A couple of thoughts, and if you hate them just pass me off as an elitest snob.
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In my mind CRCII should be the default frame of reference in colorado.
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I disagree with this. Although I think the authors did a great job at being consistent with their difficulty assessments they have a somehwat skewed perspective since the book was written in the big water years between 1995 and 1998. Not a big deal, but the book only gives a loose correlation between the runs rating and the water level. Therefore runs like Gore get a solid V rating because those paddlers considered a minimum flow to be around 1000, when we all know that many people run it below 1000, and often, when the river is more class IV with a couple of class V's. (I'm not about to debate ratings on Gore, because its already been done. Just an example).
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The key for ratings is to have consistency across rivers and levels, and to have enough knowledge and experience to rate them.
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Exactly! However, the lack of level to difficulty beta on colorado runs causes inconsistency. Also, boaters have become a lot better with equipment advances and better instruction, etc. Therefore more is being run, and it is only natural that the classification system adapts with those changes. However, when I have suggested changing the class V rating system to decimel or going with Corran Addisons system people get pissed. The other alternative is to let things be downgraded over time (not a bad thing as long as it is done slowly and cautiously).
Experience, as you said is also a huge factor. Therefore the people that are the best at rating things are the ones that have paddled the most places, and can paddle everytype of whitewater, because they see the full spectrum. A class III paddler will have a tougher time differentiating the difference between a class IV and class V than a class V paddler would. Not ripping on class III paddlers, but that is how ratings work. The other day I told a mtn bike friend that I thought the ratings were off (I'm a begginer/intermediate) and he (expert/former pro) told me that they were right on. Until I can do it all, I'll take his word for it.
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Over classifying a stretch maybe better than under classifying it to keep it safe for all users.
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Sorry Josh, but I disagree. The safest system is one that is consistent, not just from run to run but also with levels. Over classification leads to the class V lumping effect that we have here in colorado. There is a HUGE difference between class V Super Max on bailey, and class V+ Yule Creek. Yet, they are only 1/3 of a rating difference. This creates a larger safety problem in my opinion. Overating easier water makes people believe that when they are paddling a class V run that they have officially become a class V paddler, and then they go and get destroyed in Pandora's Box, because its only class V.
I think the Montana books ratings were the best that I have seen. Compared to the Colorado book, a class IV+ montana would easily be a V- or solid V in this state. And damn, that IV+ montana action was so good. I'm not ripping on the quality of whitewater. They just spread the ratings out much more. A montana V+ scares the shit out of me, and colorado V+ is usually a little subjective. (Again, a lot of the discrepencies come from lack of level to rating information)
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ratings are meant to be generalized
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Then why rate it? Ratings are meant to tell you how difficult it is as close as possible. Generalizing ratings gets people in trouble.
I think that ratings should be very specific. Think about mtn biking. There are a lot of expert bikers out there, but when was the last time someone cleaned ALL of Apex. Not nearly as many times as people have ridden it. In other words, rate the inbetween water first, and then if there are more difficult rapids rate those seperatly. Instead of Class V, its class IV (V,V-). This tells people to expect to portage the harder stuff unless they are a class V boater. If it is class V then they know the whole run is class V and if they aren't a class V boater then they will portage almost everything.
On a side note, CRCII is fairly outdated. It was written in 1999. That was before the loop was invented, let alone half the freestyle manuevers out there. Technology and paddlers have improved. Likewise, it isn't an accident that CRCII is out of print. Sold, done. Yes, there are a couple of guys working on a new book at this point, and rumor has it that it comes out Spring 07.
laters
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