Saturday was the first annual BV Pro Rodeo. The South Main Project, an environmentally friendly neighborhood created by kayakers, hosted the event at the top hole of the play park. Twenty two pros came to the event to compete for a $2000 cash purse.
The hole was dynamic and flushy and only 5 advanced to the finals, so competitors had to be on to make it. In the first heat Jonathon Shales and Dustin Urban had great rides. I had good rides in the second heat which put me in third place, but there were still many great paddlers to come. In the third heat, Nick Troutman and Jason Craig threw down to bump me into 5th place. The last competitor in the fourth heat, Dane Jackson, had high scoring rides which placed him into second. It came down to the last ride in prelims and I just missed the cut which earned me the name “bubble boy” for the rest of the day.
Top pros that didn't make the cut include Erick Jackson, Stephen Wright, Bryan Kirk, Andrew Holcomb, Clay Wright, Jed Selby and the list goes on. It was interesting to see younger generation dominate this competition. We will have to see how the rest of the season goes.
In finals, the best of two rides advanced to the top three. Jonathon Shales and Jason Craig didn’t make the cut and finished in 4th and 5th. From there the best of three rides determined who won. Dustin Urban had an awesome first ride at 122 points. Nick Troutman came close with 119 points to finish second and Dane Jackson finished third.
Here are the results that I remember. Complete results should be posed at the BV Pro Rodeo site soon.
Mens 1. Dustin Urban 2. Nick Troutman 3. Dane Jackson 4. Jonathon Shales 5. Jason Craig 6. Greg Parker 7. Stephen Wright
Womens 1. Emily Jackson 2. Ruth Gordon 3. Katie Urban
Below is a short video of the highlights from my competition rides.
Last weekend, Peak UK hit the Clackamas River Festival in Estacada , Oregon. It was the 25th anniversary of the event and it sure didn't disappoint! We headed up to the fest right after Microbiology class on Friday and found a sweet campsite up along Fish Creek. Did you know about the sweet pull-outs up there? May I recommend those for a couple nights of camping?
(Above) Breakfast on the tailgate
Photo: Christina Russell
They're SWEET! Anyways, enough said about camping.... we made some spaghetti and crashed early (we were going to be busy on Saturday).
(Above) josh Mckeown pondering the meaning of life....
Photo: Christina Russell
Saturday morning, we signed up for two events: The Kayak Mass Start race and the Big Air Ramp. The Mass start was crazy with everyone flying through a big sticky hole at once. Thankfully no one got hurt and there were no swims! Check out this shot from Keel Brightman...master photog guy :D
(Above) The mass start Photo: Keel Brightman
Following the Mass Start, Josh and I headed downstream for a run on the Upper Clack. It was at a record high of 11,500 cfs...it normally sits at 2,000! Waves were huge and the whirlpools came up everywhere. Did I mention the water is moving ridiculously fast? yeah....more on that later
We got back from our run just in time to practice with a few runs down the Big Air Ramp. Here it is.... It was about thirty five feet high and STEEP. Thankfully the landing was pretty soft if you did it right because of the high river levels
(Above) A view of the ramp- supposedly the biggest in the country Photo: christina Russell
(Above) josh Mckeown on the Big Air Ramp Photo: Christina Russell
(Above) Me doin' an Air Screw Photo: Josh Mckeown
The event started at 3 pm and there were about 25 competitors...4 of which were women. We each had two rides...with the biggest jump determining whether or not you would make the top ten. Josh made it to finals with a solid air screw and an almost double barrel roll. I also made it to finals with a clean air screw. The top ten then had one ride to get the biggest trick out of the bunch. Josh and I both did well- finishing in the top five! WOO HOO Team Peak UK! :D
(Above) Me enjoying the Peak UK drydeck Photo: Josh Mckeown
*Before I go on, I would like to say how happy and amazed I am with the Peak UK drydeck. I've been using it for about a month and it still beads up like the day I got it! I wore a thin layer under the top during the event and even with severe impacts, my thermal layer was totally dry when I removed the drydeck. It keeps water out of my boat and off my thermal layers! Thanks Peak UK! *
To say that the ramp inflicted pain was a bit of an understatement...we both soon realized that laughing was difficult our stomachs were so twisted! My head felt like it had been wacked pretty good, as did Josh's...thank goodness for Vitamin I!
The ramp was followed by an evening of festivities: BBQ, outdoor film fest, live music, beer on tap and good spaghetti! We decided to cook on our own....at a sweet roadside "pull-out"
(Above) josh making a mean spaghetti dinner Photo: Christina RUssell
(Above) dogs enjoy beer on tap too! Photo: Christina Russell
Ryan Scott premiered his Northwest Video Scrapbook VI at the BBQ...AWESOME movie! Everyone worked hard on putting it together and it showed! congrats Ryan!
Sunday:
Josh and I got up early to go creeking...unfortunately, we were unable to rally others to go because the festivities the night before were proving to be a setback lol. Oh well. We stayed to watch the boatercross and cheer on our buddies :)
(Above) Ryan Scott testing out the race course Photo: Christina Russell
(Above) The final heat in boatercross Photo: Christina Russell
(Above) Austin Rathman taking a creekboat off the big air ramp...last time before it got taken down....that one hurt! Photo: Christina Russell
All in all, the Clack Fest was a GREAT event, the best year yet! Most of the paddling community in Oregon showed up to support the competition. Thanks to all the volunteers that made things go so well! It wouldn't have been possible without you!
Happy Paddling, Christina Russell and Josh Mckeown
CKS's Paddlefest in Buena Vista is an annual festival to kick off the paddling season. It is a perfect time to check out new products, talk to reps, buy or sell gear at the swap or at the store wide sale, take a clinic, or simply just paddle. Check out some pictures and videos at the CKS blog and hope to see you next year.
As a side note, I have been using my deluxe long dry deck for 5 days of playboating and I have decided to retire my sponge. It used to be my most valued piece of gear and I haven't used it once.
Yesterday I finished my last (out of 7) final exam. That means that my summer has started and I will be back on the river soon! I packed today, will leave tomorrow, and will arrive in Colorado on Friday.
This summer I will be teaching lessons at RMOC in Salida, CO. Sign up to take a lesson or find me after work at the play holes. Here is my tentative event schedule... see you on the water.
This spring finals week brought beautiful weather so I managed to get outside twice to do some climbing near campus in La Crosse, WI.
In between two finals on Monday I made the 45 minute drive to a bouldering area in Westby. It was my first trip there and I was amazed at the quality of problems it had to offer. It has three small boulder patches with around 20 documented climbs, but there are more unnamed problems.
Unnamed V3ish
Heel Hook Problem V3
Heel Hook Problem V3
The Big Flake V2/3
The bluffs of La Crosse are a 15 minute drive away from campus. There are 30+ sport routes from 5.8 to 5.13a so it keeps us busy.
