Vail Whitewater Kayak Series

May 14^th -Down River

May 21^st -Ring YourBell Race

May 28^th -Best Trick

June 4^th -Best Trick

June 11^th -Down River

June 18^th -Ring YourBell Race

Entry Fee: A $5 entry fee will be collected from each participant each week.

Cash prizes every week.

Registration at 5:00pm on the grass up stream of the International Bridge in Vail Village

Heats start at 5:30pm sharp

After party and awards at 7:00pm

Down River Race: Racers will start at the Covered Bridge.  Racers will go down stream to the buoys located before the whitewater park, around both and then race to the finish line at the International Bridge. There will be heats of racers and the winners of each heat will compete in a final heat.

Best Trick: This competition will be located at the hole. Each competitor will get 1 minute. Each competitor will get two chances to compete. Judges will score on difficulty of trick, amplitude and execution.

Ring Your Bell Race: Competitors will begin at the Covered Bridge. Competitors will ring a bell at 4 bouys and then race to the finish line. If a competitor misses a bell they will be disqualified. There will be heats of racers and the winners of each heat will compete in a final heat.

More details and sponsors coming soon!

Our annual Kayak Swap & Sale this weekend.  But & Sell new & used kayaks & gear.

Fri-Sun Apr 5-7, 2013

Kayaks, Rafts, SUP, duckies.

All winter gear and clothing 30-60% off.  All AT, Telemark & Backcountry gear

Powder Special

Save 20% off any fat ski (108cm underfoot or larger) now through Jan 31st, 2013.

FREE SHIPPING too!

Use coupon code: POWPOW to get your discount

VailWhitewaterParkdemonstration to start May 15

(Vail) --- Fix up your Phonix, master your McNasty or simply learn to surf: Beginning May 15, the Town ofVailis sponsoring free kayak demos Tuesday evenings from5 p.m.to7 p.m.at theVailWhitewaterParklocated beneath theInternationalBridgein the Gore Creek Promenade.

The demos are presented by Alpine Kayak School where instructors and professional kayakers will be on hand to demonstrate the best of freestyle kayaking to spectators and those just learning to surf. Participants in the demo will also have free access to all of the latest 2012 freestyle kayaks.

“The demos are a great way to showcase Vail’s Whitewater Park. It brings locals into the village during a slower time of the year and provides some entertainment for Vail’s out-of-town guests,” said Sean Glackin, owner of Alpine Quest Sports. “It is also a free way for kayakers to try different boats and get some tips from the pros.”

Participants in the demo are asked to maintain an intermediate level of kayaking and be comfortable with repetitive rolling. Beginner kayakers can find their place in one of Alpine Kayak’s beginner kayaking lessons going out on a daily basis.

Non-kayakers can stay high and dry – and warm - by watching from the shore or bridge. The grassy area lining the shore of the whitewater park has been a common place for family picnics or after-work relaxation in years past.

“The whitewater park has an integrated natural amphitheater,” Glackin said. “Spectators can get up close and personal to the kayakers, take pictures and really feel the excitement of the sport. The kayakers definitely get motivated by crowd interaction, too.”

To ease the low-water woes haunting the 2012 season, Alpine Kayak instructors will be adjusting the unique bladder system built into the whitewater park. Above the main feature are a variety of inflatable bladders that push the water around to maximize the features potential.

“We can really get in and change things around, even at low water,” Glackin said. “We can make things optimal for the aggressive boater looking to boost out of the water, or mellow things out for a group learning introductory moves. The Town of Vail really heard the request from our boating community and the result has been spectacular.”

The demos will take place every Tuesday in the Vail Whitewater Park from May 15 through June 19 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. For any questions, call Alpine Quest Sports/ Alpine Kayak in Edwards at 970.926.3867 or visit them at www.alpinequestsports.com.

People ask us all the time, where do you get your shop stickers?  We get our custom stickers from Customizedstickers.com.  10,000+ Alpine Quest Sports stickers floating around CO and the world.  Stop by the shop or let us know and we'll get you a few free stickers anytime!

Looking for the perfect place to start your fun SUP adventure on the river safely? Look no further.

This Labor Day weekend (Sept 2-4, 2011) at State Bridge we have SUP clinics, demos and racing, great live music, camping and campfire picking sessions.

