Get Set for GAF: Events Line-Up

This year's Guest Appreciation Festival (GAF) features more stuff than we can fit in one blog post. So stay tuned over the next two weeks for special sneak peeks at sale items, pre-GAF contests, park and shuttle information and all the details you'll need to make your GAF visit a success.

GAF 2009 Satruday Event Line-Up
In addition to GAF mainstays like the NOC Used Gear Sale, the Gear Marketplace and Outfitter's Store Sidewalk Sale, Saturday September 26 features an entire day's worth of games and contests. Stick around and enjoy the best fall festival.

Subaru Sumo Thunder Challenge
10am-5:30pm
Subaru sanctions the popular Sumo Thunder Challenge, in front of the Outfitter's Store. Last year, our bracket system pitted two fierce competitors in a head-to-head race (in the sumo suit) toward a kayak, which the winner got to take home.

ShredReady/IR Pumpkin Pursuit
11:30am
Remember the Headhunter race at the Ocoee? Spencer Cooke will be throwing numbered pumpkins into Nantahala Falls, and contestant boaters will be scrambling to retrieve as many as possible. At Saturday's Woody Pines show, we'll award prizes to the collecters of randomly-drawn numbers.

Dagger Old School Rodeo
12pm-1pm
Dagger's Anna Levesque and Adam Moates judge the old-school rodeo at the bottom of Nanty Falls. Old boats, old tricks.

LiquidLogic Giant Slalom
1:30pm-2:30pm
LiquidLogic's Woody Calloway will officiate this slalom race, beginning at the boater take out just upriver from Slow Joe's Cafe. Course ends with a splash through the wave and an eddy just above the old steel bridge. Participants rochambeau for prizes.

Jackson Big Trick Competition
3pm-4pm
International Whitewater Hall of Famer and founder of Jackson Kayak Eric Jackson hosts the Big Trick Competition at the Outfitter's Store wave.

Pyranha Head-to-Head Speeder Challenge
4:30pm-5:30pm
Pyranha brings you a Boater-X style race from the NOC beach to just above the old steel bridge, all in Pyranha's boats.

Video Premieres
Head to the Rafting Center around 4pm for the kayaking cinema, where we'll feature world premieres from Lunch Video Magazine and EffortTV. We'll also roll out the NOC/Dagger Freestyle Shootout 09 world premier and the IWHOF 2009 Inductee video.

Wacky Wild Ride Booth - All day
Take a ducky over Big Wesser Falls, or at least look like you did! Our Photo Finish will have a Wacky Wild Ride booth set up with a green screen, for creative ducky riding photos. Photo sessions are free, and images are available for purchase online. The Wacky Wild Ride Booth will be set up in front of the Photo Finish building, on river left.

Rafting and Paddling
Don't forget that all weekend long, whitewater rafting and paddlers' shuttles will run from NOC to the put-in. Take advantage of rafting and paddling now, because Duke turns off the water on the Nantahala on October 5 for winter maintenance.

Games and Clinics
Set up across NOC are games and clinics that anyone can participate in all weekend long. We'll have the cornhole toss game, climbing wall and slide, fishing programs, water cannon battles, a bouncy house, foamy boat building and racing, throw bag clinics and much more.

Other Competitions - Details coming soon!
We're still working out details on these events, but bet that they'll be lots of fun. I mean, who doesn't want to watch a kayak go through a chipper?

Cash for Clunkers Canoe Return Program
LiquidLogic Boat Recycling
Crowded Canoe Challenge
Attainment Races
American Whitewater Raffle

Flashback: GAF 2008 Images

This happy shopper made off with a sweet Zoom.

The crowd at the Gear Marketplace, now on River Right.

The rochambeau for a LiquidLogic kayak.

The Outfitter's Store Sidewalk Sale

International Whitewater Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, September 26 at NOC

Part of this year's GAF celebration will include the International Whitewater Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held for the second year at Nanahala Outdoor Center. The hall of fame, otherwise known as IWHOF will host a series of events in conjunction with the induction ceremony on Saturday, September 26. All guests who will be visiting NOC for our annual Guest Appreciation Festival are welcome to attend these special events with whitewater legends.

