Boaters Love PBR!

Boaters Love PBR! Well, another Tuesday has come and almost gone here at NRS. It is another beautiful March afternoon here in Moscow. Strange thing is that it’s June! Our amazing snow pack is melting slowly and so far, the unusually cool weather is lifting my hopes of boating locally into August this year.

This is my first summer of boating in Idaho. For the past few years, I’ve boated a lot here through the winter and spring and then hit the road to guide in other states. Having hung up my guide stick, I’m finally getting to enjoy a summer of private boating in Idaho. It has been a great year so far. I’ve been able to enjoy rivers in a new way, learning to kayak. This past weekend, the first one in June, I loaded up my van with a few boats and some friends from here at NRS. The list of suspects included Blake, NRS Special Accounts Manager, and Zach, one of the pros in our shipping department. I’d planned on getting three days of boating in this weekend, but the usual delays and a few unusual ones had us leaving town Friday afternoon. Brian (Mountain West Wholesale Manager) and Jenni (Purchasing) were already down there to man a booth at the events and we met them at the campground.

Our sights were set on the Payettes. One of the finest drainages in Idaho, the Forks of the Payette contain a variety of whitewater to entice any paddler, from first-timers to seasoned vets looking to tackle the famous North Fork. The town of Banks is where the North Fork and South Fork come together to form the Main and is the center of paddling in the area. Banks is at least four hours from Moscow and even longer in a giant 1985 HiTop conversion van. Given the price of diesel and the length of the drive, we needed a good excuse to rally down there and had a great one in the Payette Boise River (PBR) Festival.

Affectionately known as PBR, the festival is a revival of an event started long ago by the likes of Idaho kayaking legend Rob Lesser. With the impetus of fundraising for construction of the Boise Whitewater Park, Sam Goff was central in bringing back this great event. In addition to exciting kayak events on the North and South Forks as well as playboating events on the Main, PBR was proud to host this year’s National Rafting Championships.

First, no, we did not compete. I’ve always thought that taking a slow boat and paddling it as fast as possible is way too much work. But it sure is fun to watch. The sprint event was held on Staircase Rapid on the South Fork. The guys from AIRE assembled a team and cheering them on as they boated and swam by us was definitely more fun than racing would have been.

Team AIRE diving into the meat... © Jenni Chaffin

and getting walloped. © Jenni Chaffin

The best part of PBR was sharing it with my friends. In addition to the friends I went with, I got to see folks I know from all over the country. Some were there to compete in the rafting and kayaking events and one just happened to stop by on his way from one river to the next. One of the best things about being a boater is the friends you make along the way. Following snowmelt, rain and release schedules can take you across the country or across the world. Just as transcendent as being in the middle of a great drop or the perfect surf are the moments when your life re-crosses that of a friend from another time and place. Even if you haven’t seen or talked to each other for months or even years, you can pick right up where you left off.

Team NRS member Devon Barker in Staircase Rapid. © Jenni Chaffin

Gabe carving and surfing his C-1. © Paco Echevarria

On the water I had a personal milestone. I started whitewater canoeing last summer. After moving back to Idaho in January, I suddenly realized why very few people paddle open canoes in this part of the country. Having a boat full of warm southeastern rain is an added challenge; one full of mid-winter runoff in Idaho borders on miserable. So in spite of six years of being scared to learn how to kayak, I decided to try a C-1. A C-1 is essentially a kayak, but is paddled like a canoe.

Over the course of the spring, I managed to learn to roll at the pool sessions held at the University of Idaho. I had hit a few rolls in the river, but was still missing far more. The Payettes were running high, so Zach and I decided the Main would be the best run for us. Even at nearly 10,000 cfs it is still mostly Class II with a few III’s, but definitely has enough big wave trains, boils and squirrelly water to be entertaining. I was excited at the put-in, not only because I was going boating, but because I had met an open-boater we could paddle with. As we were about to put on, I even met another C-1er! It was shaping up to be a great day.

It got even better when I flipped in one of the big wave trains. Not usually something to be happy about, but I wanted the opportunity to roll in big water. And roll I did. I finally felt like a real boater! Considering the number of runs I’ve rafted, I’m pretty sure I fell into the “real boater” category quite a while ago, but after at least a hundred swims in the last year, it felt so good to roll. I flipped twice the next day and rolled both times. Since then, I’ve had three days of park and play and more rolls then I can count.

Gabe taking a break from paddling to pedal Blake’s genuine PBR bike – the other PBR.

We drove back Sunday afternoon and made it to the office bright and early on Monday. PBR was great and I can’t wait for the event next year!

Gabe Hinkley
NRS Customer Service