TR: My mind is blown. Big Timber, Montanaaaaaaaaaah!

**RootSkier** · 05-14-2007, 12:11 AM

Every day on the river is a good day. But some are better than others.

Big Timber is classic in every respect. Phenomenal scenery, enormous rapids, and some of the biggest slides you'll ever see. Here are some pictures that cover maybe 20% of the good rapids.

First, a tree had to be cut. What a shitty view.

Then, we had to hike some more. Boats are heavy.

Alan makes his first paddle stroke of the day on the douple drop put in rapid.

The above leads directly into O's Woes, a fast constricted slide that sends you deep into the bottom hole at high speed.

Below, Chad digging for the boof then riding out slide in Fine Line.

Triple Dipple, which Shiloh is boofing large, leads directly into the fabled and truly epic Pinch.

Here is AJ and then Alan in the Pinch. You can see Triple Dipple above, and then the Pinch slide which constricts to about 6 feet wide.

And then the big scare. Chad hit a bouncer, turned sideways, and went flying headfirst down the slide, where he began to come out of his boat.

He was fine. His boat was recovered, he was stopped from flushing into the next huge slide by a diving leap from AJ, and the paddle was found a few rapids down.

Alan boofs a ledge immediately below the Pinch.

This boof leads directly into this, where Shiloh is approaching terminal velocity in a huge banking slide.

This drop doesn't have a name. I guess it's just "class IV boogie." There are lots and lots of slides and ledges like this, and none of them have names. I think Will is screaming "What's your name, bitch!" as he lays the smack down here.

Parting shit: Blasting through the Pinch.

Disclaimer: I portaged. A lot.

**Yonder_River** · 05-14-2007, 12:30 AM

Uhhh, yer tr beats my tr.

BT is some sick shit. I can't believe they're racing that this year.

What was the scariest drop you ran?

**RootSkier** · 05-14-2007, 12:37 AM

O's Woes, just because it was the first paddle stroke I took. I portaged the double drop, Fine Line, and the Pinch. Nobody ran the Gambler or BT Falls. I would like to run double drop and Fine Line in the future, but I doubt I will ever run the Pinch.

There are sooooooo many huge, awesome, unnamed rapids on that creek. You could portage everything with a name and still run a ton of incredible rapids.

**ridinshockgun** · 05-14-2007, 05:38 AM

Speechless. The boats definitely give you a nice scale to see how big that is.

A lot of poster material there.

That does not look like a fun swim, I'm sure he's feeling it by now.

**bklyn** · 05-14-2007, 05:47 AM

Solid, great pics.

**brice618** · 05-14-2007, 07:27 AM

This tr made my laptop raise up off my lap. I am a very noob kayaker and seeing these photos is really inspiring to see where I could possibly take the sport. I appreciate the time you took risking life and limb to yak / shoot that river. WOW is all I have to say, no wow doesn't do it .... CAW!

**majortom** · 05-14-2007, 07:57 AM

Sickness.

Shots like that make me want to try kayaking again.

Nice work guys.

**Huckwheat** · 05-14-2007, 08:20 AM

That sport has always made me feel like the stuff we do skiing is very tame. At least when you crash, you dont drown.

Very impressive stuff......and great TR/photos

**SJP** · 05-14-2007, 08:56 AM

Great TR

much appreciated.

**BB RidgeKid** · 05-14-2007, 09:15 AM

Very freaking cool. Those are some incredible shots. I can't wait to go watch the race, and possibly run a couple of drops.
man that was a bad place to get flipped.
Very cool

**reidhresko** · 05-14-2007, 09:26 AM

hot dizzle!

**SKISC** · 05-14-2007, 09:31 AM

SWEEEET!!! Nice shots.

**FreakofSnow** · 05-14-2007, 09:51 AM

Nice pics J! Lochsa this weekend?

**RootSkier** · 05-14-2007, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by FreakofSnow

Nice pics J! Lochsa this weekend?

Possibly. Depends what happens with levels up in the Panhandle. There are a few things on the to-do list up there. Kootenai tomorrow evening? Should be a reasonable level.

**AsheanMT** · 05-14-2007, 10:16 AM

Most excellent TR Root!!

**teledave** · 05-14-2007, 11:13 AM

I was going to say "I'm speechless", but since CB beat me to that I'll just say that I can't find the words to describe how good that TR was. That seriously rivals some of better skiing TR's here.

Kinda puts the Nanty Falls in perspective, huh Trip?

**cloudpeak** · 05-14-2007, 11:18 AM

The pic of the guy sideways at the "Pinch" made me gasp. Glad it worked out OK.

Nice TR!

**FreakofSnow** · 05-14-2007, 11:19 AM

I forgot to say that Shiloh is one crazy mutha. Used to paddle with him on the Gallatin quite a bit. He rocked the seatbelt in his playboat, wowza.

Was Dave the Hand Paddler present? He's another serious insane individual.

As for Koot Creek, can't do'er tomorrow eve....I have to work.

**RootSkier** · 05-14-2007, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by FreakofSnow

Was Dave the Hand Paddler present? He's another serious insane individual.

No Dave. The only other Bozeman folks were Chad W, a guy named Will who just moved out west, and John S. who used to live in Missoula.

Other than that, it was Alan, AJ, and Ben, and myself. I am always humbled boating with those guys.

**Dug** · 05-14-2007, 11:26 AM

Fuck yeah! Awesome TR.

**chrismo720** · 05-14-2007, 04:20 PM

O my tits

**Skid Lux** · 05-14-2007, 07:41 PM

You should have done the falls, you big pussy.

**birdboatboy** · 05-14-2007, 08:45 PM

Awesome stoke.

**RootSkier** · 05-14-2007, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by Skid Lux

You should have done the falls, you big pussy.

Dude, I almost called you while I was rolling through Bozeman at 10:30 on Friday night, but I decided a massive hangover was not what I needed to deal with.

**mtcham** · 05-15-2007, 12:40 AM

So many great photos. That really convinced me to watch and just take pictures at the race.

Sideways and then out of the boat thru the pinch does not look like fun. One of those "oh shit" moments. Good job getting your bud out!