High water
In high water a river flows faster and carries more debris. Eddies disappear, trees stand in the water and easy sections become dangerous.
Wikibooks and the international scale stress that difficulty grades depend on the water level. Luc Mehl describes how many packraft accidents happen in cold and surprisingly fast, high water. Rule of thumb: in high water the boat stays on land.
Sources and further reading
- Wikibooks: Kajak/Wildwasser (German)
- Wikipedia: International scale of river difficulty
- Luc Mehl: Packrafting Fatalities
Research as of 13 Nov 2026. We have marked manufacturer information as such.