[stonefly]

"It is high time to put the 'man' back in mank" - Yakalop Numchuk ​

Headwaters Paddling Association
announces the
2008 Quakenbake on September 13th,2008.​

We are hosting a downriver race on the Quake Lake section of the Madison River with shuttles running all day for non-competitors and a "best line" through S-Turn event rounding out the day. The main focus of the Quakenbake, however, is to get a large cross section of the local paddling community together for some serious festivities, regardless of whether that paddler is racing, running quake at his/her leisure, or just enjoying the show. Forest Service is on board with the event and also with friends/spectators, insurance is locked, and the campground is booked.

This is a much more open event than the Big T race, so if you have people interested in checkin' it out, bring 'em on... There is a great viewing area overlooking the crux class V rapid.
Mesa Falls and Sheep Falls run on the Henry's Fork should be in for Sunday as well as the Beartrap Canyon section on the Madison.

Breakdown is like this:
Friday evening - September 12th - Pre-event at the Beaver Creek Campground. We have the entire A-loop (25 sites) reserved.
Saturday, September 13th -
10 AM - Shuttles start running/sign-in begins at put- in
11:30 AM - Sign in closes/ shuttles stop runnin' (Except back to top for racers...)
Crack O' Noon - Race begins - one minute intervals between competitors. Three safety boats in the water near and in S-Turn/Two throwbaggers.
1 PM or so - Shuttles resume for all
2 PM - Top ten or fifteen competitors start second run. Combined best two times wins.
2:30 or so -Shuttles resume
4:20 PM - Best line through S-Turn. Five judges score 1-20 on competitors line through S-Turn. One shot. Closest to one hundred wins. Tie to be broken with 2 of 3 Ro-Sham-Bo with bootie consequences at campground.
5:30 or so - Cookout and keg tapping at campground. Several local microbrews on hand. Burgers, brauts, tons of baked potatoes and fixin's, chips etc... Followed by a whoopjamboree and hootenany.

$30 for competitors includes Insurance, T-shirt, BBQ, Camping (Fri. and Sat.) and Brew
$20 for spectators/friends of racers includes Camping, BBQ, and Brew

Race Details
We could not care less about what boat you want to race.
Start is last standing tree in the lake, finish is your bow hitting white at surfing wave below S-Turn
One racer sent every minute, best combined two runs wins.
You must be in the top fifteen to reach the final heat.
It is a class V race with sharp ass rocks.

Please contact Jason and company at River Source Outfitters at 406.222.5268 or Dave at 406.599.8977 with any questions about the Quakenbake and please give us an email if you know you are coming so we can arrange a site for you and the crew and also so that we can get some rough estimate for grub, etc.
Still could use a few more safety boaters for rotation (you can definitely race, too) and also just some general help with timing, radios, finish line etc. [email protected] [email protected]
This is a bare-bones, grassroots op firing on all cylinders, so please, pay your way and if you can help out with safety and what not, get in touch with us.
Thanks and we look forward to seeing you out there - HPA

 

[thecraw]

Damn... This sounds really fun. I ran that stretch several years back and it is a blast. Good IV++ and a quality S turn rapid make that run a hoot.
I wish I could make it, but will be back east....

Good on you guys for getting a late season race together!!! Fire it up.

 

[COLDFEAR]

This is going to be a great event!

See you guys in a few weeks,

Aaron

 

[dvanhouten]

Hope my shoulder is feeling better by mid-September!

 

[dvanhouten]

How are things looking for the event with the Hebgen Dam problem?

 

[stonefly]

Updated Quakenbake plan of attack...

Hey all,
The Quakenbake is on for sure! Beaver Creek Campground(3 miles upstream of the rapids on the right hand side) A-loop is booked for camping paddlers and friends for Friday and Saturday night.
As many of you know, the dam at Hebgen is broke. From what we can figure out, there is about 3500 cfs or so tearing down the run. We have run it at this level in the past few days. It is running at spring time high flows... The S-Turn is hard, but manageable class V big-water. There were no keeper hydraulics(but a few hefty ones here and there) at this flow, but the water is extremely fast and rather pushy. Those racing through the crux will want a workable plan B, as staying on line is problematic.
If you are unsure of your ability to hit a quick roll in the S-Turn, ya best leave her be.

We have decided to make the race a bit like the Big T race.

- From the lake to the eddy above S-Turn for the first group.

We will decide the day of the race whether there will be a final heat or simply a one-shot, winner-takes-all for this section. This section above the S-Turn is big water IV-IV+. Exciting and pushy without being out of hand at the current level. Keep the nose down stream with some mo' and everything goes pretty smooth...

The second group, if there is interest, will race the whole thing. We will require a warm-up lap for those entering this event, so that you know what to expect in there. This race will definitely be a one-shot deal. Best time wins.

We will likely start the first race (lake to eddy) at high noon. The full-course race will be the finale and the "best-line" through S-Turn will likely be tied to this race or scrapped.... We shall see.
If you are coming as a boater, please be prepared to help out with safety. This race will be at levels that are four times the typical flow for this time of year and looking out for one another is going to be extremely important.

The rest of the event (bbq, camping, party, etc.) is the same as before.
If you are coming from out of area, the Beartrap Canyon run is also at 3500 cfs or so and is a great play run at this flow. Henry's Fork (Sheep Falls and Mesa Falls) is also looking good to go for Sunday.
Those interested in watching the event and/or joining in the festivities are welcomed to do so. Remember, this event is about the paddling community getting together to raise some Cain as much as race some tough rapids. There is a great overlook for the crux drop and many, many other places with great views of the action, which will be there in spades...
Looking forward to seeing some of you out there. This will certainly be an interesting event.
Best,
Dave
406.599.8977
[email protected]