I've been getting more & more emails & calls about this .. so I guess it's time to announce Robe Race 2009 & start soliciting race teams & volunteers.

At the moment, we're targeting the weekends of May 9, May 16, or May 23. Not sure which yet. To a certain extent, it'll be dependent on what feedback the racers weigh-in with on the timing of it. And to a large extent, it will be based on the weather over the next couple weeks. It will be a one-day thing -- either Saturday or Sunday -- on one of those weekends.

So if you are interested in participating either as a racer (teams of two), shore support (timekeepers, scribes, safety), or safety-kayaker, please let me know asap so I can start compiling everyone's info. If you have questions or comments, feel free to email me (toddgillman@gmail.com) or just post to this thread.

For those of you new to this non-event, here are a couple links to blogs with purty pictures, so you can read up on the race.

The Robe Gnomes are waiting ..

I am planning on racing again and likely to keep the dibs on the robe gnome.

Should be good times again.

The date for the showdown in gnome-town is set for May 16. More details here: http://therangelife.blogspot.com/2009/04/psa-robe-race-details.html

I hope to see some folks from PP this year at the race!

If interested in racing or volunteering (timekeeping, safety boat, shore safety, etc.), please get in touch with me.

thanks!

Levels should make this event sight to be seen.

I'm getting fired up to see Hugo there.

Anyone making practice laps this week?  

what time does the race start???????

The race will be on SUNDAY. Flows will likely be perfect & the weather is forecast to be amazing ... sunny & 70's. So even if you're not racing or volunteering, please feel free to come out & hike in on the Old Robe trail where you can watch some of the best action. Bring a friend.

Meet at 9 a.m. at the Granite Falls parking lot (take out) so we can have a brief competitors meeting & volunteer coordination meeting. After the race, we'll go to the park on the Stillaguamish that is better known as the take out for Canyon Creek. In Granite Falls, go North on Jordan Rd. (at the light with the Subway store), then it's your 1st Right after crossing the river. We'll drink some beer & do the awards thing.

For volunteers/spectators, here's a link to a map that shows the trail systems around the canyon: http://www.robecanyon.org/Images/robe_canyon_map_line_drawing.jpg
Best spectatin' happens from a short hike into the canyon on the Old Robe Trail, where you can watch the start of the race as well as the first half-mile of whitewater. Finish line timekeepers will need to hike in on the Lime Kiln Trail, which takes about an hour if you're moving quickly.

Not many people have confirmed to volunteer, so I haven't been able to delegate duties or make a list of who's doing what. So if you're into helping or if you can bring some people who want to help, then let me know. Otherwise, as Rumsfeld sez, we'll go to war with the army we got ... & we'll know what that looks like on Sunday morning.

thanks,
todd
206 300 0131

Waterboarding? Is that the sport that jimmy buffet does with a surfboard and a paddle?

[QUOTE=James]Waterboarding?

I'm hoping local paddlers will volunteer  for safety and other duties, given the great flows.  Either way the race will go down,  gnomes will be fiesty,  shit will be talked, and good beer will get drank!  . 

Wish I could run boat safety again this year but seeing as how the kiddo has sapped my paddling time, I'd be a liability to others going in there above 5.5.  Or maybe there'd be a safety crew for some of the safety crew? 

Should be sweet though, heard some of y'all are doing three laps a day in preparation. 

Saw Rob today, he's rockin old school ankle high climbing shoes for the portage.  Nice.

Flows are looking high. Forecast indicates flows greater than 6' all weekend.
It may be an interesting weekend!

As of Saturday at 11am, we have 6 ft .. & with the sun & very warm temps today looms the threat of higher water tomorrow .. Is that a certainty? Not exactly, so we'll just have to watch flows throughout the day/night .. & make the call early in the a.m.

I am considering calling 6 ft the "cutoff" (but if it's 6.1, we go .. since the tangible difference between 5.9 & 6.1 is truly indistinguishable). But that tactic will only work if we have a critical mass of teams excited to race. For the purposes of the race, 6 committed teams will be the critical mass. So if 6 teams are willing to race at 6 ft, then the race is on. Racing with fewer than that, while a neat demonstration of who's the tuffest/ballsiest, is contradictory to the whole point of this non-event. If it turns out we don't reach critical mass, then I'd rather wait for lower flows & get full participation & have an awesome party with lots of people involved.

So, with that in mind, I really need to get commitment levels from from race teams. What I need to know:

1. Do you have a water level in mind above which you will not race? (What level?)
2. Is it critical to you to have on-water safety / safety kayakers in order to race?
3. Are you willing to postpone the race to a future weekend &/or play the waiting game?

As a racer, my own answers to this are:

1. 6.1 feet
2. No, it's not critical because the point of a team race on Robe is to feel secure in my own skills to run the river safely & to perform rescue/safety duties for my partner .. & vice versa.
3. Definitely

If you could get back to me with your thoughts on all this stuff by this evening that would be really helpful. It's super difficult to plan an event & pull together all the moving parts when the majority of the participants are silently noncommittal. So please let me know your thoughts on this asap.

thx,
t