Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Big Thanks to sponsors and raffle donors!!!

Every year we get sponsors to help make this event happen, without these folks this event would be very difficult for me to put on. In the end the money they donate ultimately goes to the Missoula Food Bank to help those in need. So please say thanks and support those that help make this event possible- The Trail Head- with locations downtown and at Southgate Mall, Black Dog Construction- for all of your home improvement needs, Styles-Areiza family- they are just great folks :), Also every year we do a raffle, that way everyone wins, we usually get some really great prizes to give away for this too. this year we have items from the Trail Head, NRS, Books from Doug Ammons, a print from Tom Yule, items from black Coffee Roasting, some good stuff from Big Sky Brewing, and coffee from Montana Coffee Traders, and a nice PFD from Astral!! I can't say thank you enough to all of these people and organizations for helping out with this years event, THANK YOU!!!

Monday, June 22, 2015

Slalom Course construction and volunteering

Hey all!! This Thursday the 25th we will be hanging the slalom course...we need helpers :) I will be there at 10:30am and would love to have some extra hands- 6 to 8 people is really ideal. If you can come up at any time any help is greatly appreciated. The site is roundup rapid on the Blackfoot at about mile mark 26. The post below this one has lots more useful info or feel free to email me with any questions. What to bring- gloves, leatherman/knife, sturdy shoes, water and some snacks, sunscreen, glasses and a hat. If you are a paddler feel free to bring a boat for when the course is done. This takes the better part of the day, I don't expect people to stay all day...unless you want to. Usually some folks come up after work to help with the late wave, this actually helps a lot so if you can't come early come later. As for volunteers for the race, we can always use more gate judges and timers. email me if you are interested in being a volunteer. It is supposed to be hot this weekend so please get hydrated and have proper sun protection...hope to see lots of familiar faces and some new ones too!!!

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Useful Info

Downriver Race- June 27 10:30AM Johnsrud Park to Weigh Station access, 11 mile class I+-II-. Most of the course is just moving water, however there are a few minor rapids to negotiate. The rapids are not technical, just a few waves and rocks to dodge, if you want to keep your boat dry. This is a really great stretch of river for a downriver race as it is suitable for any type of paddle powered craft, canoe-kayak-sup, and begginer to advanced paddlers will enjoy the course. The fastest boats may complete the race in around an hour with the slower boats often times around an hour and twenty minutes, maybe a little longer if you are a more relaxed 'racer'. Registration will be held prior to the start of the event, usually around 9:30am, until about 10:30am which is when the racer meeting is held with the race starting at 11am, hopefully. The race starts in 3 heats, with the Recreational class(es) going first, the standard class second, and the Race class starting last. This usually works out so that most of the boats get to the finish line around a similar time, making the finish exciting to watch. Your boat class is determined by your boat type/length (we will help with this at the race site). Sprint Race- June 27 4pm Roundup Rapid mile mark 26.7 Hwy 200 (Slalom course site). Class II-II+ Rapid. This race is always different every year. Some years its boater cross style other years it has been head to head or one at a time or even giant slalom style, maybe even an upstream race ;). I always leave it open to the racers to vote on and help decide what they would enjoy more. Generally it is a race from the top of the slalom course to the bottom, fastest time or boater wins, usually done in multiple heats. This is open to canoes, kayaks and sup, each as a different class or we could do it all together, again this event is ever changing. Registration for this event can be done in the morning at the downriver start or at Roundup before the event, usually starting at 3pm or so( I have to cleanup after downriver and get to Roundup). Slalom Race- June 28 10am Roundup Rapid mile mark 26.7 Hwy 200. Class II-II+ Rapid 15-20 gate course. Negotiate upstream and downstream gates from start of the course to the finish line. Making your way through gates that are either going downstream or in an eddy going back upstream. Touching a gate adds 5 seconds to your time and missing a gate adds 50 seconds to your time. Classes are seperated by canoe (solo, tandem, decked(c1)), kayak (playboat, creekboat, race) and SUP (stand up paddleboard), and sometimes a swimmer class ;). 2 runs per class, best time is kept, fastest time wins. Usually this race takes all day, or a large part of the day. You may race in more than one class (solo canoe, creekboat etc...). We always need folks to judge gates so if you have freinds or family, or maybe when you are not racing you might watch a gate station. Because this race is time consuming we will have the racers meeting at 10 and start races at 10:30. After the races are all complete you get your scores and we find out the winners. Slalom Course construction- June 25(Thursday) 10:30am. We will be constructing the course the Thurs. of the event. This is a big undertaking and we always need more hands on deck. If you have helped in the past we could use your know how, if you have never helped in the past we can guide you and would appreciate the person power. This usually takes 6-8 hours to complete. Often times we have folks show up right away and others show up later in the day. This works well as the second wave brings some more energy to help finish it out. If you are interested in helping with this please email me for more details blackfootriverchallenge@gmail.com. Food Drive/ Fundraiser for Missoula Food Bank- this whole event is a food drive/fundraiser for the Missoula Food Bank. All of the proceeds from entry fees and sponsor donations are donated directly to the Missoula Food Bank. We also do a non-perishable food drive during the event. Please bring any amount of non-perishable food items to donate. We will have bins on site that will be taken to the Food Bank with the proceeds. Entry Fees- Unfortunately we do have to charge for the event. The fees do go to a good cause though (see above). 1 event is $20. 2 or more events is $25. (downriver + slalom = $25, slalom only = $20, downriver + sprint + slalom = $25). Fee includes event t-shirt, fun, a good feeling and we usually have some swag/prizes to give away (no guarantees on this though). Registration can be done on site, however if you want to register early please email me and I can send you a registration form that you could mail back to me.