North American Championship Recap

Last weekend, NOC hosted the 2012 ACA Open Canoe Slalom Nationals & North American National Championships on the Nantahala River. Open canoe paddlers from all over the country, as well as Canada flocked to the Nantahala Gorge for three days of racing on the fun and challenging Nantahala Falls Course. They competed in a variety of disciplines, encompassing various lengths of crafts, composite and plastic boats, and tandem and single classes. Many of these competitors see each other regularly on paddle trips in their hometowns. Others are old friends who see each other once yearly at only this event.

The mood was a unique mixture of serious competition--with whitewater athletes walking the course, scouting lines, and discussing runs, penalties, and strategies--and family reunion, as this tight-knit group of friends and river-family caught up on old news and shared new memories after yet another year.

Race organizer MJ Simpson found time to compete in tandem events with both of her young sons. Simpson volunteered to organize the 2012 event in part, she said, because she met her husband, David Simpson, at an Open Canoe Nationals in Carltin, MN, so she felt she owed the event a good turn. “We’re even now, OC Nationals,” Simpson joked at the awards ceremony on Saturday evening at NOC’s Pourover Pub, to the laughter and applause of her fellow-canoeists.

Open Canoe slalom is a test of speed, river-running skills, and agility, and paddlers strove to excel in all three areas over the course of the weekend. In speed, the unrivalled champion was Jordi Domenjo, a coach at Colorado’s Alexander Dawson school, and a top kayak slalom athlete from La Seu D’Urgell, Spain. Domenjo posted a top time of 129.14, seconds ahead of the second place finish by Eli Helbert of Asheville, North Carolina, who came in at 155.05 in the OC1 Open X class.

There were only a handful of clean runs posted over the course of the weekend, a rare distinction since Open Canoes are long and it takes significant skill to navigate them through the slalom course at all, not to mention the difficulty of passing through each gate without tapping (or whacking) one. Among those competitors who managed at least one clean run were Carole Westwood, Adrian Nye, Dooley Tobras, and even the C2 team of Andrew Westwood and Paul Mason, among others. Course designer David Simpson also posted a clean time on Sunday morning, much to his relief. “It would be a sad state of affairs if the course designer couldn’t clean his own course,” he said.

The location of next year’s Open Canoe Nationals has yet to be determined, but one thing is clear, this dedicated group of paddlers will make the long drive, canoe trailers in tow, ready to give it their all, once again, for that so-often-elusive clean run.


View Full Results here:

Day 1 Slalom Final

Day 2 Slalom Final

Day 3 Slalom Final

Guest Appreciation Festival 2012: Recap

Cascades, Cascades, Cascades
Some paddlers described it as pure chaos, or even a circus, but the Cascades release was definitely one of the biggest highlights during GAF weekend.  Providing entertainment, personal "first D’s" and what seemed like endless whitewater laps for some, the Cascades were on a-whole-'nother level this weekend.

Hunt Jennings (Yellow) and Matt Anger (Blue) during one of their thirty laps down the Cascades

Being the first recreational release for the Upper Nantahala and Cascades, this past weekend felt like Christmas for many. Boaters came from all over the region to paddle this section of river that is usually dependent on rain fall.

Many of you have requested the photos and video from the release so here they are! To find your photo click here and enjoy!

On Saturday night, The Pourover Pub hosted everyone to watch the Carnage Video from the Saturday release. If you happened to miss it, you can witness some of the chaos for yourself here:

NOC would like to thank everyone who helped with the safety of both spectators and paddlers on the Upper and Cascades during the event. With the extra efforts put in by many, the majority of the release went very smoothly.

Mini Music Festival
With 5 bands performing at GAF, NOC campus felt like a mini music festival!  From mid-afternoon to the wee hours of the night, guests were dancing on the banks of the Nantahala River. The bands fueled the crowd for hours resulting in smiles, laughs and very unique dance moves.

After the live music, the GAF attendees took over the stage during the Ride Garden Dance Party. After a day full of paddling it's amazing so many folks had multiple hours of dancing in them!

And of Course, The Gear Sale
With the combined 30 vendors, 15 private vendors and the Outfitter's Store sales, there were TONS of great deals from this weekend.  If you were looking for boats, gear, or accessories, hopefully you found it in the Marketplace.

The Marketplace was buzzing with energy during GAF.  The atmosphere was full of guests interacting and sharing memories, stories and advice.  It was a great chance to learn about folks interested in similar activities and meet some all around good people!

Take a look at some scenes from GAF 2012 here:

These are just a few highlights from GAF 2012, some others include: learning from Steve Longnecker's birds of prey, wilderness fire starting clinics, stories from Ms. Connie Regan-Blake and much more.  Let us know what you liked the most! GAF 2013 is just around the bend.

