Colorado River - Gore Canyon

Take state road 9 heading south of the town of Kremmling.  Take the Trough Road split off and then take another right and follow the road to the put in.  There is a small ramp and parking lot here.

Alternatively and more aptly called Fisherman's Nightmare, this is the first major drop of the run.  Although the rapid drops significant gradient over its short length and lines are often sloppy, the move is not difficult and terminates in a giant pool.  The main danger is the cluster of pin rocks in the center and left side of the drop.  The normal line is down the main tongue with a little bit of a right angle to cross a small curler in order to thread the needle between the boulder at the bottom on river right and the pin rocks in the center.  

This signature rapid is the most analyzed in all of Colorado.  A decent sized horizon line signals its presence shortly after Applesauce.  Gore rapid offers numerous lines meticulously named after characters from Gilligan's Island.  The trick in all cases is to avoid "Ginger", the sticky hole in the center of the drop.  A V- line exists on river right popularly called "The Sneak" or "Mary Ann". The crux move is peeling back into the main current without losing control.  Harder lines exist in channels left of the sneak.  "The Professor" is a technical move that puts the boater just to the right of Ginger.  The "Meat" or "Raft" line is a cool left to right move from the left curler to the right of Ginger.  Finally, the "Cowboy" or "Left-Left" line, involves a well timed boof stroke to boof off the left curler, landing to the left of Ginger.

A small section of slack water separates Gore rapid from Scissors.  The normal line is to run just right of the main hole in the center of the river, splitting the main hole and a small hole on the right.  If you're feeling lucky, the center of the hole provides a great boof, but at the risk of a nasty surf.

A fun little drop into a pool that can be run almost anywhere.  The left line goes easiest and generally gets more challenging as you move right.  There are good setup eddies above it on river right or downstream on river left.  Be aware that the boulders forming the river left eddy just above the drop form a sieve.

This is the most significant horizon line in the class IV section between Gore and Tunnel.  Similar to Scissors, it involves squeezing between two offset holes, or boofing a high point left of center.  If you run the boof at low water, be cautious as there are rocks on the sides of the landing zone.

Just before Tunnel rapid is a sleeper hole that I call "Shawn's Hole", though some may know it as "Kayaker's Nightmare".  The gradient steepens slightly, and in the center, behind what looks like just a wave is a decent sized hole that can give you a rodeo ride.  My buddy Shawn swam it his first time down.  When he returned for redemption, he warned everybdoy about this hole, and then proceeded to drop straight into it and pull his skirt.

Love it or hate it, this is the nastiest looking hole on the run.  Combine that with a tricky class IV entrance that usually blinds the paddler at the lip of the drop, and paddlers should be thankful that it terminates in one of the best pools in the entire canyon section.  There are "sneaks" on far river left and far river right, but at most levels, the sneaks are just as liable to land you in the hole as running it up the gut with a lot of speed.  In the high water year of 2011, this drop changed slightly, making it easier above 1100cfs, but difficult at lower levels.  Surfs and swims are not uncommon here, but usually don't result in any damage.  Be careful of the undercut rock on river left.

This is the worst hole on the run, and although I've heard stories of people surfing out of it, I've never seen anyone come remotely close in person. My advice, is if you find yourself in the hole, hold your breath, pull your skirt, and swim deep! There's a popular sneak on the far far left side against the cliff wall, but it's unpleasant at best. I prefer boofing the center as long as the flow is below 1400 cfs or so.  There's also a narrow line on the right.

If this is your favorite rapid on the run, you're not alone.  Kirshbaum is 1/4 mile of IV+ rapids linked together making for a super fun ride that puts Disneyland to shame.  If you could stretch this rapid out for 6 miles, it would be an international classic.  All lines go, pick your favorite.  Be careful of an undercut rock on the river left bank in the last 1/4 of the rapid.  There have been a couple close calls here.