Dane Jackson came out swinging at one of the first extreme kayak races of the season, winning the 2021 Little White Salmon Race on April 17. The win sets him up for the Homestake Race at the GoPro Games in Colorado in early June.
Low water levels of only 2.5 on the gauge almost cancelled the race, but 25 competitors still forged on, with the day dawning warm and sunny, starting at 2 minute intervals.
Jackson styled his line the cleanest, finishing in 15:58, 22 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Andi Brunner at 16:20.
“The Little White Race may not have been at its highest flows this year but that doesn’t mean it’s not one of the best race courses out there,” says Jackson. “I love the challenge of so many moves packed over 16 minutes, and especially at those lower flows you can’t get lazy with any of the moves from top to bottom.”
The low water made some of the moves more difficult, even for Jackson, with the course becoming super technical and physically demanding. But it wasnn’t enough to knock Jackson off the podium. “I made a few smaller mistakes but it’s hard to complain,” he says. “Small mistakes are easier to make up over such a long course. Although it was a small year, I am glad to see plenty of people came out to support those guys taking their time to put a race on. Hats off to Evan and Capo for organizing the race—it was amazing.”
Watch super cool side-by-side-by-side-by-side video here:
Video of the top 4:
https://vimeo.com/538209148?outro=1