This year was the 6th annual Little White Salmon race in the Columbia Gorge, WA. Levels were prime for our first trip to Washington and the Little White River lived up to all the hype we had previously heard: A sweet river with a range of different rapids and drops in a beautiful part of the world with a great boating community.Continuous class V from the put in to the take out makes a damn good day on the river and also a tricky racecourse to remember, so much so I choose not to race in fear of getting lost and parking my kayaking somewhere where I really didn’t want it. However, Joe faired much better in remembering the lines and put in his entry for Team Peak UK.
A stacked field of primo racers from across the globe graced this years Little White Race including Gerd Serrasolses (SP), Rafa Ortiz (MEX) and Nouria Newman (FRA). During the briefing it was announced that, along with the timed race, there would also be a Rey Del Rio style event on the legendary Spirit Falls.
The main event proved that it pays to be local, or at least pretend to be a local. The people who came out on top really knew the river like an American knows his way around a Beretta. Defending champion Gerd took the win just ahead of Dane Jackson with Peak UK’s Joe Morley behind in 12th position. The Women’s category was dominated by Nouria just ahead of local Nicole Mansfield.
The Rey Del Rio style event on spirit was a hugely successful event, pushing most of the competitors out of their comfort zone by enticing them to go big or go home. Backwards freewheels, kick flips and a damn good attempt at a backloop were all seen, but it was Dane Jackson with his super smooth lines that took the win.
Big shout out to the organisers for putting on a great event.
Article: Jen Chrimes
Images: Bill Whitmire
