[u:bbc07a8915][b:bbc07a8915][color=red:bbc07a8915]The Addison Scale[/color:bbc07a8915][/b:bbc07a8915][/u:bbc07a8915]

[color=cyan:bbc07a8915]The international river grading system combines the difficulty and danger level of the rapid into one number. This is a pretty crap system and the reason why Corran Addison invented the so called “Addison Scale”. He suggested that a rapid be given a rating in 3 different ways. The 2 main parts being:

Difficulty - How much skill is needed to run this rapid? Given a rating one to six.

Danger - How dangerous is this rapid? If I make a mistake, what is going to happen to me? Also given a rating one to six.

And the third part;

Exposure - If I get injured, how long will it be until I can get real medical help? Broken down into A, B and C. A being less than one hour from help. B being more than one hour but less than 24 hours and C being more than 24 hours or perhaps even in third world countries where the help they are offering you may not want to receive! This is usually a general rating for the particular stretch being paddled and not for every rapid.

A rapid can be dangerous without being difficult and on the flip side, a rapid can also be very difficult without being dangerous at all. This system allows the paddler to analyse a rapid more precisely. A good example from Corran would be; you’re a class 4 paddler. You come to a rapid that is a 5, 3, A. Technically it’s above your head (5) but the danger level is low (3) and if something does go wrong and you do get injured, you’re less than an hour away from help. One can therefore go for it. The same paddler comes to a 5, 5, C rapid. Technically above your ability and with a very high level of danger and with a C level exposure rating. The above paddler should not attempt such a rapid.

The reason why I have decided to give the above description is that many people have never even heard of the Addison Scale or how it works.[/color:bbc07a8915]

[color=red:bbc07a8915]>[/color:bbc07a8915] [color=cyan:bbc07a8915]It seems that this system was never adopted as the ‘standard’ and I’d like to know why.[/color:bbc07a8915]

[color=red:bbc07a8915]>[/color:bbc07a8915] [color=cyan:bbc07a8915]How many people use this system or something similar?

To me this system can give a more realistic representation of a given rapid. Describing rapids with just a difficulty and danger rating already gives the paddler a much broader perspective on what the situation is compared to a single number. It also allows the individual to make better decisions regarding his/her skills. [/color:bbc07a8915]

Yeah this system does make more sense and works well for the rivers around the world. Im convinced with it as are a couple of my friends, but some just go off rambling about the existing system, which is very broad especially once you get into the grade 4/5 area.

Some people i know just use a system with two options I will and can paddle this, F*(C) K that im walking,

Whilst on this subject how about the kerns hand signal system also on legend of the falls? im sure once you and your buddies have learnt it all of it is very useful but just keep things simple at the mo

what both the "Addison Scale" and the Kern brother's hand signals really bring up is the need for CLEAR communication.

Willie and Johnny have a pretty good system for signalling. But it only works if we agree on it before doing a run. (I like it and use it)

Corran is calling for more information, just short of a discussion before each run.
I personally know a few runs/rapids that are class III lines, but you are totally F'ed if you mess up!
Sure, it's all easy if you're on line, and that's the point....

I think where this system really comes into its own is the point of remoteness. How far are you from a road, then how far are you from a hospital?
The traditional scale would upgrade the rating if you are far away. But, there are so many people who get all angry and disappointed looking for a "class V" only to find a class III that is super super remote location.
YES. The danger is great. but the information is incomplete.

I don't use the "Addison Scale" as it is written, but my friends and I DO talk about things like,
"it's a class IV line with class V consequences" or we say things like....
"it's totally easy if you hit that boof, but there is NO WAY we can get you out from that hole if you miss your line. You better PRAY you make that boof!"

The problem with the Addison Scale is Corran Addison. I have paddled with him, and think he is a really nice guy, but he rubs many people the wrong way. Many people don't like him, so they don't want to use his system. I think this is really too bad, because his system is far superior to anything we are currently using. If someone told me the rapid was a 4-2-A That would give me so much more info then "It's a class IV dude" Class IV what? It's too vague.

Maybe if EJ introduced the system, it would catch on. Again, it's a shame, because Corran has done so much to advance this sport.

The river grading system is always a big hot topic among boaters.

Personally I find that a lot of people have never taken the time to read the grade discriptions which would help them to avoid some confusion.

Being old school I just don't see the need for any new grading system. Why? Well as you are at the river you must of been able to get there and see how remote it is / far away from any town. Then when you get to a rapid you should always be leaving your eyes open and you brain switched on to decide for yourself how much danger you want to have to deal with.

