Even the pros know that not every whitewater expedition goes as planned. From overlooked prep to unpredictable weather and challenging team dynamics, a lot can go wrong on the river. We talked to expert paddlers about the most common reasons trips fail and how to avoid them.
Pro boaters on why expeditions fail
“First, weather conditions. And two, being a bit slack in your preparation.”
—Nouria Newman
“The key to pulling off hard, dangerous, long and arduous missions is patience. When the conditions aren’t right, wait until they are adequate. When you or someone in your team gets hungry, thirsty, tired or injured, take a break and solve the problem. If you can’t come up with a safe way downstream, work back upstream or simply wait for more light and time tomorrow. The key to waiting and patience is carrying extra snacks and gear and always planning for the unplanned overnight. Of course, at the put-in, we must always keep the option open to wait for another day.”
—Ben Stookesberry
“Team dynamic failure.”
—Corran Addison
“They never get planned because we get too busy with urgent things in life.”
—Natalie Anderson
“I challenge the word fail. If it’s to complete something from top to bottom, it can fail for any variety of reasons, and if you look at failed expeditions, they are all incomplete for various reasons. But, for anyone who takes the time to challenge a river or terrain, I hope they see success in their efforts because taking the initial step to explore is the most inspirational part in my mind.”
—Emily Jackson
“Failure is a matter of definition. If your expedition doesn’t proceed from the put-in to the take-out, does that make it a failure? Maybe you just need to explore what your real goals are and see whether you met them. I’d bet a lot of failed expeditions were still a lot of fun—type two fun included.”
—Leif Anderson
“Bad water levels. This is not always the expedition’s fault either. Weather, especially in really wet climates, can be hard to predict. Low water is much better than high water when you don’t know where to go.”
—Dave Fusilli
“Going on an expedition is first about making sure you have done the prep, and everyone knows what they’re getting into. From there, it’s going through the kit and making sure there’s enough of the right stuff, a good plan B, and comms are tight. Then it’s simply getting on and working as a team to get everyone to the bottom in good spirits. It’s about making good decisions for everyone in the group.”
—Mike Dawson
“Piss poor planning.”
—Adriene Levknecht
“When you don’t surround yourself with people you work well with or trust to make the best decisions, no matter what type of situation or whitewater you are on.”
—Dane Jackson
This article was first published in Issue 72 of Paddling Magazine. Not the right team. Your team is only as strong as the weakest link in the group. —Mariann Saether | Feature photo: Daniel Stewart
This article was first published in the 2024 issue of Paddling Business. 
