Jeff West’s Final Vertical Miles: The North Fork Payette and Little White Salmon by Kat and David Levitt | Jan 30, 2013 | Whitewater | 3 comments Jeff West makes a big punch on the North Fork Payette during his final vertical mile. Jeff in the whiteout of Idaho, getting ready for the Stikine. Below he is about to launch off the famous swinging bridge to complete a last run of the day on the meat of the run, Jacob’s Ladder, which finalized the vertical mile. .. Jeff and Brian Ward, sunny-side up at Jake’s place and happy! Jeff West takes off for another Vertical Mile on the Little White Salmon… Jeff and Seth Swallen completed 10 laps on June 6th, 2012, breaking the previous record of 9 in a single day. As typical with vertical miles, the alarm went off at 3:45 am, and the first lap was at 5 am. They finished at 8:45 pm. So for those who aren’t aware of the details of Jeff’s pursuits, here’s a final talley of his vertical miles: 9 vertical miles in all; 8 on Class V: Tellico River: 21 Ledges laps West Prong: 6 full laps Suck Creek: 15 laps (running Knucklehead 10 times) Oh-Be-Joyful: 17 full laps (through Avalanche to bottom) Bear Creek: 7 laps (Stairway every lap) Green Narrows: 11 laps (Triple Crown every lap) Green Truss: 9 laps Little White Salmon: 10 laps North Fork Payette: 3 top to bottom laps + Jacob’s Ladder 5 times 4 time TVF Champion Eddyflower: 1st place; Class V division Grand Canyon 7 times; once in 5 days Cataract Canyon 4 times Grand Canyon of the Stikine in a single day -thanks to Jen Maxwell for photos! 3 Comments Zak Aragon on January 30, 2013 at 3:44 pm Jeff has had a huge part not only in pursuit of whitewater but in my actual life as well. Jeff took me under his wing like he did with many others he had the patience of a saint and was as humble as a monk. He taught me many things on the water but one thing he taught me off the water that I will never forget was to be kind. He was kind to everyone he meet. I’m very glad to see not only this but also he was mentioned in the lasted issue of canoe and kayak and I’m glad he touched so many people and they remember him well and I know I will defiantly miss our Thursday meetings and seeing him on the Ocoee. Reply Tim on January 31, 2013 at 1:59 am This is awesome! What an inspiration. Reply marty on January 31, 2013 at 9:08 pm amazing accomplishments. I didn’t know Jeff personally, but I sure knew of him, and one thing all paddlers share is the love of the river. He loved paddling whitewater as much or more then anyone. Reply Submit a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ
Zak Aragon on January 30, 2013 at 3:44 pm Jeff has had a huge part not only in pursuit of whitewater but in my actual life as well. Jeff took me under his wing like he did with many others he had the patience of a saint and was as humble as a monk. He taught me many things on the water but one thing he taught me off the water that I will never forget was to be kind. He was kind to everyone he meet. I’m very glad to see not only this but also he was mentioned in the lasted issue of canoe and kayak and I’m glad he touched so many people and they remember him well and I know I will defiantly miss our Thursday meetings and seeing him on the Ocoee. Reply
marty on January 31, 2013 at 9:08 pm amazing accomplishments. I didn’t know Jeff personally, but I sure knew of him, and one thing all paddlers share is the love of the river. He loved paddling whitewater as much or more then anyone. Reply
