip is a two-day introductory course on how to white water kayak. It begins Saturday morning at 10 at my place where each person will pick out their boat and organize their gear. We’ll then head to Walnut Creek (~10 miles south) to familiarize ourselves with the boats, learn basic paddling techniques and maneuvers, and practice T-rescues, wet exits, …

The original trip has been modified – this section of the james is at 11 ft and flowing at 25K CFS – near record levels! I’ve done it at 6 ft, so do not know the river at this level…but still want to go! Do NOT sign up unless you’ve paddled plenty of times in big water (at least class …

An intermediate section of the upper James River as it flows through the Blue Ridge Mountains. The put-in is on the Maury River at Glasgow, VA just before it flows into the James. 100 yards after the put-in, the paddler is confronted with a challenging Class II rapid. Upon entering the James, the paddler will enjoy some gentle surfing waves. …

…rolling! Due to all of the rain, this local river is as high as I’ve seen it. This time of year it usually is at the tail end of its run-able season with water just trickling over the 3 class II rapids. Right now those class IIs are border line class III with plenty of surf waves and a few …

An intermediate section of the upper James River as it flows through the Blue Ridge Mountains. The put-in is on the Maury River at Glasgow, VA just before it flows into the James. 100 yards after the put-in, the paddler is confronted with a challenging Class II rapid. Upon entering the James, the paddler will enjoy some gentle surfing waves. …

The Pony Pasture run is the upper half of the area famous white water trip through Richmond and starts at the Pony Pasture parking area, just off Riverside drive, and ends at Reedy Creek, just before the more difficult section. The 4 mile Pony Pasture run offers 3 class II rapids and 1 class II-III wave field. I’ve never paddled …

The middle James (Balcony Falls run) is mostly class I and II rapids with 1 easy class III rapid. This trip is good for all levels (except complete beginners), depending on the water level. If the level is too high, we’ll go some where more appropriate, like the Moormans (class II-III) or the Pony Pasture Run down the James in …

The Rivanna is a great river for beginners to test their paddling skills and have fun running through the class I and II rapids. Sorry about the short notice 🙁 Tuesday is the only day this week that doesn’t have thunderstorm forecasts. Outdoors at UVa provides: boats, skirts, pfds, helmets, noseplugs, splash jackets, paddles You must bring: swimwear, towel, sunscreen, …

I plan on heading out to Richmond to kayak the lower James this Saturday. This trip is for beginner AND advanced paddlers. For beginners, or those who have little, but some paddling experience, we’ll put in on the upper section at the Pony Pasture parking lot and run this 5 mile section through class I and II rapids. After this …

Balcony Falls is a fun and easy class 3 rapid along the mid-James near a town called Glasgow. It offers a great play hole with some fun surf waves and 2 nice big eddies on either side. With the water levels plummeting, it soon won’t be worth taking the 1.5 hour long drive to go play in it. At the …

The water is back up with all of the rain we’re having!! But won’t last unless it continues to rain (which is the forecast for the entire week 🙂 I’d like to head out to Glasgow for some class I-III white water, if the water level gets high enough and if its not storming. If the water doesn’t reach a …

This time of year most of the local rivers are too low to run, except for just after heavy rain fall. The James through Richmond, however, is typically runnable year round. We’ll be running the intermediate-advanced lower section as it drops through downtown (almost literally!:) At mid-high water this can be a very dangerous 3.5 miles of white water making …

Its time for you newbie paddlers to put your skills to the test, or for you beginners-intermediates to practice your skills. We’ll find an intermediate stretch of white water at low level and run it. Most likely the Balcony Falls run on the middle James. Usually a class 2-3 run, is running class 1-2 with one class 3 drop – …

I know a lot of you kayakers out there that have run rivers would like to try a different aspect of the sport – play paddling. I know a great place to learn or work on your moves – the middle James. The Balcony Falls run has a couple nice surf waves, spin holes, and wave trains for wave wheels …

