The Gallatin River flows through the Bozeman and Big Sky area out to the Missouri River providing an abundance of recreational opportunities. This year’s Gallatin Whitewater Festival seeks to highlight our area’s whitewater resources with a series of events designed to challenge whitewater kayakers, whitewater canoers and rafters, as well as provide avenues for non-paddlers to participate. The event will take place on Saturday, June 25th. The festival has long been a part of the whitewater community in Bozeman with a variety of organizers taking on the challenge of hosting the event since the original Gallatin Get-together in June 1978.
After several years with no local whitewater festival, Wave Train Kayak Team in partnership with the Gallatin National Forest brought the festival back in 2013. Enthusiasm for the event is growing quickly. Competitor and participant attendance doubled since 2013 with over 100 competitors at the last two year’s events. This year, Wave Train Kayak Team is teaming up with a number of local businesses to bring back this fun event for the Montana paddling community as a fundraiser for Wave Train Kayak Team’s nonprofit youth whitewater kayaking program. Wave Train has been around for fifteen years and has been a big part of promoting the river community in the Gallatin Valley. They strive to offer an affordable and safe pathway to rivers for kids between the ages of 10-18. The event schedule for 2016 is as follows. 9-10am: Registration. 10am: Mandatory competitor meeting for all events except Community Raft Slalom. 10:30am: Gallatin River Downriver Race–a timed two mile down river race that takes competitors through the Mad Mile. 2:30pm: House Rock Boatercross–a mass start sprint race from the Gallatin River Trailhead through House Rock Rapids. 1pm: Community Raft Slalom check-in. Pre-registration required. 2pm: Community Raft Slalom–an event in which local river guides will lend a hand and a raft to pre-registered teams of five to six put together by local businesses and groups of friends. The teams and their guides will power their race boat through a series of gates on their way down river competing for glory, trophies and prizes donated by local and national vendors. This event provides an avenue for river enthusiasts with little to no whitewater paddling experience to join the festival in more than a spectator capacity. 2:30pm: 35 MPH Slalom–a race that requires competitors to navigate gates on their way downstream from the Gallatin River Trailhead access above the 35 MPH Bridge. 5pm: Awards at the Gallatin River Trailhead.
The events for this year’s festival will provide some great whitewater action with some of the area’s top whitewater boaters vying for bragging rights and a boat load of great prizes! Registration and events will be based at the Gallatin River Trailhead (large pullout across the river from the Lava Lake Trail, just upstream of the 35 MPH Bridge). Please contact Dave with Wave Train Kayak Team or check out gallatinwhitewaterfestival.com/ for more information about the events. See you on the whitewater! •
