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Whitewater kayaking is a recreational sport of taking a kayak down a moving body of water, typically a river. Whitewater kayaking can be a challenging, adrenaline filled sport, or be a fun, graceful, technical ride.
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The kayak (or just 'boat') used in whitewater kayaking is different than those used in Whitewater Racing or Sea Kayaking. The boat is typically made of a tough linear-linked plastic that is slightly flexible and very strong. Boats can range in size from barely long enough to hold the paddler (around 6 ft/1.8 m long), up to 12 ft (3.6 m) or longer.
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There are generally three 'sub-hobbies' in whitewater kayaking: river running, rodeo (playboating), and creeking.
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River Running can be thought of as sort of a tour down a river. You're there to enjoy the scenery as well as experiencing challenging whitewater. River running runs the gamut of short day trips to long multi-day trips. Multi-day kayak trips often entail gear toting rafts for a more comfortable experience.
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Rodeo (sometimes referred to as Playboating) is a technical and more artistic kind of kayaking. Playboaters usually stay in one spot in the river, usually in a hole or wave. On the wave or hole they perform a variety of tricks, which can include surfing, spinning, and many vertical moves (cartwheels, loops, blunts, and many many others).
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Creeking is a pure adrenaline form of kayaking involving very technical and difficult rapids. This is typically in the class IV or V range and can include waterfalls, very small and tight rivers, and/or very large and big volume water.
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