The middle-James is a nice run for all experience levels, depending on the water level, which right now is good for beginners-intermediates. This trip is for experienced beginners (someone who has been in a white water kayak) – intermediate paddlers. DO NOT SIGN UP UNLESS YOU’VE TAKEN THE INTRO CLASS WITH ME OR CASE OR HAVE SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. Email or …

At current water level this fine section of the James through downtown Richmond is suitable for intermediates-advanced paddlers. There are mostly class 3 rapids with 1 class 4, which we’ll scout and then I’ll guide you through. DO NOT SIGN UP UNLESS YOU’VE AT LEAST PADDLED CLASS 3 RAPIDS. It really helps, but you don’t need to have a solid …

At current water level this fine section of the James through downtown Richmond is suitable for intermediates-advanced paddlers. There are mostly class 3 rapids with 1 class 4, which we’ll scout and then I’ll guide you through. DO NOT SIGN UP UNLESS YOU’VE AT LEAST PADDLED CLASS 3 RAPIDS. It really helps, but you don’t need to have a solid …

What a great weekend to paddle! We just got dumped on with rain and the forecast calls for temps in the 80s. I’m not sure where we’ll go yet, depends on water levels. Richmond needs to drop a few feet to be safe, Balcony falls might be good, by Sunday the Maury might be too low…we’ll see. Where ever we …

Extra hour of daylight = extra hour to kayak! Now we can start kayaking during the week…after work (for me that is, silly undergrads 🙂 and as long as we get enough rain to keep the water up & run-able. Lets paddle the downtown section of the James through Richmond and end with some drinks and apps at Legends (local …

Sunday looks like a great day to paddle, but most of the local rivers are low 🙁 The Rivanna (runs through town) is an excellent river to learn white water kayaking on, but won’t be much fun unless we get a lot of rain. The middle-James is a nice run for all experience levels, depending on the water level, which …

It is time! The rivers aren’t up but spring is in the air. With its 3 class II and numerous class I rapids, the Rivanna is a great place to learn the basic maneuvers in white water kayaking and to get some river experience. I’ll be teaching such moves as eddying-in and out, ferrying, running rapids, and rolling to any …

This trip is for beginner AND advanced paddlers. For beginners, or those who have little, but some paddling experience, we’ll put in on the upper section at the Pony Pasture parking lot and run this 5 mile section through class I and II rapids. After this section, novice paddlers can return to C’ville and more advanced paddlers can run the …

This trip is for beginners-intermediates. In order to sign up you are required to have prior river running experience or have taken the kayaking basics class with me. The section of the James from Glasgow, VA to Snowden has lots of class IIs and a couple class IIIs, including the area famous Balcony Falls. By tomrrow night the water should …

Sunday should be a great day for kayaking! I want to take advantage of the water levels so am leading a beginner trip in the AM-early afternoon, so since I’ll have the gear in/on my Jeep anyway, why not head down the mid-James for some fun class III paddling. The section of the James from Glasgow, VA to Snowden has …

Thank you Isabell!! She brought the Rivanna up 22 feet (which was at 3′)! It looks like the level is peaking at 25 feet, which means by Sunday it should be back down to a nice, safe, yet challenging introductory level. Take the chance while we have the water. The Rivanna is perfect for beginners with its narrow width, fun …

The James through Richmond is a fun run through class 3 white water (at the 4.8ft level its at right now) that takes you under heavy trafficked bridges and up against a skyline. The water is running at a relatively safe flow (~4400 CuFt./sec) and there are few hazards, so you don’t need a roll in order to sign up …

The James through Richmond is a fun run through class 3 white water (at the 4.8ft level its at right now) that takes you under heavy trafficked bridges and up against a skyline. The water is running at a relatively safe flow (~4400 CuFt./sec) and there are few hazards, so you don’t need a roll in order to sign up …

The 3.5 mile section of the James through Richmond offers some class III rapids, a long class III-IV, and a solid class IV. This trip is for intermediate-advanced paddlers, so do NOT sign up unless you have that level of experience. Call or email me if you are not sure if you are qualified. A solid roll is strongly recommended …