Like in the rock climbing scene the previous decade, a revolution in the paddling technic and equipment, along with the appearence of more and more paddlers to persuit runs, considered unrunnable up to now, has pushed the limits of difficulty, in river running, further more.

For some people, the presence of a few "hot shots" who dont respect their life, and are willing to paddle the "unpaddleble", shouldn't have an impact to the way we are judging how serious and difficult a river is.

On the other hand, many sections graded as class VI, are paddled more and more and very difficult stretches, graded as class IV and V, are paddled from paddlers with only a few years of experience.

Is it perhaps time, to introduce some changes to our grading system. Should we broad up the upper limit of what it's consider runnable, so that things get more clear to the lower grades? Should we bridge that great distance between grade IV and grade V? How would we grade an ex class VI rapid that it's been run with no special difficulties, but plenty of guts by the paddler's part?

Read the official grading system with it's latest proposition for expanding the fifth grade and then read Addison's scale, an alternative proposition by Coran Addison, where the aspect of danger and remoteness get into consideration.
Finally, in the "funny" side of the street, Dave Petterson's whitewater grading system... for swimmers!