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

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

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 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

Remember last September when we announced the Payette River Games were offering the largest prize purse in SUP racing history? Well suddenly that event is only five months away (June 20th-22nd) and we’ve just got word on the exact prize money breakdown. And it’s very impressive…

We knew four months ago that Payette was throwing up a record $50,000 prize money, but what we didn’t know was how much the winner would walk away with. The total prize purse was already a record (by a long way) but would the event step it up and offer a record first place prize as well? Or would they simply spread the money too thin? And how much would go to the men vs. the women? Let’s find out…   → READ MORE

It’s official: The Battle of the Paddle has been knocked off its perch and there’s now a new event laying claim to the title of World’s Most Lucrative SUP Race.

The Payette River Games officially announced a $50,000 prize purse for their 2014 event today, smashing the previous money record of $26,950 and dramatically raising the bar for the sport of stand up.

The second annual Payette River Games will be held June 20th-22nd at Kelly’s Whitewater Park in Cascade, Idaho. The water park has been home to several whitewater kayak events the past few years but recently embraced stand up as well. And to be clear: Payette’s $50,000 purse is just for the Stand Up Paddle races (which consist of a downriver sprint and a SUP cross event), with an additional $50k up for grabs for the kayakers.   → READ MORE