Triple Drop

You will see a hump left of center on first drop. Paddle full speed ahead down the hump with your boat pointed straight. The left side is tempting, but the hole is much worse over there. As soon as you blast through the hole (dangerously sticky) spin to the left and catch the eddy.

After running 1st drop, you are set up perfectly for second drop if you want to pass up the first eddy. Second drop is a pussy cat, it's a big slide that angles river-left into a couple of big holes. Line up left of center with left boat angle and boogey through. Catch the eddy on the river left and line up for 3rd drop

Third drop is actually made up of 2 smaller drops, a 3' drop with a weird, POWERFUL hole and then a 6-8' bottom drop with a deep, powerful hole. There are 3 options at 3rd drop.

(1) You can do the sneak out of the eddy...just follow the 3 or 4" of water flowing down about 15' from the left bank.

(2) The standard line is to peel out of the eddy high, and then slowly work back left so that when you go over 3rd drop you actually just go off of it at it's highest point (it basically turns into a 10'’ single drop) and into the pool.

(3) My least favorite option. You can peel out high and ferry toward the right, spin and run down both drops angled left. Keep lots of speed going through these holes because if the top hole grabs you, it's going to wreck you and the bottom drop is shallow. A friend of mine had to get a dozen or so stitches above his eye after going down the drop upside down.

STREAMKEEPER COMMENT: Folks who live on & run this river at all levels generally agree triple drop is the unfriendliest rapid on the Russell Fork. That doesn't mean the most dangerous, just the one that is going to give you the worst whipping if it decides its your turn. Depending on the level, all three drops take on extremely nasty traits. This is now the 4th killer rapid on the Russell Fork. Note that at ALL levels, the right side of 1st drop is a keeper hole. Above 700 or so, the left is also, but at least on the left someone can get a rope to you. Make sure you hit the hump with good angle and stroke through the hydraulic keeping your nose high.

Whoever would describe second drop as a pussycat is sick, although 800-1000 (release) tends to be easiest. Below 700 or so, a huge roostertail in the middle will send you into the bottom hole at crazy angles. If stuck, the ONLY way out of the hole sends you straight into 3rd drop. Once you've done it, you'll remember for a long time. 3rd drop, although ugly, is the easiest drop to get past above around 3-400. The line below 300 is REALLY interesting, basically a hard right to left ferry across the shelf, boof/sliding into the seam, ferrying in the toilet bowl in front of the fang rock, then dropping into the bottom hole. 30-40% of the runs are a guaranteed wreck, but at least you can roll up in the bottom eddy (if you get that far). sjr