New River Gorge Race & Rodeo

Do you think you have what it takes to beat the Fayetteville locals? This May you’ve got the chance to try out ramping them, out surfing them, and out racing them during the New River Gorge Race & Rodeo. We’ll bring back our classic ramp at Cunard and start the weekend off with a ramp trick competition, a surfing rodeo at upper railroad hole and a downstream freestyle competition in the upper railroad run out. Join us Friday night at the gear shop for a carbo-load party to get ready for Saturday’s downstream race. Saturday night we’ll announce awards and hand out prizes in between live music at the Lost Paddle Bar & Grill. Finally, we’ll end the weekend celebrating the New in the best way possible, giving back with a river clean up organized by the New River Conservancy.

Friday afternoon, start the rodeo off by throwing your best tricks on our classic Cunard ramp. Then do your best to look clean surfing in the hole at Upper Railroad, and finally show off your freestyle moves in the upper railroad run out. The rodeo will be judged by longtime local boaters who will score competitors at each spot during the competition and rank participants in each competitive class based on cumulative score totals.

Don’t forget to stop by the shop and register before heading to Cunard for the competition.

Saturday afternoon go fast and take chances down the New River Gorge. With the extra Spring juice, your lap time should be boosted, and the competition will be close. This intermediate/advanced class IV kayak and raft race will span 6.9 mi starting with a mass start at Cunard and ending with professional timing at Fayette station.

Participation is encouraged for any craft you can competently navigate down the Lower New, and competitive classes can be created with only 3 or more participants in similar crafts. Competitive classes will be announced at the close of pre-registration and prizes will be evenly distributed across classes.

If water levels are anticipated to reach above 20,000 the day of the race, this event will move from Stone Cliff to Cunard. Details for event check-in, start times, and prizes can be found on this page and additional information will be communicated to participants via e-mail upon registering.

• Custom New River Gorge Race Bib
• Event Shuttle to Cunard & from Fayette Station.
• Admission to afterparty events on Friday & Saturday.
• Live Music with The Hooten Hallers & TBD Band

Prize baskets put together by ACE Adventure Gear with support from event sponsors.

• Sponsors and prize list to be announced.

The Hooten Hallers are known for their incendiary live shows that must be experienced to be believed, taking the listener on a dynamic journey from explosively raucous blues to expressive three-part vocal harmonies to danceable grooves.

The Tan & Sober Gentlemen play Irish tunes, ballads, and pub songs right next to the Appalachian fiddle tunes of their youth, melding the two into what they call “Irish-American hillbilly music.”

Tickets are included for all competitors.

Stick around Sunday and join us for a river cleanup with the New River Conservancy. We will be rafting a class III section of the New River while working to clean up trash. It’s ever important that we come together to help restore our favorite playground to the pristine condition it should be in. Every piece of trash removed is one less on the river after all! Plus what’s not to like about spending a few hours on a fine spring day to root through the woods and rocks to clean them of garbage?

Sign Up – Email Dave Bassage at [email protected] to secure your spot.

The staff, board of directors, and volunteers of New River Conservancy are dedicated to protecting the waters, woodlands, and wildlife of the the New River Watershed. The New River winds its way through three states and countless communities who have depended on its bounty for generations. We are here to protect it and to ensure that the waters that feed it are clean; that the land supports vibrant plants and animals; and that the communities that rely on it are passionate and empowered advocates for a healthy New River.

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