Bigfoot Rafting Team

Location: Willow Creek/Big Flat, CA

Team Paddlers:

Matt Hogge (Bend, OR)


Paul Gamache (Seattle, WA).

Website:www.Bigfootrafting.com

Highlights:
1st Place Burnt Ranch Gorge Race (2007)
2nd Descent of Pit River Falls River Left "Plunge Line"
1st Place Nordheimer Race - Under 6 Paddlers Division (2007)
Creators of "Super Saturday" Dress-up Days, Trinity River (2006-Present)

WWCS 08 Series Details

Endorsed by the United States Rafting Association (USRA)
The WWCS was designed to promote the sport of whitewater paddle raft racing in the western United States. All paddlers and supporting boating communities are encouraged to participate therefore kayak, cataraft, and an unlimited category of racers will be amongst the competitors. It is the intent of this series to reward the most well developed overall skill sets of each team and individual participants, while fostering interest and generating cohesion amongst our associative river communities.

Points will be awarded to the competitors for the overall WWCS title in their respective divisions (Men’s paddle raft, Women’s paddle raft, Men’s kayak, Women’s kayak, Cataraft, Unlimited).

In best determining the overall skills sets of the competitors, the following events will be rated as:

Mandatory- this event must be attended if you perceive that your team or self is indeed the best boater in this region.
Optional- points can be attained towards the overall points lead, yet to actually win your overall division you must have attended each of the mandatory events.
Weighting – some events will be weighted more heavily than others regarding points. This may be at least partially attributed to the importance of developing/supporting this particular event and river community. Factors taken into account include; longevity, organization, accuracy of timing, generating interest, ability to bring communities together, accuracy in recording results, etc.

POINTS SCALE : (1-5)
Example 1 : The event is weighted a 5. This means the 1st place boat will earn 5 points, 2nd place 4 points, 3rd place 3 points.
Example 2 : The event is weighted a 3. 1st place earns 3 points, 2nd place 2 points, 3rd place 1 point.

March 22nd, 23rd
Upper Wind River : Carson, WA
Coordinators : Oregon Rafting Team (ORT)
IV+, 3 mile downriver.
Paddle rafts, kayaks, catarafts, unlimited.
Optional, 5

April 5th
NFA Chamberlain: Colfax, CA
Coordinators: CALIFORNIA WOMEN'S RAFT TEAM
IV, 4.9 mile downriver
Paddle rafts, kayaks, catarafts, unlimited. Mass Start: Kayaks. Timed: Rafts/Cats
Optional, 5

April 12th
Canyon Creek Extreme Race : Southwestern Washington
Coordinators : Next Adventure
V, .5 mile waterfall sprint.
Kayaks, inflatable kayaks, paddle rafts, unlimited.
Optional, 5


April 19th, 20th
Upper Klamath River : Keno, OR
Coordinators : ORT, Northwest Rafter’s Association (NWRA)
IV+, 7 mile downriver.
Paddle rafts, kayaks, catarafts, unlimited.
Mandatory, 5


May 2nd, 3rd
Cal-Salmon - Nordheimer Race: Orleans, CA
Coordinator : Paul Gamache, Caliproduct
IV+, 5 mile downriver.
Paddle rafts, kayaks, catarafts, unlimited.
Mandatory, 5


May 16th-19th
Upper Clackamas River
Coordinators : NWRA, Next Adventure
III+, V : 1 mile downriver, slalom, boatercross.
Paddle rafts, kayaks, catarafts, oared rafts.
Mandatory, 4


May 31st-June 2nd
North and South Fork Payette Rivers: USRA National Whitewater Championships
Coordinators : Sam Goff, Bill Driscoll, Payette Boise River Festival (PBR)
IV+ 4 mile downriver, slalom, sprint, boatercross, kayak rodeo.
Paddle rafts, kayaks, catarafts.
Mandatory, 10. (Double points awarded at this event only)

June 13, 14th
Wenatchee River : Wenatchee, WA
Coordinator : Paul Gamache
III, 4 mile downriver, kayak rodeo.
Paddle rafts, kayaks.
Optional, 3.

October 10, 11th
Burnt Ranch Gorge
Coordinator : Paul Gamache
IV+, 2 mile downriver.
Exhibition. Great event but currently outside of the racing season.

Of the 7 events only 4 are required to attend (Mandatory).

Boats - no requirements but must be deemed safe by event coordinators.

Teams – not to exceed 6 paddlers unless in unlimited division, co-ed teams will be scored in the men’s category.

Safety gear required, at a minimum; Type III-V pfd, helmet, spare paddles or oars for rafts/catarafts, first-aid kit in each boat, rescue rope in each boat.

Race coordinators have the right to inspect all competitors (looking for competent skill level and sobriety only) and their gear prior to the race. If one cannot comply with safety requests they will be dismissed from the competition without refund.

