2009 Whitewater Stand Up Paddling Championship

The 2009 Whitewater Stand Up Paddling Championship will be held May 31 in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. This one of a kind event will feature the world’s best river stand up paddlers displaying their paddling prowess on the snowmelt swollen Colorado River. This new and innovative competition is up for grabs. Local CO river SUP guru and owner of the Aspen Kayak Academy (www.aspenkayakacademy.com) Charlie MacArthur is one of the favorites, but the competition promises to be fierce.  A handful of Hawaii’s top stand up paddlers will be traveling to the mainland for the event. C4 Waterman (www.c4waterman.com) will be well represented at the competition with a number of their SUP team heading to CO for this unique test of skill.

The event starts with an 6 mile downriver race on the Colorado River from Grizzly Creek to Two Rivers Park in downtown Glenwood Springs. This fast and furious whitewater balancing act will feature a mass start with the fastest paddler winning this segment of the championship. Next up is a timed "slalom" competition starting at the Two Rivers Park. Spectators should be plentiful as the championship is taking place in conjunction with the popular Yagatta Regatta (www.coloradoyagattaregatta.com) – a popular annual river festival in Glenwood Springs. Competitors will race from the park to the top of the famous Glenwood Springs Whitewater Park (http://glenwoodwhitewaterpark.org). This portion of the contest will involve catching a number of pre-determined eddies on both sides of the river on the way to an eddy above this massive whitewater play feature.

The championship will culminate with a surfing contest on this world famous wave. Each competitor will get 3 - 2 minute rides with the best score counting for  each surfer towards their final results. The champion(s) will be determined by  a point system with scoring accrued during the 3 events. After the surf contest, the SUPers would head back to the Two Rivers Park to celebrate during the Yagatta Regatta. This massive party features bands, food booths, thousands of river-stoked attendees and now will include the 2009 Whitewater Stand Up Paddling Championship’s award ceremony.  The first-ever whitewater stand up paddling champions will be crowned during this riverside rage.

Stay tuned as more detailed event information will be available on-line soon. As this epic event’s logistics are just being finalized and there is a short lead time to the big day, you can email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for an immediate update on the world’s first whitewater stand up paddling championship.

See the 2009 Results