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Waterlevels: Low volume.
Accessibility: Good quality dirt road leading up the river from Barskoön. Apparantly the reason for the good quality of this track is that there is a goldmine further up the valley at Kumtor. The road weaves back and forth over the river, and the sections are outlined in relation to the bridge number (counted up from one as we drove up from the main Issyk-Kul lake road).
Barskoon Bridge 6 to 5
Steep low volume grade 4/4+, with a liberal sprinkling of trees.
Length: 2.5km
Grade: IV/IV+
Put in/Get out: Put-in at bridge #6, take out at bridge #5. Recomended to combine this with the next two sections.
Description: A few hundred metres of grade 3 leads to a forested section where the river drops away steeply into a mini gorgelike section. Inspection is possible by cimbing out of your boat in microeddies and scrambling along the riverbank. This section is very continuous and in higher water would probably be non stop grade 5, with trees. Almost too soon the river flattens and bridge #5 comes into view.
Last Paddled: 27-Aug-2005
Barskoon Bridge 5 to 4
Shallow but rapidly moving grade 2.
Length: 1.5km
Grade: II
Put in/Get out: Put in at bridge #5, take out at bridge #4.
Description: Straightforward shallow rapids, not much gradient, essentially linking the harder upper and lower sections.
Last Paddled: 27-Aug-2005
Barskoon Bridge 4 to 3
Sweet, read and run grade 3/4. Trees not a problem for us.
Length: 2km
Grade: III/IV
Put in/Get out: Put in at bridge #4, take out at bridge #3.
Description: A short blast through another forested section. Some rapids to keep you on your toes, but nothing henious requiring portages.Trees seem to be less of a problem here than the steep section above. There is a nice drop (4) just after the bridge that it is worth doing for the cameras. Most will want to take out after this section.
Last Paddled: 27-Aug-2005
Barskoon Bridge 3 to 2
A 200m section of class 5/6 gnarl, easing to grade 3/4 until the takeout.
Length: 1.5km
Grade: V/VI followed by III/IV
Put in/Get out: Put in at bridge #3, take out at bridge #2.
Description: After a nice drop immediately after the bridge, the gnarl starts 200m into the section and continues for another 200m or so. At the medium/low waterlevels we inspected it at there were numerous obvious siphons and drops landing on rock. Higher water may make this possible, but it would be a hell of a full on ride. It is recommended to have a look at this from the path down from the road on river left before even starting the section. The portage is not easy and may require ropes to abseil back into the gorge below. From here it appears to be grade 3/4, but we took out in the end so this isn't 100% sure.
Last Paddled: 27-Aug-2005
Barskoon below bridge 2
Didn't paddle this, but it looked grade I/II/III water all the way down to the lake.