2010 Upper Wind River Festival

Short Boat Mass Start (Photo by: Oregon Rafting Team)

This past weekend, the 3rd Annual Upper Wind River Festival took place near Carson, Washington on the Upper Wind River, a scenic class IV section of boulder gardens and ledges from Stabler to High Bridge.

http://www.oregonkayaking.net/riverframe.html (Upper Wind IV+)

Saturday's events included a R2 Raft races (men's and women's), as well as a "long boat" race.

R2 Mass Start (Photo by: Oregon Rafting Team)

Sunday's events included R4 Raft races (men's and women's), as well as the "short boat" race for us kayakers. Each category raced the same section from the Stabler put-in to a mile or so below Climax, the last rapid on the run, for a sprint total of three miles.

About 13 Short Boats started at 12:00 pm, lining up for the mass
start at High Bridge, sprinting the half mile of flat water or so until
the first rapid, Initiation. Once through Initiation, it was a mad dash
for the next half hour through boulder gardens.

Short Boat Results:

Men's:

1. Trevor Sheehan
2. Lance Reif
3. Laurence Rosen
4. Drew Eastman
5. Luke Spencer

Women's:

1. Kim Russell (Wave Sport Diesel 80)
2. Christie Glissmeyer
3. Roberta Grant

Boater's Meeting (Photo by: Oregon Rafting Team)

Lining up for the mass start (Photo by: Oregon Rafting Team)

The Mass Start Begins! (Photo by: Oregon Rafting Team)

YEA! (Photo by: Oregon Rafting Team)

Men's First and Second Place: Trevor (yellow) and Lance (green)

(Photo by: Oregon Rafting Team)

Racers entering Ram's Horn, one of the main rapids on the Upper Wind

(Photo by: Oregon Rafting Team)

Trying out the backwards ability of my Diesel 80 at Ram's Horn

(Photo by: Oregon Rafting Team)

Jesse Becker punching the first hole in Ram's Horn

(Photo by: Oregon Rafting Team)

www.upperwindfestival.blogspot.com

Special thanks to the Oregon Rafting Team and Next Adventure for putting on the event!

Next up is the Northwest Creeking Competition April 10-11, 2010 on the EF Lewis.

Hope to see you there!

(Photo by: Oregon Rafting Team)

Kim Russell