Well it looks like one of the best events on the calendar just got even better.
The Payette River Games, one of the five major SUP races of 2015, will see two big changes this year: New courses and new boards.
While the 2015 website and registration won’t be opening until next week, I just chatted with the organisers and got a sneak peek at what’s in store for the 3rd annual edition of this big event. → READ MORE
I asked the question last week: “What do we call the biggest races in stand up paddling?” The Majors? The Grand Slams? The Classics?
In a sport as fragmented and disorganised as SUP racing, I think it would be great to recognise and celebrate the big, standalone events that support and develop both the community and industry. To help promote them with a collective theme that highlights their significant contribution to the sport.
I say we call them the Majors, and these are the races that I think qualify. The five biggest races in the world this year are… → READ MORE
The Payette River Games – already lining up to be one of the funnest weekends of 2015 – just got a whole lot more awesome.
After weeks of behind-the-scenes discussions with organisers, I can now reveal, in a SUPracer.com exclusive, that Beach Flags! will be part of next year’s PRGs. Beach Flags, for the uninitiated, is one of the grandest sporting events known to man. It’s a cross between a sprint race and musical chairs. And it’s awesome in every way. → READ MORE
One of the funnest races of 2014 was the Payette River Games up in Cascade, Idaho. Part-SUP race, part-festival, part-lumberjack tournament, the event has been a fresh and unique addition to the crowded racing calendar. And next year it’s going to be even better.
As you can see from the teaser clip above, the 2015 Payette River Games will be happening from June 19-21. This year’s edition was a great event, however I chatted with the organisers recently and it sounds like they’re really stepping it up next year. One of the big changes is Dan Gavere coming on board (pun intended) as the new Race Director and course designer… → READ MORE
We’ve already seen a bunch of cool videos from the Payette River Games (aka “The Grand Festival Of Carnage On The River”), however this one is the most all-encompassing edit yet. This clip isn’t 100% SUP, but it does highlight perfectly just how big and varied this amazing event really is.
Some great angles of world class paddlers trying to navigate the rapids at Kelly’s Whitewater Park, the humbling host venue for the PRGs located in the little country town of Cascade, Idaho. The sequence at the 1 minute 56 second mark in particular was a familiar pain felt by many of us that weekend… → READ MORE
Another week, another cool edit from the Payette River Games. From the moment this race was announced we knew it’d produce some awesome highlights and it certainly delivered. Carnage On The River we nicknamed it.
And this clip from the Boardworks crew might just be the best one yet. While we’ve seen a bunch of very slick highlight reels from Idaho over the past couple weeks, those all focused on the myriad of festivities on offer in Cascade. This one however is almost entirely SUP (which in my very biased opinion was the big highlight of the weekend… except for maybe the axe throw… definitely the axe throw). → READ MORE
Today must be the day for Payette River Games news. First we got a look at an awesome Payette highlights video and now we’ve got something perhaps even cooler: The event just got featured on the Sports Illustrated website the other day.
How many SUP races end up in Sports Illustrated? Probably none until now. But the Payette River Games are no ordinary race, so head on over to SI.com and take a look at some very slick shots of the action. → READ MORE
The 2014 Payette River Games was an amazing weekend. So much action, so much carnage, so many laughs… It was a breakout event for the whitewater SUP community but it was so much more than that. The SUP racing was the highlight (in my biased opinion at least) but just as entertaining was the whitewater kayak, the log rolling, the raft cross, the axe throw, the beach volleyball and all the other festivities that brought this sleepy little Idaho town to life for a few days.
Well now thanks to Sunplay.com (the same crew that brought us that epic Carolina Cup video and Dave Kalama’s pep talk), we’ve got an awesome look at the weekend on the river in Idaho. → READ MORE
The 2014 Payette River Games (aka “Carnage On The River”) was an instant classic. A great event with some very entertaining and exciting SUP racing among big name stars and fast-rising dark horses. Throw in another dozen cool events on the side and it made for an awesome week in the Idaho mountains.
But if you weren’t there and you missed the live stream (or if you’ve just got 17 hours spare and wanna re-live it all…) you can now watch a full HD replay of the entire event. → READ MORE
We’re still coming down from the high in Idaho that was the Payette River Games. An awesome event in an unlikely location. Definitely not your average SUP race…
Here’s a cool little recap of the weekend from SUP the Mag, featuring highlights of the SUP Cross race plus interviews with the event champions Fernando Stalla and Candice Appleby. → READ MORE
Fernando Stalla has just put on an incredible show to win the 2014 Payette River Games and claim the $10,000 winner’s prize ahead of defending champion Ben Sarrazin. Candice Appleby scores the same amount for being the quickest of the women.
That was an amazing end to an awesome weekend. Fernando waited until the final seconds of the final round of the final event to claim the overall victory, winning the SUP Cross with a spirited fight through the whitewater. His win in the SUP Cross A Final gave Fernando the overall victory by the narrowest of margins, with defending event champion and ultimate dark horse, Ben Sarrazin, just one point behind.
