Although this year’s unusually wet February created challenges around Northern Utah, one group has been enjoying all of the water. Despite freezing temperatures and icy water, kayakers have begun racing through the high water rapids in Ogden Canyon.
For the past three weeks, Pineview Water Systems has been releasing water from Pineview Dam at a rate that hasn’t been seen in years. This creates larger and more technical rapids, especially in the stretch of the Ogden River known as The Narrows near the mouth of the canyon. This 1.4-mile stretch of river is considered a Class V run when the water reaches such heights. American Whitewater describes Class V as “extremely long, obstructed, or very violent rapids which expose a paddler to added risk.”
Further upstream, the Ogden River is a more relaxed, but still technical route, with pockets of Class III and IV rapids spread amongst the homes and lodges.
Lead BZ 0217 Ogden River Kayaking 01-8Joe West kayaks through The Narrows near the mouth of Ogden Canyon on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. The river was flowing at around 1,200 cubic feet per second in mid-February. The Ogden River hasn't seen such high water in at least five years. "Utah doesn't have white water a lot of the time, but when it's good, it's good," West said.
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BZ 0217 Ogden River Kayaking 02Dave Wolfgram, left, and Nate Packham dash across the highway in Ogden Canyon to find a spot to put their kayaks in beneath the Pineview Dam on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017.
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BZ 0217 Ogden River Kayaking 03-1Eric Jones, left, and Joe West start their run near the mouth of Ogden Canyon on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. The popular stretch of whitewater known as The Narrows is only 1.4 miles long, but when the water is high, it is considered a Class V route.
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BZ 0217 Ogden River Kayaking 04-2Nate Packham "seal launches" into the Ogden River from a snowbank below the Pineview Dam on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017. Despite dry ground at the mouth of Ogden Canyon, there was still a heavy layer of snow on the banks of the river five miles upstream.
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BZ 0217 Ogden River Kayaking 05-3Joe West paddles through The Narrows on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017, near the mouth of Ogden Canyon. The Narrows is ranked as a dangerous route due to both the difficulty of the rapids and the lack of any area to recover from mistakes.
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BZ 0217 Ogden River Kayaking 06-4Dave Wolfgram, Nate Packham and Mark Bokish prepare their wetsuits and kayaks from a run through Ogden Canyon on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017. Kayaking on the Ogden River begins as soon as water is released from Pineview Reservoir, even if the weather is still near freezing. Wolfgram estimates that he made 70 to 80 runs in the canyon in 2016.
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BZ 0217 Ogden River Kayaking 07-5Dave Wolfgram kayaks past homes on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017, in the upper stretch of Ogden Canyon.
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BZ 0217 Ogden River Kayaking 08-6Joe West warms up his hands after getting out of the river on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017, near Rainbow Gardens. West drove down from Logan to make the quick run through The Narrows. "This is probably the hardest thing you can run right now," West said.
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BZ 0217 Ogden River Kayaking 09-7Dave Wolfgram pours hot water into Mark Bokish's gloves after a 3-mile paddle through Ogden Canyon on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017. The river is running high due to recent melting snow and the water temperature is only a few degrees above freezing.
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BZ 0217 Ogden River Kayaking 10Kayakers paddle through The Narrows in Ogden Canyon as the Ogden River reaches levels that haven't been seen in years on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017.
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BZ 0217 Ogden River Kayaking 11-1Kayakers paddle through The Narrows in Ogden Canyon as the Ogden River reaches levels that haven't been seen in years on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017.
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BZ 0217 Ogden River Kayaking 12-2Kayakers paddle through The Narrows in Ogden Canyon as the Ogden River reaches levels that haven't been seen in years on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017.
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BZ 0217 Ogden River Kayaking 13-3Kayakers paddle through The Narrows in Ogden Canyon as the Ogden River reaches levels that haven't been seen in years on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017.
BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner
BZ 0217 Ogden River Kayaking 14-4Kayakers paddle through The Narrows in Ogden Canyon as the Ogden River reaches levels that haven't been seen in years on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017.
BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner
