Northwest Creeking Competition

01/30/2023

Another one falls. 😔

The North Fork Championship is an extreme kayaking race that brings the best paddlers in the world to Idaho to take Jacob's Ladder on the North Fork of the Payette River.

03/16/2020

Dear NW Kayaking Community,

The planning committee for the annual Northwest Creeking Competition have decided that the best course of action at this point is to cancel the 2020 event in light of the global coronavirus situation.

We are NOT canceling this event as a statement of fear but as a statement of care and concern for the larger communities that we are all a part of.

The coronavirus situation is changing day-to-day and we have come to the realization that if we do not act decisively now, it will cause unnecessary stress, and potentially harm, for the whole Northwest kayaking community.

Our event is strong and well-respected and canceling this year, under these circumstances, will not affect the long term stoke of this important annual community gathering. We are looking forward to an exciting and intense Creek Comp in April of 2021!

Wash your hands repeatedly, preferably while paddling the pure waters of our Northwest rivers, and stay positive while this thing works itself out.

Our best wishes to all of you,

-- Deek Heykamp and Paul Kuthe, Co-chairs, NW Creeking Competition

03/11/2020

If you are interested in volunteering for the Safety Team this year at the Creek Comp, please sign up via the form below. If you have any questions, shoot Cookies Hoffman an email at [email protected] Stoked to pick up the wreckage again!

Please fill out the form below to volunteer for the NW Creek Comp 2020, April 18th-19th. Our volunteer coordinator will contact you with your volunteer position and details. Please keep in mind that organizing all of the volunteers takes time and information will be sent out closer to the event date...

03/10/2020

Calling all volunteers! Volunteers get FREE food, drinks, camping, parking and more!

We're stoked for another great event this year. We hope to see you there and we appreciate all the volunteers that make it happen!

Click the link below to sign up.

Please fill out the form below to volunteer for the NW Creek Comp 2020, April 18th-19th. Our volunteer coordinator will contact you with your volunteer position and details. Please keep in mind that organizing all of the volunteers takes time and information will be sent out closer to the event date...

11/11/2019

Just 160 days away, the 2020 Northwest Creeking Competition dates are set! See you April 18th and 19th!

04/17/2019

The results are in!

04/12/2019

Creek Comp is ON!!
We are all very excited for a fun weekend up at Sunset Falls and we look forward to seeing all your wet and smiling faces up there with us.

With river levels being high and fluctuating, we will be making judgement calls for the race course on Saturday morning (likely to run EFL upstream of Sunset, Canyon Creek is likely to be too high for the race, but that will depend on how things fluctuate over the next 48 hours). Please be prepared to be flexible and understand that your safety is our highest concern with FUN being a very close 2nd.

Things to remember:
-Come early and Carpool if you can. Camping is first come, first serve.
-Bring Cash and ID. You will need Cash for Race Registration, Raffle tickets, and more beer tickets. ID for registration, beer, and beer.
-All racers must have float bags.
-Registration will be open Saturday morning at 8:30am. If you are registering a team, all team members must be present.
-Bring Food and Water! There is no water tap at the campground.
-Keep your dogs on leash at all times! And please pick up after your beautiful animals.
-NO FIREWORKS, NO FI****MS!

Thanks in advance to all our volunteers, sponsors, spectators, and RACERS TOO. We couldn't make all this possible without you!

04/11/2019

A note about flow windows for the races this weekend: These are merely guides to what is likely to happen. The race organizers will take into account whether levels are rising or falling, predicted precipitation, as well as how those levels will affect hazards on the race course,

On the EFL the gauge is far downstream, and below the entrance of quite a few tributaries. We also consider how levels impact the log jam below Dragon's Back, which provides the most difficult rescue scenario if someone becomes pinned there. At flows above 2,000 cfs it is LIKELY that we would do the upper race course. We will make an announcement about that race as soon as we are able on Saturday morning.

For Canyon Creek, as most are aware, the gauge frequently changes accuracy depending on how gravel moves in the riverbed, i.e. after large flow events, like the one that is currently occurring. I hope to make an announcement at the awards ceremony on Saturday evening in regards to this race.

A couple things to note: We will be having a fantastic gathering of the river community at Sunset Falls regardless of river levels. We have a great meal planned, an awesome raffle, and loads of folks stoked to paddle with 100 of their best river friends. We make decisions on levels with the goal that our races will be welcoming events all paddlers, and that we can provide appropriate amounts of safety for the racers qualified enough to paddle.

My memory is imperfect but I believe in the last 8 years we have held the race on the upper EFL section 3 times, and have had to cancel the Canyon Creek race twice due to high water. All of the volunteers have invested huge amounts of time in making this a great event, and we hope you will join us for great weekend in the woods and on the river!

-Cookies "Dave" Hoffman
PS. Shoot me a message with any questions.

04/10/2019

Things to remember this weekend:
Float Bags and all other required safety equipment, camping gear, cash$$$ for raffle, water, food, and common sense.

*NO drinking before the races! Anyone found drinking prior to their race run will be automatically disqualified*

There is no water available at the campground, so be sure to bring plenty of water!!!

Mandatory Race Meeting at Sunset Falls Saturday at 10:30am & 10:30 at Forest Service Parking Lot at Canyon Creek Sunday.

Your entry fee includes races, food Saturday evening AND camping, 2 beer tickets, a raffle ticket, a NWCC T-Shirt and more! Register online now to save $10
Last minute online registration (closes 4/10):

https://www.northwestcreekingcomp.com/registration

04/10/2019

With the rivers cranking and some more precip this week, we're excited for a great weekend at Sunset Falls! If you haven't registered, this is your last chance to save some $ and time and pre-register online:
https://www.northwestcreekingcomp.com/registration

For those curious about water levels,
CUT OFF LEVELS:

EAST FORK LEWIS: High Water 2800, Low Water 450

CANYON CREEK: High Water 1000, Low Water 350

The NWCC is a thriving two-day event and one of the biggest races in the country! The event boasts two amazing race courses on both the East Fork Lewis River an