Stand up paddling is a sport that is expanding away from the oceans and beaches. More and more paddlers are using the sport to explore in land lakes and rivers, and it was only a short matter of time before people started taking stand up paddle boards to ride rapids on rivers.
We got this press release about a SUP white water competition being held in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Looks like it is going to be an excellent event.
The 2009 Whitewater Stand Up Paddling Championship will be held May 30 & 31 in
Glenwood Springs, Colorado. This one of a kind event will feature the world’s best river stand
up paddlers displaying their paddling prowess on the snowmelt swollen Colorado River. This
new and innovative competition is up for grabs.
Local CO river SUP guru and owner of the Aspen Kayak Academy Charlie MacArthur is one
of the favorites, but the competition promises to be fierce. Pro kayaker and renowned
extreme sports athlete Dan Gavere of Werner Paddles will be a
force to be reckoned with for sure as he is one of the innovators in the new sport of
whitewater SUPing. Also a handful of Hawaii’s top stand up paddlers will be traveling to the
mainland for the event.
C4 Waterman will be well represented at the
competition with a number of their SUP team heading to CO for this unique test of skill.
Charlie MacArthur charging the Colorado River on his C-Mac ATB
On Saturday May 30 there will be a SUP demo at Blue Lake near El Jebel from 10:30 –
12:30.
Come check out this free demo to try the latest and greatest SUP equipment –
including C4 Waterman’s new C-Mac ATB board. This new board is one of the world’s only
whitewater specific SUP boards. Charlie, Todd Bradley and some of Hawaii’s other world
class SUPers will be on hand to give pointers to all comers.
The main event starts Sunday with a 6 mile downriver race on the Colorado River from
Grizzly Creek to Two Rivers Park in downtown Glenwood Springs. This fast and furious
whitewater balancing act will feature heats of 5 paddlers launching from the eddy at Grizzly
(the take-out for the Shoshone section of the CO River in Glenwood Canyon) with the fastest
paddler winning this segment of the championship.
Next up is a timed "slalom" competition
starting at the Two Rivers Park. Spectators should be plentiful as the championship is taking
place in conjunction with the popular Yagatta Regatta
–
a popular annual river festival in Glenwood Springs. Competitors will race from the park to
above the famous Glenwood Springs Whitewater Park.
This portion of the contest will involve catching a number of pre-determined eddies on both
sides of the river.
Page 2
The championship will culminate with a surfing contest (at approx. 3PM) on this world famous
wave. Each competitor will get a number of rides with the best score counting for each surfer
towards their final results. The champion(s) will be determined by a point system with scoring
accrued during the 3 events.
Dan Gavere rippin’ up the Glenwood Springs Wave
After the surf contest, the SUPers would head back to the Two Rivers Park to celebrate
during the Yagatta Regatta. This massive party features bands, food booths, thousands of
river-stoked attendees and now will include the 2009 Whitewater Stand Up Paddling
Championship’s award ceremony. The first-ever whitewater stand up paddling champions
will be crowned during this riverside rage. Don’t miss your chance to be part of history!
To get a quick visual of whitewater SUP, check out the link below. We’ll see you on the river!
You can email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call Paul at EnviroAction Productions @ (970) 923-
3955 for more information on the world’s first whitewater stand up paddling championship.
Also, please contact Paul if you are interested in volunteering as a safety kayaker or as a
member of the land based safety team. For more beta on the Blue Lake SUP demo contact
Charlie MacArthur at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call him at (970) 618-2295.
I never realised that you could take SUP boards into rapids ! What sort of stand up paddle board do you use for this ? and what sort of set up do you need ? Anyone got any ideas ?
Rafael
September 14, 2009
Votes: +0
RG
Any advice on specific White water SUP boards?
Perry
September 14, 2009
Votes: +0
Boards for white water
C4 do a specific white water board, personally I would go for a inflatable board such as ULI, I know there are some more inflatable companies around that do white water specific boards, I think google might be your friend there !
Joe
September 24, 2009
Votes: +0
...
C4 Waterman is coming out with 2 inflatable SUPS - one based on the subvector and the other on the ATB.
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