From Friday to Monday there will be lessons, tours and rentals available for anyone who wants to come out. If you want to take it slow, be sure to sign up for the demos and clinics before launching off downstream on the Class I & II Rancho del Rio to State Bridge section of the Colorado River.

On Saturday the State Bridge Allstars will be playing after the sun drops below the surrounding mountains. And for Sunday White Water Ramble is playing for everyone. Tickets are cheap and lodging is available.

Alpine Quest Sports is having it's annual August Kayak Swap & Sale Fri-Sun Aug 5-7, 2011

Bring in your used kayaks, SUP's, rafts, duckies, etc.... and we will try to sell them for you!

http://www.alpinequestsports.com/pages/Swap.html

Everything in the store is on sale.

Save up to $300 on new kayaks!

Devils Streams will host European Championships in extreme kayaking 

Fifth year of Devils Extreme Race, European Open Champs in extreme kayaking is coming up on last weekend of August. Popular Devils Streams section under Lipno dam in South of Czech Republic. Race starts in Loucovice village from a big ramp.  There is a few different disciplines from extreme slalom to popular kayak cross. Most of the disciplines take place on Loucovicka kaskada rapid. Finals of time trial and team race will take place on the hardest section of the river. Overall Winner will take home big price money and title of European Champion. Spectators will be able to see last year World Champion Sam Sutton, Mike Dawson, Honza Lasko or slalom kayakers Vavřinec Hradilek and many others. Of course there is a life band and party on Saturday night.

 This race is a popular one for sure. Every year just around 100 kayakers sign up for the race. Most of them are from Czech but around a quarter of people is from all over the Europe. Kayakers will race in extreme slalom and sprint, thats also qualification for kayak cross, team race and kayak cross.

Program:

Friday 26th August:

Free riding, practice

Registration and giving out bags with start bibs

Saturday 27th August:

Slalom and sprint, qualification runs

Live band and party

Sunday 28th August:

Kayak cross

Team race

Price giving

River Section called Devils Streams is between villages called Loucovice and Vyssi Brod. Its one of the most popular, toughest and most fun natural features to kayak in Czech Republic. Section is usually unrunable because of too low waterlevel (2m3/s). Once a year by the end of summer Lipno dam releases about 25 m3/s which makes the section runnable. Thats why its such a big event and people from all over keep coming back.

At higher flows Vltava River is runnable all the  way to Vyssi Brod. (or further down stream, Vltava goes all the way to Prague). World rafting Championships also took place there in 2003. Last weekend of August Czech Championships of slalom is held.

For more info visit: http://www.devilsextremerace.com

In case you have any questions dont hesitate to contact:

Head director: MIra Kodada, mira@kodada.cz

Media coverage: Jakub Nemec, jakubyahman@gmail.com

Alpine Quest Sports & Alpine Kayak School are bringing in Mike Mather to teach a ACA Swiftwater Rescue Course on Sat/ Sun June 18 & 19, 2011.

Cost: $225 before June 11th ($250 after June 12th) 
Sign up early and save!

Schedule:
Sat June 18th at Alpine Quest Sports in Edwards, Colorado at 8:30am - @ 5:30pm
Sun June 19th meet at the river (location tbd) at 9:00am

Book now:

https://secure.alpinequestsports.com/modules/webBooking/index.php?action=Details&id=42

After 20 years on the water, Mike Mather is one of the more experienced and entertaining rescue professionals in the industry. Having taught technical rescue courses all over the U.S. and in Europe, Mike has an unconventional approach to this topic. Mike excels at keeping topics clear, accessible and applicable for military, rescue professionals, experienced boaters and novices alike.
Mike Mather is an ACA certified Swiftwater Rescue instructor trainer with over 20 years of rescue experience in West Virginia, Colorado and around the world. He has taught classes around the world by request, has experience with teaching courses for the military and has set up high rise construction site rope safety. He is a wizard with ropes and provides some of the best river rescue instruction in the United States.

Playing with the Rock Star: spring 2011 playboat review

By John O’Neill

Let’s get one thing straight: The new Jackson Rock Star playboat is not merely a kayak; rather, it’s a toy that doubles as a kayak. Being that the purpose of toys and playboats is to play, the Rock Star plays like a dream giving that paddler the happy-go-lucky feeling of a kid on Christmas morning.

