GAF 2013: What to Expect

NOC's wildly popular Guest Appreciation Festival will finally be here next weekend (September 27-29), and will be significantly improved thanks to some changes based on feedback from the past few events.  Here is the list of some of the biggest changes you should look out for:

A scene from the GAF Used Gear Marketplace on River Left.

• The Used Gear Marketplace is Moving Back to River Left. GAF's popular used gear marketplace moves back to the middle of the festival ground, ensuring that all of the 5,000 GAF attendees will browse the marketplace.  So, grab some friends and pitch in for a booth at GAF to sell your gear fast! Marketplace applications are still available for $75 for the weekend.  Apply here.
  

• New "Gear Swap" Area will be Available - This area is for guests who just have one or two items to sell at GAF.  Instead of buying a full booth, you will be able to take advantage of a designated gear swap area for your items. While this area won't have premiere placement like the used gear marketplace, it does give individuals a venue to sell their boats. Click here for the Gear Swap guidelines.

• New "Buy-It-Now" Option - Many guests come out especially for sweet deals from the Paddling School's instructional fleet and the Outfitter's Store's demo fleet. These buyers usually have to wait until the Saturday morning sell begins, hoping that other guests don't snag their boat before they can buy it. This year, we're offering a "Buy-It-Now" option where guests can purchase one of these instruction or demo boats on Friday for an extra $99.  This gives you the security of knowing that you can get the exact boat you want without having to camp out overnight. 

• This year, every boat purchase from the Outfitter's Store Gear Sale comes with a 15% off voucher for a clinic or private instruction session with NOC's Paddling School.  This gives buyers the opportunity to enjoy improve their paddling skills while upgrading their boat.

NOC Outfitter's Store Gear Sale

So that's what's new at this year's Guest Appreciation Festival. Be sure to learn more about the deals and entertainment we have planned by clicking here. We have more than 100 boats we want to move, so expect great deals on great boats all weekend long!

2012 ICF World Cup - Mid Competition Update

The 2012 ICF World Cup is in full swing, with the first two competitions complete and the final event starting Friday. Over 100 paddlers from around the world will be trying to win the grand finale at NOC. So far the athletes are "bringing it" and drawing big crowds. Interested in the action? Click the link below to check out photos from the second event.

Brendon Orton from Great Britain gets huge air at the Pigeon World Cup

Take a look at these photos from the World Cup Pigeon River Event.

World Cup Final
The final World Cup event will be held on the Nantahala at one of the most spectator-friendly environments anywhere. Park at NOC and have full access to both the Nantahala River and the World Cup events: you can raft or paddle the river and then stick around for free music in the evening. Even non-paddlers will enjoy the exciting event atmosphere and riverside amenities at NOC. So come out and join us!

Remember, this is it: the final dry run for athletes and judges before next year's World Championships.

Craig Kleckner representing his countries' competitors on and off the river

Competition starts on September 7th with the Award Ceremony on September 9th.  Throughout the event you can look forward to face painting and other kids activities from 1-3pm everyday to keep your family entertained.  There will be live music for entertainment in the evening on the 8th and 9th.

Click here for more information about the World Cup Final
Click here for full results from the Rock Island and Pigeon World Cups

Can't make it to the World Cup Final?
Watch a live feed of the action at the Nantahala Feature online!