Maryland's New WW Park @ Wisp

[Spence]

Anyone hit the ww park? impressions - likes, dislikes

Spence

[Tyler]

I got a chance to go walk around it without water and see how it works for a school fieldtrip, but i havent boated it yet. I dont really feel the need, bc there has been plenty of good shit runnin in the surrounding area these days.

[Spence]

Agreed...just wanted to know if anyone has hit it. What's your favor local spot? I'm new to the sport. I've hit parts of the Potomac and the Upper G...in a raft.

[Tyler]

Summertime; Upper Yough, Wintertime; Big Sandy or Top Yough. Everything is gonna be running soon as when it begins to warm up just a bit. Weve had a pretty good winter season so far.

[Maloney]

Weather:
The Park is on the mountain top, so currently it's a giant ice bowl.
In the summer the mountain top does it good, because the constantly re-circulated water is always exposed to the sun, and water temperatures are in the high 60's.

Setting:
You can punch through the course in a minute, or spend minutes at every major feature. They used natural rock dug up from the ground, which means it's never been exposed to water like rocks in the river. This equates to coarse sandstone that'll scrape up your boat and you if you aren't careful.
They went for a natural feel to the park, and unlike other parks I've seen, this one has the nature appeal, including live trees in the middle. The park goes in a donut shape, with a conveyer belt at the bottom. Resort guests unfamiliar to the sport will come and watch.

Features:
(Keep in mind I'm only in my 3rd year of paddling, and I'm by no means a prodigy from the start)
I've only ran it at the class 2-3 level so far, so I can't speak for when they increase the classification on the park.

It has a nice drop into a wave as a major feature. Provided you can power your boat through the strong current, you can catch the wave again and again for surfing or stern squirts. Be wary of oncoming rafts, which will not only be unable to see you before the immediate drop, but also won't have any way to avoid you as they come down the narrow chute. There are a couple of other waves that can be surfed.

The one lesson you have to learn if you’re timid about punching the few holes is that if you think it's a sneak route, it's really a hidden concrete wall that will make you wish you punched the hole in the first place.

No whitewater park is complete without ungodly eddies that are as swirley as all get out. I spent about 4 minutes pushing an abandoned kayak in a circle until I finally broke the current and got it to shore.
Until you get to the pool at the bottom, expect to be moving.

So to recap:

Warm water.
Coarse rocks.
Strong current to fight.
Tight conditions when rafts are coming down.
No sneak routes.
Swirley eddies is an understatement.



For beginner paddlers not comfortable in any class 3 action, this will be fun, guaranteed, but it will work you hard. For those looking to work on specific moves at a spot, this is better than a river, but only if on a non-crowded day.

Hope this helps.

Rumor has it that it might not reopen this year, but that's a rumor, and you know how rumors go.

[joe shizak]

Fun park, sticky holes at high levels

[MarkE]

I paddled it a few times last year and had fun. If you are in the area, it's worth checking out, but I wouldn't drive too far just to go there. Personally, I prefer the Dickerson WW course because its more technical and continous. The WISP WW park is pretty much pool drop, which is cool in it's own right, I guess. If you like to play, you will appreciate the features they've built. I've paddled all the water levels and there isn't a huge difference between them.

[Jason]

ASCI was an amazing place! I was there for nationals 2007. During the time I was there I feel I learned a whole lot on the sweet spots and it had some really fun slots and boofs! This is a place you should go if you get the chance!

[danielle]

It runs at two water levels, class 3, and then 4+..... the strong eddies definately make the run a challenge, and it is a great spot to start and practice eddy hopping and peeling out of eddies. I think it is great because you can go even if you cant find an available paddle partner, since there are safty guards every 100 ft. or so to help clean up gear or you! Make sure you have a 70% of the time roll, so that you are not out of your boat much, as there are lots of scrapes and rock rash to be had ( still have a nice scar on my shoulder from a rock that I took upside down- and that was in my boat!) Oh well, worth a try, at least once- i'd say go for the day, experience both water levels!

[Spence]

Chris thx for the input. Post - post I've hit it a couple of times....it's good fun. Also had a chance to run the park in NC - it's waaay sick.

Chers - Spence