Best Play Spots on the Nantahala River

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With the 2013 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships coming to the Nantahala Gorge in September, the 2013 Wave has become one of the most popular playspots on the Nantahala (and in the country).

But, where should paddlers go when they don't want an audience, are just learning to playboat or just want to explore new features on the Nantahala River?

NOC Paddling School Manager, Tosh Arwood, gives the inside scoop on the "other" top play spots on the Nantahala, where they are and what tricks paddlers can perform at these features. Here's what he has to say:

Location: Surfing Rapid

How to get there: Park at the pull-off just upstream of Pizza by the River.
Best for: Front surfing, back surfing and flat spins. (An aptly-named feature.) Look for "Surfers" to get even better as water levels increase. At high water it can be the best all-around play spot on the river.  

NOC's Paddling School Manager Tosh Arwood and Information Technology Specialist Raymond Brugger
at Surfing Rapid.

Location: Bridge Wave

How to get there: Under the Founder's Bridge at NOC. Park in the main river-left parking lot. 

Best for: Front Surfing, back surfing and flat spins. This wave appears and disappears with different water levels, but when it's there it's as good a place as any for beginner paddlers to log some surfing time. 

Raymond Brugger getting his surf on

Location: Whirlpool Rapid

How to get there: Two rapids below the rock quarry (no easy park and play access). 

Best for: Squirt Boating, front surfing and stern squirts. This rapid has pretty strong eddy lines, so it's easy to practice stern squirts here. Bring an old RPM for maximum fun. The surfing wave is stable too, but watch out for downriver traffic: the swirling eddy lines will eventually push someone into you.  

Tosh Arwood doing a huge stern squirt

Location: Nantahala Falls

How to get there: The last rapid on the Nantahala rafting trip. A well-marked pull-off directly above the Falls provides good access; it's the first pull off upstream of River's End Restaurant.

Best for: Downriver freestyle moves, loops, stern squirts and enders.

Trey Lawson pulling off a huge ender at the bottom hole of the Falls.

Location: Camel Hump

How to get there: Park at The Ledges rapid and walk the short trail upstream until you see a rock in the center of the river resembling a camel's hump.

Best for: Side surfing, spins and low-angle cartwheels. 

Jon Clark mid-cartwheel at Camel Hump.

So, next time you're paddling down the Nantahala keep an eye out for these opportunities. If you have any questions about playboating or if you're looking for some advice feel free to give NOC's instructors a call at at 800.232.7287.

NOC/Dagger Freestyle Shootout Features $10,000 in Prizes

The second annual NOC/Dagger Freestyle Shootout is set for August 1-2 this summer, and it'll be twice as big as our very-successful 2008 event. Proof? The purse is twice as big, there're twice as many sponsors and, instead of fumbling around with an ipod, we're gonna have a DJ spinning on the bridge during the event. Sweet. Combine live music Saturday night at the venue-bordering Pourover (our new riverside pub), some brewery reps handing out schwag and our spectator-friendly campus, and you've got all the ingredients for the best freestyle paddling festival in the East.

Also, we've changed the scoring system to make the action more spectator friendly. Into cartwheels? We are too, but only so many. Therefore, in addition to the standard technical and variety judges we've added a "Personal Style" judge who will evaluate contestants on "ride presentation and crowd involvement". You'll have to throw some big moves, or at least try them, to win.

For those of you wondering what the heck a kayaking freestyle competition is, well, it's similar to a half-pipe freestyle event in skateboarding. Kayakers compete at a single feature, in this case a stationary breaking wave, and perform tricks like cartwheels, loops (full flips) , blunts (really fast, near vertical turns that spew a curtain of water) and even dynamic airborne manuevers that require the paddler to spin while totally out of the water. Think X-Games for whitewater, right here in western North Carolina on the Nantahala River.

For a casual spectator it's a really cool event. Hang out by the river, enjoy the scene, watch some stellar athletes, do your own water activities, come back and enjoy the festivities at night. I recommend bringing a lawn chair and plopping down in the shade. Below are some photos of the 2008 event, so you can get a feel for the scene (courtesy of Pat McDonnell).