Yesterday was the Pine Creek Race on the Arkansas River. There was a pretty good turn out for an evening race in crummy weather--a total of 10 raft teams, a lone shredder team, a duo-duckie, and a few kayaks. These races always come with a surprise and this year was no different. The start of the race took place under a low footbridge above Pine Creek rapid. Each team lined up under the bridge facing upstream with one team member standing in the middle of the boat, holding the bridge. At the start whistle, there was a mad scramble to turn boats around and jockey for position before heading down the longest stretch of continuous class IV-V whitewater on the Arkansas. The battles for position up top were intense and the team from Breckenridge got out in front with the US Men's Team in hot pursuit. Teams from Granite, CO and a Timberline Tours team from Vail stayed hot on the tails of the leaders. The front two boats were neck-and-neck down Pine Creek and were surprised to find themselves in a barrage of water balloons (courtesy of some Lakota Guides) just as they approached the crux move. Half way down Triple-Drop rapid, the Men's team made a pass on the right and got out in front. The grind began at the bottom of the rapid as all teams pushed across a large stretch of flat water. Time gaps grew and by the time the race ended at Rapid #5 in the Numbers section, the men had a clear lead. The Breckenridge team finished second, and an AVA team finished up in third.
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