Band and Brew Line Up: NOCtoberfest 2012

To get in the spirit of NOCtoberfest, The Pourover Pub is featuring German food and drink specials every weekend in October.  Although we are running short on steins and liederhosen, the pub will have the essentials: beer and brats!

Every weekend, The Pourover Pub will serve Bratwurst and Reuben specials.  Don't miss out on the delicious Germanic fare! After you are finished eating, you can wash your meal down with a festive German brew. Try a dark Heffeweisen from Weihenstephaner, Maisel's Weisse, or for those who prefer a lighter, easy-drinking beer, a lager from Bitburger.

Enjoy a beer on the banks of the Nantahala River

Live Music at The Pourover Pub in October:

October 12th: Rick Rushing & The Blues Strangers - Chattanooga, TN - Blues Reggae

October 13th: Ogya - Chattanooga, TN - Reggae

October 19th: Total War - Asheville, NC - Pop Alternative

October 20th: Freight Hoppers - Bryson City, NC - Old-Time String Band

October 26th: Lumbar 5 -Chattanooga, TN - Soul Fusion

October 27th: Being the final weekend of NOCtoberfest, Natti Love Joys will be featured as the last (certainly not least) band of the season.  With an upbeat reggae ska sound, these guys will definitely keep you up on your feet dancing along.  Don't forget about all of the other activities during this final weekend though: the Great Pumpkin Pursuit, Flint Ridge Fall Trail Run, costume contest and pumpkin decorating!

Continue Your Endless Summer

If you have been to the Nantahala River outpost within the past few years, I hope you hung around long enough to unwind and relax at NOC's Pourover.  Opening in 2009, The Pourover celebrated its third anniversary this summer, and for the past eight weeks the Pub has hosted a band every Friday and Saturday evening. The "Pub" also holds a different beer tasting every Saturday from 5pm-7pm, often featuring North Carolina microbrews. By hosting two bands and a beer tasting every weekend, the Pub gives visitors who are in town for the day, or perhaps the weekend, a venue to continue their fun into the night alongside the river.

Grand Opening in 2009

The Pub is a perfect venue to highlight local talent. "It is great exposure for local breweries looking to reach new customers and bands to make new fans," said Emily Michaels, Manager of The Pourover.  Offering food, drinks, live music, and riverside dancing, The Pourover is not only a local favorite, but also a reason to make your visit last for more than just a day trip. 

"This has been a busy summer for the Pourover Pub.  The biggest event of the summer at the Pub was definitely our 3rd anniversary celebration." Showcasing 5 different breweries including Bells Brewery, Stone Brewing Co., 21st Amendment Brewing Co., New Holland Brewing Co., and Left Hand Brewing Co., the Pub catered to over 200 guests. With its "uniquie location, fun atmosphere and sense of community," the Pub is always a place to go for a good time on the Nantahala River banks.

A favorite Pourover , Smoky's Farmland Band, playing at the Pub

Looking Ahead

With Fall right around the corner, Emily is very excited to start serving more seasonal beverages.  Along with beer tastings every weekend in August, The Pub has three larger events to look forward to later this fall.  The Pub will host two bands during the World Cup Finals (Sept. 7-9). Additionally, "GAF," the Guest Appreciation Festival, (Sept 28-30) and NOCtoberfest (October) are NOC's most popular events in the fall.  GAF brings vendors and guests together for a multi-act music festival filled with food, paddling and great deals on gear.  NOCtoberfest lasts more than one weekend, there will be various events every weekend, each one being different from the last. Events include raft races, relays and the popular Great Pumpkin Pursuit through Nantahala Falls that will be sure to leave guests thirsty and looking to unwind at the Pub afterwards.

Beer Tasting with French Broad Brewery

For more details and information on upcoming events, please visit The Pourover Pub's webpage!

Reggae by the River, this Saturday Night

This Saturday August 15, NOC welcomes Tennessee-based reggae group Natti Love Joys to The Pourover, beginning at 8pm, part of our Reggae by the River event. Show up early and enjoy an authentic jerk chicken plate served at The Pourover, then get ready to dance and enjoy a great night of music by the river.

The Natti Love Joys are well known throughout the Southeast, playing jazz festivals and events from Atlanta to Nashville and beyond. Led by husband/wife duo Jati and Maria Allen, they entertain crowds with familiar reggae favorites as well as originals with diverse roots. The group also hosts two summer events on their property near Ducktown, TN (yep, the Ocoee) called Camp Reggae, where musicians converge to play and enjoy the beautiful mountain backdrop. Here is a review of their music from their MySpace page.

"...With roots that stem from the legendary greats such as Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals and Jimmy Cliff, the sound of The Natti Love Joys is a dynamic blend of reggae, modern rhythm and blues, drum and bass, hip hop, and various forms of jazz. This creative style of music gives way to a unique, one of a kind sound that captivates and amazes its crowd show after show."

