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Riff Raft Racing/Photo provided by
Last summer, a group of Roaring Fork Valley-based rafters earned the opportunity to represent the United States at the International Rafting Federation World Championships in Bosnia. And with that competition just around the corner, the team wanted to remind the community that they have been working hard and are ready to race.
“The gas pedal hasn’t let up at all,” team member Tyler Aikens said Friday. “We’re excited to know exactly where we’re going to land on that international scale. We’re going to go out there and give it everything we’ve got. Yes, without a doubt. We are excited to represent. We could not be more grateful for all the recognition and support in the Valley. And we look forward to seeing how the United States competes internationally in whitewater. We hope to come back in mid-June with a different perspective on what to do.”
Riff Raft Racing, as the team calls itself, will hold a fundraiser on Monday, March 18 at 5:30 p.m., at the new Back Bar, 508 E. Cooper Ave. in Aspen. Aikens is calling it a “spring gathering” with the rafting community, and it will include raffle prizes and updates directly from the team. The R4 World Championship is scheduled to be held in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina from May 28th to June 2nd.
Despite being a relatively new group to racing together, Team Riff Raft won the U.S. Nationals in Cañon City last June, earning them a chance to compete at the world championships. did.
“We feel tremendous support from the local boating community,” Aikens said. “We’ve made some really great connections when it comes to gear. We feel a lot of love from the Valley. All of our friends are participating in different fundraisers. .”
The five-man team competing in Bosnia includes Aikens, Conrad Niven, Curtis Berklund, Taylor Norman and Trevor Fredrickson. All of them work as rafting guides for his Blazing Adventures, except for his Berklund, who works for Elk Mountain Expeditions.
And the team isn’t just here to race. They have taken it upon themselves to become champions of the sport here in the Roaring Fork Valley and are taking steps to help conserve water.
“All of that aligns with what we are trying to do at Riff Raft Racing, which is to promote the sport of rafting and protect waterways for the future,” Aikens said. Ta. “We have a very close relationship with American Whitewater, which is the face of river protection in the United States, and we are excited to work with them on how we can expand the sport of racing.” I started developing that idea.”
Some of the upcoming events that Riff Raft Racing is helping promote include the return of Gore Fest on the Colorado River in August and Slaughterfest, a popular local race down the Roaring Fork River. It is scheduled to be held in June depending on the situation.
Slaughterfest is named for its riverside highlight, Slaughterhouse Falls, a Class IV rapid. Team His Riff is where most of His Raft originally connected, and is an event they hope to grow again.
“We want to make these races a big topic again. We want to see people from out of state, and in our position as the men’s open team, we want to get people excited. I feel like we have a great opportunity to present ourselves with a label,” Aikens said. “We want to make this as competitive and wide-ranging as possible, and we obviously saw this before coronavirus, 10 to 15 years ago, when a small number of teams were looking to win championships. We want to get that gung-ho energy back.” National title. I would like to make it to the national tournament again. ”
He said the team will have several chances to race before heading to Bosnia for the Pagosa Paddle and Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival in May, which is being planned as this year’s U.S. National Championships. . Riff Raft Racing will defend his national title on the Clackamas River in Oregon and hopes to hop on a plane to Bosnia soon.
“We’ve been growing as much as we can, finding new sponsors and getting gear donations and going out to train. Throughout the summer, we literally kept the water running until it ran dry. ”Aikens said. “Throughout the winter we have been following a training plan. We put the boat in the pool at Snowmass Rec Center and are rowing there in mid-season form and at our best as we head to Bosnia. So that we can be confident that we are ready to do our best.”
For team details and contact information, please visit riffraftracing.com.or find us on Instagram @riff.raft.racing.
Note: Aikens is asking the community to help her locate a package that appears to have contained about 100 Riff Raft Racing T-shirts she ordered for Monday’s fundraiser. If someone receives one, he said, just reach out or take it to a fundraiser at the back bar.
acolbert@aspentimes.com
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