Bank of America US Whitewater Open
March 27-28, 2010

Two Days of Big-Time Racing at NOC!

Watch world-class paddlers compete in both downriver and slalom competitions in the season’s first major competitive event.

Nantahala Outdoor Center will host the Bank of America US Open at its adventure center on the Nantahala River, Saturday and Sunday, March 27-28. This is the biggest race of USA Canoe/Kayak’s regional Team Trials Qualifiers, and paddlers from across the country will be competing.

The race is organized by the Nantahala Racing Club and features two events; whitewater slalom, where competitors race through a series of gates hanging in key locations throughout a rapid, and wildwater racing, where competitors paddle down a section of river in the fastest possible time.

In slalom competition, competitors are allowed two runs of the course, which are usually paddled in less than two minutes each. The paddlers negotiate 20 gates—14 downstream gates and 6 upstream gates—incurring two-second penalties for any touch of a gate, and an insurmountable 50-second penalty for displacing a gate by more than 45 degrees, proceeding in the wrong order or passing through upside-down. The competitors’ two times are added together, with the fastest combined time winning the race.

Wildwater racing features both a Sprint competition, where the course is 500-750 meters long, and a Classic competition, which could be up to nine miles long. In wildwater racing, all paddlers compete in one run, head-to-head.

Don’t miss this chance to see some Olympic-caliber competition on the Nantahala River. Arrive early to nab a sweet seat by Nantahala Falls and cheer on NRC-Rhino paddlers Scott Mann, Tad Dennis and others!