15 Terms You Need to Know Before Rafting
“Did you see that epic ‘yardsale’ at Double Suck?!”
“Chad, totally got ‘chundred’ yesterday.
“My crew was ‘lilly-dipping’ most of the day. We blew the ‘ferry’ and
washed into the hole. The boat fully ’subbed-out’. I reached for the
‘chicken strap’ and ‘closed the coffin’ on all of us”!
“Kyle really got ‘worked’ after that ‘in-line’ at Washing Machine! Epic
carnage! He definitely didn’t ‘style’ it!”
Have you ever listened to your river guides banter while talking amongst
their fellow guides? To some, they may as well be speaking Martian. As
with any niche activity, there are a lot of unfamiliar terms that one
must learn to have a better understanding of what is going on in this new
and exciting activity.
Buckle up your helmet, cinch down that PFD and get ready to learn a few
new words they likely didn’t cover in English class!
- Lilly-dip – When a paddler is paddling poorly with little purchase on
the water, they are Lilly-dipping. You don’t want to be a Lilly-dipper! - Yardsale – Usually spawning from a flip or crew dump. A yardsale can be a beautiful thing. Just as you would imagine, all the things that were in your boat are now outside of your boat and floating away down the river; yep, that’s a yardsale.
- Subbed-out – Taking the raft deep below the water surface into a river feature.
- Style/Steeze – Running a rapid with extreme precision and looking like a boss while doing it.
- Back-stack – Guide and crew all gather tightly in the back of the boat
for a wild and vertical experience though a rapid. Typically, reserved
for swim eager crews. Almost always resulting in a yardsale. - Carnage – Flips, swims, pins, dumps. Carnage is great until you’re a
part of it. - Recirc’d/Recirculated – “You send me right round baby, right round like a record, baby….” You are in a hydraulic. You will know you are getting recirc’d when you see the same scenery over and over while doing involuntary flips in the water. All of your friends are laughing at you. You’ll want to reduce your surface area and BALL UP to flush out of the rapid!
- Chunder – The second verse is the same as the first! Do you remember getting recirculated? Congrats, you have also just been chundered!
- Ferry – Moving your vessel across the current from A to B. Ferries are done both upstream and downstream. A strong understanding of ferry angles is crucial knowledge for a guide.
- Surf – Just like in the ocean, there are surf waves on the river!
However, on the river the waves are stationary. Guides purposely paddle back in to river features to surf their rafts on the waves. Sometimes, this may result in carnage. - On The Fly/Inline – The act of catching a surf wave while moving
downstream. One of the most exciting things to do on the river! - Close The Coffin – Grabbing the chicken strap midway though a flip.
Thus, sealing your fate and pulling the raft down on top of you and your peers. - Taco’d – just as you would imagine, your raft is now in the shape of a
taco. - PFD – You may know this one, partly. PFD can mean two things. ‘Personal Flotation Device’ or ‘Personal First Decent’ of a river.
- Bull rider/Riding the bull – A crew member sitting on the nose of the
raft while riding big waves the river is known as a Bull Rider.
There you have it! Now, you are armed with few words that should help
you to better understand and communicate with your raft guide. There are so many more words to crazy river lingo but you aren’t going
learn it here! Get out there and go rafting!
S.Y.O.T.R ( see you on the river)
-Dustin Welch
.
Popular Posts
Need more outdoor adventure rafting in your life?
check out our social!
Five Star Rated on 
contact us
Outdoor Adventure Rafting
629 Welcome Valley Road
Benton, TN 37307
0 Comments