Team Riot: Magnums on Linville Gorge, North Carolina

In September I visited Linville Gorge and took my friend Nathan Silsbee for his first run on the river. It was a pleasure to be back there again after two years. I had forgotten how beautiful the place is.
Watch the Linville video

Nathan joined Riot's regional team this spring. Here's Nathan looking giddy on the way up the mountain.

Babel Tower trail heading down into the gorge.

We had a great group this particular day including Mefford Williams, Nate Elliott and Robert Peerson. Here is Mefford getting ready to make the last part of the hike down to Babel Tower, the putin.

Me at Babel Tower, an auto-boof and the first rapid. This is only a glimpse of the numerous rapids you face on the Linville. They get quite a bit harder after this and the rocks are very undercut.

Nathan boofs at Babel Tower.

Nathan is pictured here at one of many unnamed rapids.

You go through countless class III-V rapids in an 8-9 mile stretch. The thing to keep in mind on the Linville is that the class II & III is just as dangerous as the class V, it's all sieved out. I call this one A-Frame.

Cave rapid is the largest overall drop on the entire run.

The Conley Cove takeout trail is just after Cathedral Gorge. Here is the entrance to Cathedral Falls, a tight line.

Cathedral Falls itself is a nice rolling 12-13 foot drop from top to bottom.

If you opt to take out at Conley Cove you'll enjoy a couple steep miles straight up out of the gorge. If not then you have a few more miles of fun rapids, but at this point you've done the meat of the run. If you paddle the Linville you'll have to agree that it's a beautiful place to be.

Watch the Linville video

See you later,