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Whitewater is classed in six categories from class I (the easiest and safest) to class VI (the most difficult and most dangerous).
The grade reflects both the technical difficulty and the danger associated with a rapid, with grade I referring to flat or slow moving water with few hazards.
Grade VI referring to the hardest rapids which are very dangerous even for expert paddlers, and are rarely run.
Grade-VI rapids are sometimes downgraded to grade-V or V+ if they have been run successfully.
Harder rapids (for example a grade-V rapid on a mainly grade-III river) are often portaged, a French term for carrying.
A portaged rapid is where the boater lands and carries the boat around the hazard.
A rapid's grade is not fixed, since it may vary greatly depending on the water depth and speed of flow.
Although some rapids may be easier at high flows because features are covered or "washed-out," high water usually makes rapids more difficult and dangerous.
At flood stage, even rapids which are usually easy can contain lethal and unpredictable hazards.