Click through for the early results… → READ MORE
Idaho. Day Two. More carnage on the river… The second day of racing here at the Payette River Games saw the field narrowed down to the top 20 contenders in both the Downriver Race and SUP Cross, ahead of tomorrow’s grand finale.
*Technically* these two races are the main events for the stand up paddlers, however the main event for a few of us today was either the Raft Cross or Lumberjack (or if you’re Jamie Mitchell: Both). → READ MORE
Idaho. Day One. Carnage on the river…
Today (Friday) was the opening day of competition here at the Payette River Games, the event that everyone’s been waiting despite most of us having very little idea what to expect.
Today it was the preliminary rounds, while Saturday is the second round and Sunday is the finals. That’s when the field will be whittled down to the serious contenders and the $50,000 prize purse will be settled. But if you wanna win the cash you’re gonna have to be a pretty darn good all around paddler, because this is a rather unique SUP race…
The Payette River Games SUP race is actually split in two halves: The Downriver Race and the SUP Cross. Two totally separate races, with combined points determining the overall event placings. → READ MORE
Saturday, June 21 is the Summer Solstice. The longest day of the year. Quite fitting then, given that this weekend will probably be the biggest two days of the year for the SUP racing world.
Between Idaho and Germany, we’re about to witness two of the biggest races of the year that are set to feature nearly 100% of the world’s best paddlers.
The Lost Mills in Germany features the most elite lineup of talent ever seen at a race held outside the States, while the $50,000 Payette River Games look set to be one of the most entertaining events of the year. And you’ll be able to follow both races LIVE here on SUPracer.com… → READ MORE
Boss Man’s note: So the big Payette River Games are just a few days away… This weekend a whole stack of big names will be duking it out for the $50,000 prize purse on offer at Kelly’s Whitewater Park here in Cascade, Idaho.
We arrived in Cascade last night and spent a few hours testing out the river today. For those of us who have never set foot in the rapids, this weekend is going to be a serious challenge… After what we saw today it’s certainly going to be a lotta fun, but it’s also going to be very humbling for us ocean and flat water paddlers.
So to get a crash course on whitewater SUP and to give the whole paddling community some insights into this weekend’s big race, we asked Mike Tavares a few questions about the river. → READ MORE
We’re just seven days away from one of this year’s biggest (and certainly the most lucrative) SUP races: The Payette River Games. From June 20-22, thousands of people will descend on the little town of Cascade, Idaho for a weekend of fun on and off the river.
The cool thing about the Payette River Games is that it’s not just a SUP race, it’s an entire festival… There are about 20 different events to get involved in. → READ MORE
We’re just 15 days away from what should be one of the most unique and entertaining (not to mention the most lucrative) SUP races of the year: The Payette River Games in Cascade, Idaho. The 2014 PRGs are happening June 20-22nd and, apart from the record-breaking prize purse, the weekend looks set to feature a pretty stacked lineup of paddlers.
Travis Grant, Jamie Mitchell, Kai Lenny, Candice Appleby, Slater Trout, Kody Kerbox, Kelly Margetts, Fernando Stalla, Gillian Gibree, Chuck Glynn, Jim Terrell, Dan Gavere, Dave Boehne, Fiona Wylde, Peter Bartl, Mike Tavares, Gaetene Sene, Anthony Vela and Nikki Gregg.
Those are just some of the names that’ll be tackling this very unique SUP race course. Not a bad lineup. → READ MORE
Remember back in September 2013, when the Payette River Games came out of nowhere to announce the most lucrative prize purse in SUP history? Well time flies, because the event is now only 10 weeks away and competitor slots are selling out.
The 2014 Payette River Games are happening June 20-22 in the rather beautiful-looking country town of Cascade, Idaho and looks set to dish up one of the most unique & interesting SUP races of the year. Unless you’ve been living under a rock (on Mars) you’ll already be familiar with this event, but just in case you needed any extra reason to make the trip to Idaho, here are seven pretty good ones… → READ MORE
So we’re four months out from the most lucrative SUP race of all time, the Payette River Games in Cascade, Idaho. And with $50,000 on the line and a good chunk of the world’s finest battling it out in a unique format, I’d say it’s time for us to officially start getting excited.
But if the title of World’s Most Lucrative SUP Race, the prospect of one of the most competitive races of the year and the “something totally different” race format aren’t enough to get you excited (what’s wrong with you?), these pics should finish the job… → READ MORE
The $50,000 Payette River Games are still four months away but I’m already getting excited about the event. It’s not just the record-breaking prize purse (though that is rather epic). It’s not just the beautiful location in the Idaho countryside (which seems pretty awesome). It’s not just the fact that a LOT of the best paddlers in the world will probably be there either (again, doesn’t hurt). The main reason I’m so excited about the Payette River Games is because of photos like THIS…
Just look at it. It doesn’t look natural. It almost looks photoshopped. A SUP board just shouldn’t be in that position. But it is. → READ MORE
