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All river chasers know the “catch the water” game. Where the rain falls, where the snow melts…thats where we go. To catch the best runs, we try to keep our schedules flexible so that when the rivers are telling us that it’s GO time. The first race of my 2016 season started out as one of these flexible weekends.
Thursday: I get a call from my buddy Doug Webber, who puts on the Race the Falls event on the Cossatot. He tells me the event is a green light for the upcoming weekend. The level looks good the people are stoked and it’s happening. Can I go?
Friday: The day starts out at Liquidlogic. Green light on my side. Yes! I load the Sprinter and get her warmed up. Ashlu dog is in and we’re back out on the road! Before too long I get the sudden hankering to see an old friend, so I took a little jaunt off the highway to Ozone Falls. Recent rains have left a rowdy high water mark, and thoughts of water barreling off that horizon line still gets the hair on my arms to stand up. Ashlu was stoked to bounce around the dangerous terrain there and the Sprinter got a little rest.
Fast lip, loooong way down!
The remainder of the drive went smoothly, with a coffee stop in Nashville and a bunch of Red Bull to keep me wired. Got to about an hour away from the river and found a rest area to bed down for the night.
Saturday: Race Day. Alarm failure due to winter effects on batteries of the cellular type started me off with a burst of adrenaline. But Doug’s the man and had me all set up. Still got there with enough time to get my bib and give the course a look! First thing I noticed was how many people came out in the cold of winter to a kayak race! Ecstatic about the turnout, I scouted the course out and said many hellos, feeling welcome and stoked to get on course!
Course: Flatwater start, small riffle, flat, twisting drop with a fun looking straight line down the middle, short flat moving Left, small boof, still moving left (easy to get lost here), slingshot to main flow, straight line down the last few drops to the finish. Looks awesome. I decided to try and hang it out and go wide open down the whole course. 😀
Cossatot Race the Falls Winning Run from Pat Keller on Vimeo.
Fitness faded off at the end there, so I know what I’ve got to work on going into the season…but I’m stoked on my lines! Even more so about all the cool people I got to meet and hang out with there, friends from Ocoee days, local shredders and a whole contingent of young bucks – learning and gaining skills through this quality set of rapids. I know one thing, I’ve got another quality spot to hit up on the long drives West and back East!
Photo: Tom Burroughs
Huge thanks to Doug Webber for putting on a killer event, Tom Burroughs and all the safety team for the bomber support, the racers and all the spectators for coming out and making my experience in Arkansas a rad one.
Post race I gave Ashlu a little time to run around and play with a new friend while I had the final Mullet prototype out on display (more on THAT coming real soon…) with a Braaap along side. A river float plan quickly formed with Clay Cahoon, his son Baron and another young buck named Cobey Williams. Cobey took the Braaap and I snagged the Mullet, out we all went. Awesome to be out with the kids on a river they know well. They were ripping it up! Beautiful turquoise water and a really cool gorge deep in Arkansas…enjoyed every bit of it. Bald Eagles were peeling off trees and soaring off down the gorge, adding to the experience.
Awards was awesome. Young upcoming rockstar Hunter Hobbs killed it in the expert division, winning both the long and short expert categories. 16 years old and 4th fastest time overall, this kid’s one to watch. Way to go Hunter! I snagged the Golden Jersey in the Pro class from my old friend Ben Kvanli, who urged me to come back next year…and I am all about that idea!
We raffled off a brand new Liquidlogic Braaap with proceeds to go to the Kennedy Family, and I was delighted that the number drawn was none other than David Hepp, a slalom legend and main mover and shaker of the upcoming Oklahoma Whitewater Center! He had tried one earlier the same day and said that he loved it and wanted to get one… Gotta love it when life does that for ya sometimes.
Campfire after party was perfect, got to chill with some more of the local contingent and swap great stories. The long drive home began and the ole time Sprinter got me back home safe and sound for an 8 am boat pickup on Monday! I call that a grand weekend!
Thanks for reading – Pat
Results:
“Skull Crusher”
The Stinger is available and in stock. Check it out by clicking here.
The Braaap is also available and in stock. Check it out by clicking here.
Mullet coming soon… Stay tuned to the site and the Liquidlogic Kayaks Facebook page for news on upcoming demos, delivery runs and new releases. – Pat