About Powerhouse Rapid
Named for the Southern California Edison powerhouse located at the bottom of this rapid, Powerhouse Rapid is an incredibly fun and low consequence, Class III/III+ rapid.
How to run Powerhouse Rapid
Above 3,000 CFS At high flows, Powerhouse Rapid can’t be beat. It has huge wave trains with low consequences. When you start the rapid you’ll see a haystack indicating where the main ‘hit’ is located. It’s clean and good to go. If you’re nervous about it, it’s easy to run right or left of it. Once you clear that, the river will gradually bend back to the right. The action is located on the outside of this bend on river left with a fun wave train. Once in the wave train, keep your raft pointed right, this will set you up in case you have to move away from the shore and any low hanging branches coming from the shoreline. As you exit the final waves and make your way to the very bottom of the rapid, keep your eyes peeled for a handful of small, flat holes that can surf and flip you. They’re easy to avoid, but if you’re coming down from wave train euphoria you might not be paying attention.
Below 3,000 CFS Same as above but you probably want to start avoiding the main hit as the rock producing it becomes more and more exposed. The wave trains mellow as the water gets lower but it’s still a long, fun rapid.