Stop by the NOC Outfitter's Store, where you'll find special sales on green, yellow and red kayaking gear by Sweet, Shred Ready and Werner. Nowhere else in western North Carolina can you enjoy Reggae by the River!

The Frieght Hoppers to Play The Pourover

With two top-twenty Billboard Americana albums and a performance on "A Prairie Home Companion" under thier belts, the Freight Hoppers are one of the most popular old-time string instrument bands anywhere. Come hear them play at The Pourover beside the banks of the beautiful Nantahala River Saturday, July 18th at Nantahala Outdoor Center. This will be the band's last local show before going on a national tour, so don't miss it!


Hear the Frieght Hoppers here.

Brushfire Stankgrass at The Pourover

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

We couldn't have asked for nicer days here at NOC. Temperatures have more closely resembled June, with warm days and cool evenings. Gotta love being in the mountains!


Speaking of how good it is to be here, we were treated to an awesome show last evening by Asheville's own Brushfire Stankgrass at The Pourover. Ever though you'd hear a bluegrass rendition of "Billy Jean"? Me neither, but it was awesome! The best part was hearing songs about sitting by the river, since we were all relaxing right beside the Nantahala.


If you're still in town, our Sizzling Sales Days are off and running, with big deals across the store. There are raft trips, ropes course samplers, lake tours and kayaking clinics going on as we speak. Best of all, the Big Wesser Grill is fired up! We hope you'll stop by and see us this weekend.

If you can't make it, join us in a month, when we'll host the second-annual NOC/Dagger Freestyle Shootout, a kayaking rodeo with $10,000 in prizes, a DJ and much more. Have a safe and happy weekend, everyone!

Pourover Grand Opening Re-Cap

Hey Party People!

If you missed the Grand Opening Celebration of NOC's Pourover, you missed an awesome time! Just as the sun began to set over the Nanty Gorge, our friends from Highland Brewing, French Broad Brewery and Star Hill Brewery set up on the brand-new riverside deck, offering ample samples of their best brews.


A few hundred people turned out to enjoy the event on the shore of the Nantahala River. When the sun went down, the crowd was treated to some rockin' music by Asheville's own, The Trainwreks. The new deck at the Pourover proved big enough to accommodate those enjoying a beer as well as a nice-sized dancing floor, which we of course put to good use.


Personally, I'm super psyched that the Pourover is now open. It's a perfect fit here at NOC, a great way to end an active day, and perhaps the best open-air bar west of Asheville. You can check out all the photos from the event by clicking here.

Want to visit? The Pourover opens at 5pm every Wednesday through Saturday for the remainder of the summer. As part of the Sizzling 4th of July Sales Days, the Pourover will host musical act Brushfire Stankgrass of Asheville on Friday, July 3. We hope to see you there!

The Pourover's Grand Opening Celebration Saturday Night

So, here's the scoop. There's a beer tasting starting at 6pm featuring French Broad Brewing Company, Highland Brewing Company and Starr Hill Brewery. Not only will you get to sample some cool beers (my favorites from each: Altbier, St. Terese's Pale Ale, Jomo Lager), but there's probably going to be a bunch of schwag too.

Also, the Outfitter's Store is offering shoppers a free NOC pint glass with any $25 purchase between 6-8pm on Saturday, so you can even go shop for some sandals or a backpack while you're here and get a souvenir.

Then at 8pm is the main event, The Trainwreks, WNC's favorite Alt/Country band. This won't be background music; it's going to be a hard-driving, hoop-and-holler kind of thing, so leave your sport jackets and bow ties at home. You can check out The Trainwreks' sound here.

If you're tired of hot, stuffy summer shows, this one will be right beside the Nantahala. The deck is covered, so don't worry about weather, but otherwise open.

See you there!

The Trainwreks Booked for The Pourover Pub's Grand Opening Celebration

The Asheville-based Trainwreks are booked for The Pourover Pub's Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, June 20th. The band, known for its unique "dirty-tonk" style of music consisting of rock, country and pyschobilly elements has been voted "Number One Alt-Country Band in western North Carolina" by Mountain Xpress readers two years in a row. Check out some of their rollicking tunes at the band's Myspace site:

http://www.myspace.com/thetrainwreks

It's gonna be an awesome evening!

The Pourover Pub Update

The expansion of the Slow Joe's Cafe deck is almost complete. The building is entirely framed in, and it should easily make the Memorial Day opening weekend. The new seating area belongs to both Slow Joe's Cafe, NOC's daytime snack bar, and The Pourover Pub our newest evening and nightspot, offering up to 150 guests seats beside the Nantahala River. A grand opening celebration is in the works, tentatively scheduled for June 20 (giving us folks in marketing time to get the event together). There will be live music, beer tasting and giveaways, so mark your calendars now!