Chattahoochee Write Up For 2013 by hunter katich | Jan 20, 2013 | JK Team Posts, Playboating, Reviews, rivers, Video, Whitewater | 2 comments For an optimal training and learning environment, no matter what your skill level, come paddle with me here at the Chattahoochee River in Columbus, GA. There is something for everyone! I’ve paddled the Chattahoochee for many years, and the changes that are being made are incredible! During the past year, this amazing river has been under construction to become the longest urban 2.5mile whitewater course in the world. If you’re a play boater then this river is a paradise for you! A normal day for me on the water includes an awesome feature, great for every hole trick in the book. When the bottom pool fills up and the feature washes, I go up above the biggest rapid on the river, Cutbait, where two big waves stand. These back to back waves, “Clicket-or-Ticket” and “Interstate” are about 6 to 10 foot standing waves (depending on the flow) and are perfect for almost every trick performed on a wave! To top it all off you can go big and take your chances on punching one of the biggest holes in the South East, “Cutbait hole”. The rapid is named Cutbait for a reason, so scout it out before charging down blindly. Cutbait Rapid Clicket-Or-Ticket Wave Changes are occurring frequently and the next upgrades planned are to breech two dams which will direct the water to the wave-shaper and alter the river flow upstream. I’ve been watching the progress on the wave-shaper since they started construction and I’m excited for its scheduled completion, March 2013. The river has a constant 800 cfs at a non-release time. All the water will be diverted 24/7 to the wave-shaper creating an awesome play spot. It will be the perfect park and play for practicing. I’m hoping to see lots of world class competitions here in the future. Chattahoochee Wave-Shaper This is all just the beginning; The Chattahoochee also has great fishing from what I’ve seen and heard, so fishermen come and check it out as well! The river happens to run right in the middle of Columbus, GA where there are exceptional places to eat and chill once you get off the water. For non-paddlers, the river walk provides miles of scenic paths to walk or bike ride. I also left out that the river typically releases EVERYDAY! This write up is written for an 8k flow, but there’s always something to do at higher or lower flows. Check out the Columbus, GA Convention & Visitors Bureau video below: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zK8DW6cMI4&list=LLdrx2pvIAW7XEgJano1DkKg&feature=mh_lolz[/youtube] Come paddle with me at the Chattahoochee and I think you’ll be happy with what it has to offer. Good for your best boaters and also for you guys just starting. If you want to try out one of the various Jackson boats you can demo one for the day at The Outside World in downtown Columbus. My personal favorite is the 2013 STAR; awesome for river running, smooth on a wave and lots of air in a hole! Let's Paddle! 2 Comments yoyoma on January 25, 2013 at 9:36 pm i did the 3 rapids yo mentioned in a raft with a large group as part of a promotional trip for shooting promotional materials. i would like to say, i am an experienced boater (rafts, not kayaks). i have rafted nearly every inch of whitewater on the east coast. i would like to say that “cutbait” is one of the more humbling pieces of water i’ve rafted. i’ve been told that once the project is finished, the rapids may look slightly different but during the afternoon runs, once the dam is released, it is some of the wildest white water on the east coast out of the 8-10 boats that went, only 2-3 kept from flipping. part of this may have been that the boat guides were all running it for the first time but a good bit of it was the intensity of the rapid. luckily “cutbait” has been crafted so that it is nearly impossible to get trapped on any rocks. we were told if it were a natural formation, it would be a class 5 and would be too much for boats but because the rapid is man made and because it releases into a large, open area, it is a class 4. this hopefully will keep the number of life threatening incidents to a minimum. to anyone on the fence or to anyone looking for an amazing time, i encourage you to come try some of the wildest water on the east coast. Reply Flip Rollem on March 6, 2017 at 10:09 am At 60 years old, I’ve been out of my kayak for about 15 years. Seeing what Columbus has done to the Hooch makes me want to retire in Columbus and get back in my RPM! Reply Submit a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ
yoyoma on January 25, 2013 at 9:36 pm i did the 3 rapids yo mentioned in a raft with a large group as part of a promotional trip for shooting promotional materials. i would like to say, i am an experienced boater (rafts, not kayaks). i have rafted nearly every inch of whitewater on the east coast. i would like to say that “cutbait” is one of the more humbling pieces of water i’ve rafted. i’ve been told that once the project is finished, the rapids may look slightly different but during the afternoon runs, once the dam is released, it is some of the wildest white water on the east coast out of the 8-10 boats that went, only 2-3 kept from flipping. part of this may have been that the boat guides were all running it for the first time but a good bit of it was the intensity of the rapid. luckily “cutbait” has been crafted so that it is nearly impossible to get trapped on any rocks. we were told if it were a natural formation, it would be a class 5 and would be too much for boats but because the rapid is man made and because it releases into a large, open area, it is a class 4. this hopefully will keep the number of life threatening incidents to a minimum. to anyone on the fence or to anyone looking for an amazing time, i encourage you to come try some of the wildest water on the east coast. Reply
Flip Rollem on March 6, 2017 at 10:09 am At 60 years old, I’ve been out of my kayak for about 15 years. Seeing what Columbus has done to the Hooch makes me want to retire in Columbus and get back in my RPM! Reply
