While the city’s whitewater course partially opened for business on Memorial Day, the final touches for opening the full course are being polished for a possible July 4 grand opening.
Since late May, rafts have been putting in about a quarter-mile south of the official put-in. As of Thursday, the full 2.5-mile course, deemed the longest urban whitewater course in the world, may be up and running, according to Richard Bishop, CEO of Uptown Columbus, which operates the course. There are just a few logistical issues to iron out, he said.
Rafters putting in at the new point, a few hundred yards south of the North Highland Dam, will get an extra treat, thanks to 600 cubic yards of rocks mined from the river and used to create a new rapid right at the beginning of the run.
The structure, more or less a small dam, serves a dual purpose: To give rafters another set of rapids on a relatively tame stretch of the course, and to create a wider pool behind it for rafters and kayakers to launch into.
“We thought it was important to have something on that stretch of the river, to have something for people to get excited about right at the beginning,” Bishop said.
Others who have rafted the new rapid — dubbed “Ambush” — say it’s a welcome addition.
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