Straight away, let’s take the elephant out of the room. It seems like year after year Jackson Kayak puts out a new product for the hole riders or wave surfers that is head and shoulders above the rest. And while I can’t say that I’ve tried every manufacturers 2011 playboat, I can say that I have tried the 2011 Jackson Rock Star and it will be a hard boat to beat.

When I got word that Alpine Quest Sports in Edwards got their shipment of the Rock Stars, it was an easy decision to give up a day of spring skiing to get in the river and try out the new product.

Being 6’3” and only 155 pounds I’ve usually been stranded to the larger of the playboats, struggling to deal with the extra volume for the added length. It was a nice surprise to see that I could fit into this year’s medium Rock Star, albeit it’s length of only 5’9”. Coming in at a volume of 58 gallons, my shoulders were already excited to get in a boat proper for my weight.

An added benefit: packing for the day was no hassle, at only 5’9” the Rock Star slid into the back of the car no problem.

But we don’t buy our playboats based on the ability to load them—we buy them to shred a day of whitewater boat riding. Drive over and dressed for success (or warmth being that it is still April), we pushed off and headed down stream,

Now, the Shoshone stretch of Glenwood Canyon (for those that don’t know) is only a mile, but I felt like I could play that mile all day in the Rock Star. Flat water loops and cartwheels to warm up were almost too easy. I could think “bow stall” and it would happen.

Getting into the features Shoshone has to offer, if the Rock Star were playing the master’s, it would be well under par. If it were a marathoner, it would be well ahead of the field. In short, the Rock Star dominated.

Every hole that was dropped into was looped, cart wheeled and played to the point of exhaustion. Every rock, for the sake of the old school, was splatted. My only regret was the low early spring flows leading to a lack of waves. Sitting here in this coffee shop and writing this review, I shiver with the thought of how big this boat will go when the Glenwood wave rises from the river bottom: it will be epic.

While clearly my opinion on the boat is one of positivity, it does come with one caveat: for running rivers, the Rock Star is squirrely. It gets hung up on eddy lines and pushed around in bigger white water. But, like a toy isn’t made for typing out finance reports, the Rock Star serves its purpose of being a playboat. It’s designed to play and play it does. Well.

Methodically working our way down Shoshone, careful to not let a single feature slip by, the two other boaters I was with grew increasingly impatient with my ability to stick every trick and ride every hole to it’s potential.

Truly, I’m not one to brag. I don’t McNasty or phoenix monkey well. In a play park where the feature is perfect, I can sometimes snap the boat around to make it look like I know what I’m doing. But on this day, in the Rock Star, you’d easily mistake me for a Teva Games freestyle finalist. Okay, maybe I wasn’t that good, but in the Rock Star I did stick a few McNastys in natural features that I had never before. The Rock Star actually made me a better boater.

I don’t know what our final time was for the mile section, but it was slow. I played and played and played some more. Like a kid on Christmas, I was disappointed to see the day end. But my saving grace is that while Christmas comes only once a year, I can take the Rock Star out anytime, and you’d better expect that I’ll be a regular RockStar.

The Rock Star is available for both demo and purchase at Alpine Quest Sports in Edwards. Call them at 970.926.3867 for more information.

Specs

Rock Star S:

Length: 5”5” long
Width: 25” wide
Height: 13.4” tall
Volume: 49 Gallons
Weight: 27 Pounds SL, 27 Pounds Elite
Target Weight: 90-160 pounds
Max inseam/Foot size: 31-10

Cockpit: 19″ x 32-1/2″

Rock Star M:

Length: 5’9” long
Width: 26” Wide
Height: 14.25” tall
Volume: 58 gallons
Weight: 29 pounds SL, 29 Pounds Elite
Target weight: 140-200
Max inseam/footsize: 34-12

Cockpit: 20-1/4″ x 34-1/2″

Rock Star L:

Length: 6’-0” long
Width: 27.5” wide
Height: 14.9” tall
Volume: 67 Gallons
Weight: 33 pounds SL, 33 Pounds Elite
Target weight: 160-260
Max inseam/footsize: 36-13

Cockpit: 21″ x 36″