Paddle raft races will be ran in a head to head format conditions permitting. Adherence to International Rafting Federation (IRF) rules will be attempted whenever possible and/or if a dispute arises that cannot be immediately resolved by event coordinators. www.intraftfed.com

Upper Klamath Race

Upper Klamath Downriver Race Sunday April 20th
Organized By:

April 19th practice, April 20th race.
7 miles, Class (IV+ - V). Mass start by division at Frain Ranch, finish at State Line Falls. Divisions include; kayak, paddle raft (14 feet or less in length, 3 thwarts, 6 paddlers or less, cataraft, unlimited.
High water cutoff=4,500cfs, low water cutoff=1,000cfs.
Activities Schedule:
1. Saturday 7:30am SHARP: all competitors meet for shuttle. Meeting place = Ashland Albertsons parking lot. From I-5 south, take a right off the freeway, drive approximately 200 meters, the large Albertsons parking lot will be to your right.
2. 8:15am – Depart for JC Boyle/Spring Island put in.
3. 9:45am – Arrive at the put in. All competitors quickly rig boats and gear up.
4. 10:15am – All participants safety meeting. Establish pod leaders and groups.
5. 10:45am – 1st pod shoves off, all other pods staged and depart at 5 minute intervals.
6. 11:45am – Stop above Caldera Rapid, river left, for a scout and snack.
7. 12:15 – 1st pod drops into Caldera, remaining pods shove off at 5 minute intervals.
8. 1:45 – 2:00pm – All competitors gather at take out river left below State Line for run debrief and discussion.
9. 2:30 – Load shuttle vehicles for drive to Ashland.
10. 3:00 – Depart take out (exact take out will be determined later but will be at or very close to State Line Access).
11. 4:15 – Arrive Albertsons parking lot.
12. 4:45 – Meet for food and refreshments at a venue to be determined.

Sunday
All timelines and locations still apply.
Only difference will be stop at Frain Ranch and start race there. Safety boaters and camera personnel will have a 15 minute head start to stage.
4:45 - At a venue in Ashland for chili feed and awards ceremony.
• The 1st Annual Upper Klamath Downriver Race is part of the Western Whitewater Championship Series (WWCS) which is endorsed by the United States Rafting Association (USRA).
• This series will be run with adherence to rules set forth by the International Rafting Federation (IRF) as these rules may apply.
• All WWCS events will be ran in accordance of all local regulations (permits), be insured by the American Canoe Association (ACA), and demonstrate environmental awareness at all times.
• WWCS entrance fees will be kept to an absolute minimum with the goal to simply cover costs such as permit fees, insurance, fuel, etc. The UK race fee is a mere $15 per competitor which includes all shuttles.

Volunteers are welcome. All participants are required to be safe, have fun, paddle hard, and develop positive river communities. Questions? Contact USRA President : Tim Brink at nomadyellow@yahoo.com.

ORT

Location: Portland, OR

Team Members: Tim Brink, Evan Dupont, Toby Jewett, Dick Norris, Ryan Olivier, Bruce Reed, Mark Rettman, Jake Roop, Clinton Vining,

Website: www.Oregonraftingteam.com

2007 Race Results:

1st Place - Cal Salmon Nordheimer Race. 49 min.

1st Place - Clackamas Whitewater Festival - Paddle Team Slalom. 6 min 38 sec.

2nd Place - PBR Event Men's Division

1st Place - Wenatchee Whitewater Festival Downriver Race. 22 min 20 sec.

5th Place - U.S.A. National Rafting Championship Men's Division

1st Place - American River Festival Downriver

Photos/video:

Wind River Race Info

Upper Wind Downriver race, March 22nd-23rd.
Organized By:




March 22nd, Saturday 1st practice run @10am, 2nd practice run @1:30pm.

March 23rd, Sunday – Races start at 11am. Class (IV+ - V). 3 miles, mass start by class at Stabler Bridge to approximately 2 miles below Climax. Take out will be river right above High Bridge. Classes include; kayak (all lengths), cataraft, and paddle raft (6 paddlers or less, boats 14 feet or less in length, 3 thwarts), and unlimited.

To reach the put in, drive north past Carson about 8 miles. There will be a store and a road on your left (This is Stabler). Take a left, cross over the bridge, after about 100 meters take a right, stay right, and follow that road down until it dead ends at the river. Unload quickly, park your vehicle off to the side of this short access road or park back up on the main road. This is a residential area, please be courteous and minimize traffic.

To reach the take-out, drive north past Carson, take last left before crossing High Bridge, take first right, next right, follow all the way to river (turns into dirt road).
Carson has gas, a small store, café, camping in the area, and cabins. Stevenson, Washington is about 6 miles away and has hotels, a supermarket, and many restaurants.
High water cutoff is 9 feet, low water cutoff is 5.3 feet. If the low water cutoff is enacted the race format will be converted from a paddle raft race to an R2 race for the sake of competition.

Schedule of activities:

Saturday 1st practice run, shove off time 10am. 2nd practice run shove off time 1:30pm. Time trial seeding for the catarfats will occur during the second Saturday practice.

~ 4pm Saturday; “debrief”, snacks and refreshments near the cabin at the put in area.

8-9am Sunday; race registration at the cabin near the put in. Around $15 per competitor which includes ACA insurance. Starting positions determined by who signs up first.

10am racers meeting at the put in area.

10:15am, safety boaters and camera crews launch. Race coordinators begin boat and gear inspection.

10:30am, begin staging racers. Kayaks first in line, paddle rafts next, followed by the cats and the unlimited crafts.

11am SHARP. Mass start kayak race.
11:05, paddle rafts.
11:10, catarfats.
11:15, unlimited.

12:30pm, all racers gather in eddies and on shore at the finish for final head count. Proceed downstream once the paddlers at the finish match the number of starters.

2:30pm : Begin Chili Feed and Awards Ceremony at the cabin near the put in.

4:30pm : Start headin home.

The 1st Annual Upper Wind River Race is part of the Western Whitewater Championship Series (WWCS) which is coordinated by the Oregon Rafting Team (ORT). All participants are required to be safe, have fun, paddle hard, and support river communities in any way possible. Questions contact USRA President Tim Brink at : nomadyellow@yahoo.com

Western Whitewater Championship Series 2008

The site for the WWCS has changed. For Information:Click Here