A lot of guide books have a + or - with the grade to let you know if it's easy or hard at the grade which I find is simple and helps out more than a swim grade. If somebody tells me that it's grade 5 but an "easy swim dude" then either it's not grade 5 or somebody is lieing!

To end this rather long post I think the new scale is ok, but people don't even take the time to understand the one we've got so three values is going to really get them.

Be safe out there,

Neil

www.swiftwaterrescue.at

Unless Im missing something here, the problem is geographical proximity.

Take the Irish Whitewater area of Wicklow. Because the area is comparitavely small, you're always between 1 and 24 hours from help so all rivers are Exposure Level B.

So you're left with difficulty grade 1 to 6 and danger factor 1 to 6 which, if replaced with a to e is pretty much standard current format for grading is it not ???

Grading...

i think this is even more difficult/mystical then judging pool depth...

1. i think grading is the perception of the paddler for the difficulty of the rapid at that given moment...

a) Mr Hero comes and styles the line...for him it feels like a IV and for the onlooker it seems a III in reality it might be a V...

next day the 'dude' comes back with less style and doesn't make it, gets a solid trashing and comes out after 30sec with a black eye...for him it felt like a V+ for the onlooker like a IV and in reality it was..?

2. as the perception of difficulty changes from paddler to paddler and from day to day, from performance level to performance level grading difficulty is very difficult indeed...

i personally think, that the wide open range (as it is at the moment) gives a decent judgment of what to expect...the rest needs to be on the leaders/paddlers judgement of what goes and what not...to make a grading like in the climbing i think is impossible, as the water is a changing element and your route is not necessarily always the same...

i obviously do like addissons grading (and there's nothing new on it), as one should never forget the exposure once you are in a gorge far away from anything...(but i thought we never do anyway)

the russians (and i think corran was there when he came back with this idea) are using a similar rating...and if you follow there infos you might end up with a monster grade V rapid (grade III in russia) next to the road...and some grade III (grade V in russia) in remote places with helicopter access only...

as mentioned, i think the old rating is good as it is...it gives a lot of space for people to maneuver in...

once it is said grade V then you better be prepared for it even while you have done harder somewhere...but just relying on something/someone which said this is V/IV/A and then going for gold isn't good for me...

eyes wide open (brain too) and believe your guts...if it feels like a V for you then it is one (for you) ...maybe someone comes and runs it in a playboat during flood....

i did 'steal' this swim grading from a mail one day and i think this (anonymus) writer really got the grading right.

shivaoutdoors.com/boathouse/river_classifcation.php

Personally I like both and understand both, But you need to go through the whole system and practise the signaling system to get it to work well. Also when with some people its not worth over complicating things ether.

So at the end of the day it is worth working on a simple system and or if your paddling harder water then practise with the kern system starting on easier rapids etc

[quote:f341f8789f="aevanlloyd"]The problem with the Addison Scale is Corran Addison. I have paddled with him, and think he is a really nice guy, but he rubs many people the wrong way. Many people don't like him, so they don't want to use his system. I think this is really too bad, because his system is far superior to anything we are currently using. If someone told me the rapid was a 4-2-A That would give me so much more info then "It's a class IV dude" Class IV what? It's too vague.

Maybe if EJ introduced the system, it would catch on. Again, it's a shame, because Corran has done so much to advance this sport. [/quote:f341f8789f]


I'm glad that you brought this up!

It's really unfortuante that people will ignore a great idea because of who it comes from. A sad fact of human reality. Having EJ introduce an idea would not work any better because there are people who don't like him either (though they are mostly silent about it thankfully).

Just imagine if a hater was paddling a river for the first time, being guided by his buddies who had paddled it once before. Mr. Hater peels into an eddy at the top of a sketchy horizon line and there sits the dreaded Corran, who through all of his life-long experience on the river, recommends a great line.
Does the Hater ignor Corran and listen to the less experienced friend?
or does Mr. Hater carefully consider what an experienced boater has to say, actually GENUINELY consider the advice of experience?

To me the addison system is far superior for use in guide books and such. The one thing i dont like about is the fact that it makes it hard to determine waht sort of lass paddler you are, if You run a rapid that has a class two line wiht class four or five consequneces, are you a class five baoter or a class two boater or what? Id ad in a way to average out the three. I realise this defeats the point somewhat, but it would only be used in determining paddling skill