Here is the tentative schedule of events:

9:30am - Commemorative Nantahala '90 Project RAFT Trip
IWHOF Honoree and NOC founder Payson Kennedy will guide this trip on the Nantahala River, in commemoration of Project RAFT's Nantahala '90 trip. Project RAFT was initiated by American and Russian whitewater raft experts who wanted to create an event to overcome the political animosity between these two countries. First held in Siberia in 1989, Project RAFT next moved to the Nantahala River in 1990. Participating in this year's commemorative trip are IWHOF Honoree Rafael Gallo, who represented Costa Rica at Nantahala '90, and Andrey and Svetlana Kolchevnikov, the son and widow of IWHOF Honoree and Project RAFT founder Mikhail Kolchevnikov.

The commemorative raft trip is open to the public. The trip will me at NOC's Rafting Center at 9am, with a 9:30 shuttle to the Nantahala put-in.

a shot from the Nantahala '90 raft rally

12:30pm - Lunch with IWHOF Honorees
Following the river trip, IWHOF honorees will hold a meet-and-greet lunch at Slow Joe's Cafe. Again, this event is open to the public. During lunch, a slide slow of the 1989 Chuya Rally and Nantahala '90 Rally will be shown on the TVs at Slow Joe's deck area.

5:00pm - IWHOF Induction Ceremony
Tickets are available for this event, held at Relia's Garden Restaurant, by calling NOC (800-232-7238) or through our online reservation system. The ceremony begins at 5pm with a reception, followed by a showing of the 2009 Honoree DVD at 6pm. A formal dinner begins at 7pm, concluding with awards, speeches and remarks.

For more information, visit the International Whitewater Hall of Fame website by clicking here. You can also check out the 2009 inductee biographies and professional accomplishments.

Another Nantahala '90 image. Why wouldn't you take along an accordion?!

Spend Labor Day on the Nantahala

The folks at the Asheville Citizen-Times know what's cool this Labor Day weekend—whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River!

Here is a story from today's Cit-Times, talking about Labor Day fun, as well as information on scheduled maintenance to the Nantahala dam. Here's a portion of the article:

NANTAHALA GORGE — If you've been planning a trip down the scenic Nantahala River, this Labor Day weekend is a good time to hop in a boat.

The class II-III river that cuts a picturesque path through the Nantahala Gorge in Graham and Swain counties will slow down to a nonboatable trickle on Oct. 4, about a month earlier than usual so critical maintenance can be performed on the Nantahala Dam.

“What we're trying to do is balance public recreation needs with essential repairs to the generator,” said Fred Alexander, district manager for government and community relations with Duke Energy. “We gave the outfitters months and months of notice so they could come up with different business plans.”

The Nantahala Outdoor Center, the largest whitewater outfitter in the region, based on the banks of the Nantahala west of Bryson City, is planning events like a fly-fishing competition and mountain biking festival Oct. 16-18 to supplement the lack of rafting, said NOC marketing director Charles Conner.

NOC & Gone Riding Announce Tsali Challenge Winners

This year's Tsali Triathlon Challenge was a huge success with 260 participants in all classes throughout the weekend. This year the Tsali Challenge was organized by Nantahala Outdoor Center and GoneRiding, organizers of over 35 trail and mountain bike events in the Southeast.

The Tsali Challenge is a decade old race that brings competitors from all over the South to the beautiful Nantahala Gorge and National Forest. Competitors compete in a mountain style triathlon, a take on the classic triathlon, that includes a 3 mile kayak paddle, a 4 mile trail run, and 12 mile single track mountain bike course.

Special Thanks to Kent at Motion Makers Bikes of Sylva for providing the Prizes, Bicycle Repair and Gear for the event.

This event is not possible without the support of our great partners as well as the support of the community. Thank you to the Swain County Rescue Squad, Smoky Mountain Jetboats, and the Nantahala National Forest Service Cheoah Ranger District.

Congrats to NOC sponsored athletes for taking 2nd in the Women's Team Event; Team NOC Chicks- Maria Noakes, