This Glossary is a more detailed and specific than our Whitewater Glossary for the Casual Paddler . Many terms vary slightly from guide to guide, and river to river, and some terms have fallen out of use as equipment has evolved and improved. Pertaining to material carried or laid down by running water.
Alluvium is the material deposited by streams.
It includes gravel, sand, silt, and clay. Turning the raft from a ferry angle to a stem-downstream position. Used in tight places to recover from an extreme ferry angle, this maneuver narrows the passing space of the boat and allows it to slide closely past obstructions. A broad reversal such as that formed below a dam or ledge. An accumulation of sand, gravel, or rock in the river channel or along the banks.