Pristine. Comitting. And now raceable.
Little White aficionad Austin Rathman recently announced he will organize a two-day race on Washington’s Little White Salmon, April 19th and 20th. According to Rathman, the first day is a time trial-formatted event allowing for either individuals or teams, with an open boat class. “The fastest individual time will be recognized as the champ,” Rathman says. “So bring the big guns if you wanna’ win.”
The Day One course is tentatively planned from the “bridge to either one of the two dams or the (parking area).”
Day two is a boatercross tournament with groups of paddlers eliminated in rounds to decide the champion, from the “pool after Stove Pipe, to the lip of Spirit.”
Rathman is tagging the event the “Green Race, West Coast style,” calling out his right coast bretheren on Boatertalk.com this week. “It’s in April to provide normal Little White water flows, (the flows you east coasters experience every June and July out here…the flows most locals are starting to say it’s too low). So get fired up, come on out, and go fast.”
Rathman is talking big this year, but won’t commit to a follow-up event next season – there are rumors of revamping the Gorge Games. “I’m not sure I want to be the one to organize the BIG time event some people want,” he says. “This race has one very simple purpose: To show, who the FASTEST person on the Little White is. It’s going to be grassroots style, much like the Green Race. No entry fees. No big cash prizes, just a bunch of whitewater kayakers putting it all on the line, going as hard as they can for simple bragging rights.”
As with any whitewater event, things can change. Click here for more information.
Get in on the Little White vs. Green River debate.