Progression

Its that time of year, summer water levels are low but there’s hope on the horizon with the fall drawdowns of dam release sections and fall rains are right around the corner! What have you been doing to prepare for creeking season?

There’s a couple things anyone looking to push their skills and open up the full year can do to prepare. Let’s jump in, blog style! Couple sections to look forward to are progression itself, creeks and rivers, skill inventory, equipment!

High water these rocks are normally covered!

Progression is a word thrown out there in the outdoor adventure sport community, and according to the dictionary means “the process of developing or moving gradually towards a more advanced state”. That’s what we at Flow are all about. From your first time in a whitewater boat beginning with proper outfitting to achieve symbiosis, to the first lesson on the water which is the wet exit, the ability to break skills down into their component parts and build a sequence is the building blocks of progression. Build a functional sequence and you can unlock more advanced abilities. When you work with Flow, you are working with years of experience building these sequences that optimize skill and mindset growth! Enough of a shameless plug there… Let’s talk paddling.

Awesome opportunity to try squeezing through narrow and shallow lines

As we approach NY creeking season, there’s a new type of paddling on the horizon. If this is your first season, this article will hopefully help you connect some dots, if you’re a veteran creeker, hopefully this article refreshes some approaches you take as you may bring new friends down more technical stretches of whitewater. Creek type runs are often characterized by low volume, narrow channels, and steeper gradient. They are often weather/precipitation dependent, sometimes off the beaten path or requiring a hike in, and can often have hazards like sticks holes, slot canyons, strainers, and extreme horizon lines requiring getting out of a boat to scout. River type runs are often characterized by higher volume, deeper pools, larger features, and play. Rivers are often frequented by commercial outfitters due to better predictability with larger lines rafts can fit through and usually better infrastructure (parking lots at put ins and take outs, parks, etc). Rivers can have a variety of hazards presented as well, but one nice thing is that horizon lines are not often as extreme so boat scouting can be a real possibility based off your skill level. One note, hazards and scouting skills are not isolated to one type of waterway, rather just a trend that’s observed from many stretches of river I have paddled. With that little summary, at this point of our 2025 NY summer, things are low. Like really low. The exposure to rocks on natural flowing rivers is more existent than its been in a long while (Black River at 840 cfs, Moose River at 1.6 ft, Flint Creek at 3.4 cfs, Hudson River WITH a release, only 3.6ft). This is not the time to pack the boat away and stick to just mountain biking, but rather a time to get out, have fun and cool off, and make the most of what we can to prepare for what’s on the way!

Middle Moose as low low levels. It still goes as a learning and improvement opportunity!

With low water, lines (or routes through rapids) are often channelized further requiring more precision to not scrape up against rocks. In the whitewater world, this is sometimes inevitable, but it’s a skill we can practice to be better prepared for when channels are required for passage on creek style runs. When folks are first learning about eddy turns and peel outs, ferry’s, scouting skills, composure, and reading lines they’re most often presented a simple rapid with potentially a couple options. During creeking season this can sometimes present a first timer with information overload! There are many lines or sometimes just one must make route down a single rapid, consequences due to the shallower nature of creeks can increase and the speed you’re navigating down these rapids is often faster than you’ve experienced before! There’s one word as you build comfort down this style of whitewater that sums it up. Fun. The most important thing to keep in mind as you look to step up the difficulty of rivers you’re paddling is to keep it safe and paddle where you feel confident you can make moves. A couple techniques could be to break things down into smaller chunks and then piece together those chunks together. If any part of the sequence looks intimidating feel free to walk or set up safety with a crew you trust.

Example of a mechanical advantage system. People don't begin learning whitewater with these skills, these are added on way down the line!

As you look into improving your own paddling, there are some equipment upgrades/additions you may want to consider as well! Often your local retailers can provide these, but places like Level Six offer online shopping experiences where you can upgrade your kit as well. Beginning with a throw rope, this piece of equipment is not to be taken lightly, used in the right hands it is a tool that can offer enhanced experiences on the river. Whether that is rescuing a swimmer, unpinning a boat, setting up a hand line for crossing to scout a big drop or more. When used improperly it can have devastating consequences, ill spare the finer details, but when your intent is to rescue someone and you end up wrapping a rope around their neck that’s not a good day. Always paired with a rope is a knife. If you are going to take responsibility for throwing something that can entrap a swimmer or form a new river hazard, you should be able to cut it free! This is often the first addition paddlers will seek beyond the 5 essentials, and it can be a major eye opener as folks explore deeper into the sport.

The first piece of equipment many people purchase after their 5 essentials!

A full pin kit system. Not needed at the start. But as you learn more you'll understand why there is, what there is.

Another piece of gear that can enhance your experience as we get into a more technical paddling environment is dry gear! Personally, I love my Level Six Nebula dry top and Emperor drysuit.

Stylish and functional

They keep me dry, feeling fresh, and offer plenty of mobility for everyday play on the river. This will allow you to open up more of a season of paddling, and in return allow you to focus on progression for a larger window of time.

As it gets cold, don't put away the gear! Keep practicing so the springmelt you are ready to continue your progression and learning journey

I’ve dove into a few topics in writing this article and want to revisit. We dove into progression itself. Change of season and new paddling styles/additional skills needed (end of summer/beginning of fall in Western NY) and equipment you may look for as you step further into your own personal paddling progression! Hope this might’ve stirred thoughts, but if you ever want to chat further always feel free to reach out to us to see where you are in your progression, and unlock your Flow state refining what you have or achieving that next step!

Build up that progression and expand into overnighters or expeditions!

Cheers and hope to catch ya on the water