Language Investigation #2

Amanda Tyler
Language Investigation #2
CO301D/Fall 2008

This summer I worked at a whitewater rafting company on the Cache La Poudre River. Although, I was not a guide I interacted frequently with guides and got to know the rafting terms that they used. For the most part, customers had no idea what these terms were prior to our safety talk. It was during our safety talk that we would discuss the basics of rafting and use some of the terms I am about to discuss. It was really interesting interacting with guides and getting to know entirely different language. There was always constant conversation of what happened to whom on the river. Because I was working so much I got to really know this group of community and all of us become close friends. Even outside of work we would hang out and talk rafting. Let me warn you now, if you ever hang out with river rafting guides they will talk about rafting all the time. We try not to talk about rafting outside of work but it is almost impossible. So let me go ahead and explain some of the terms I heard and used on a daily basis.

1. Booties- neoprene wet suit foot wear designed to keep your feet warm.
2. Bowline- a line tied to the outside of a raft. We tell customers that if they fall out and are able to grab onto the bowline to do so. It makes it easier for us to pull them back into the boat.
3. Carabiner- a clip that is used to secure items onto the boat, they are also used for safety and rescue. Most of you I am sure know what a carabiner is, they are also used in climbing.
4. CFS- cubic feet per second (how water is measured when passing at a certain point)
5. Current- moving water (pretty self explanatory, but it can be fast or slow)
6. Dry bag- a bag used for keeping gear on the river dry
7. buckie- a one or two person inflatable kayak, which uses double sided paddles to steer
8. Dump truck- when people are literally dumped out the side, back or front of the boat
9. Eddie- an area of water that continues in a circle where there is no current. It was mandatory for our guides to wait in certain eddies for other rafts to come down the river and make sure everyone was safe.
10. Eddie Out- to catch an eddie
11. Farmer John- a wet suit which looks much like overalls, it goes from the shoulders to the ankles.
12. Flip- when a raft literally flips completely over and is now upside down
13. Foot cup- shaped like a half of a shoe, attached to the floor of the raft, helps rafters stay inside the boat
14. High side- when rafters have to literally jump to the high side of a raft when coming up against an obstacle sideways. Rafters must always jump towards the rock or obstacle to prevent the raft from flipping or wrapping.
15. High water- when the river flow is well above the expected level. It makes the current a lot faster and also easier to guide on.
16. Hole- a hole that is found below an underwater obstruction such as a boulder. Holes often have water pouring in from upstream, downstream and the sides. Rafts can get stuck in holes resulting in a flip.
17. Line- a route through a rapid
18. Low water- when water flow is below the expected average, causing more rocks and obstacles to show. When this happens, rapids become more technical because guides have to use alternate routes down the rapid.
19. Put in- river access where a trip usually begins (there a different put ins depending on the class of rapids)
20. River Rafting- a measure of the difficulty of the river or rapid. The scale is from 1 to 6. Class 1 is considered to be a float trip, guides are generally the only ones paddling. Class 2 is a few bumps here and there but nothing extreme. Class 3 is more advanced where rafters must participate at all times to get through the rapid. Class 4 is even more advanced than class 3, we only suggest class 4 trips to those who are intermediate to advanced rafters and know what they are doing. Class 5 is un-raftable, it is only used by kayakers because the areas tend to be narrower. Class 6 is impossible, Niagara Falls is considered to be a class 6.
21. PFD- personal flotation device. Most people call if a life jacket but that is an incorrect term. These jackets are designed to help save someone but it doesn’t guarantee that it will.
Safety Talk- a talk which happens before every trip, in which customers learn about safety on the river
22. Scout- to examine a rapid from shore
23. Sweep boat- a boat with first aid supplies which usually runs last
24. Take out- river access where a trip ends.
25. Throw bag- is a bag stuffed with floating line. We use this to rescue swimmers from the river. A guide throws the bag to the person in the water while holding onto the end of the rope. While the bag is soaring through the air, the rope unravels and thus the swimmer can be pulled to safety.
26. Thwart- tubes which run across the middle of the raft
27. T-grip- a T shaped paddle handle. Placing the hand over the T allows for the paddle to be easily controlled. We tell customers to hold onto the T grip at all times because it can be a dangerous weapon.
28. Trip leader- a guide who is considered to the “head” person, they usually do safety talks and deal with any issues that come up during the trip.
29. Undercut- an overhanging rock or ledge with current flowing underneath it. Undercut rocks are extremely dangerous. Here’s a little history lesson- Claire’s Rock, a rock on the Poudre River, got its name from a kayaker named Claire who got trapped under the undercut of the rock for 45 minutes.
30. Wrapped- when a raft literally wraps itself around a rock or obstacle. The current will either push the boat downwards or push it upwards causing it to flip. (This has happened to me and it is NOT fun! )

If you have never rafted before I highly suggest it, it is addicting!!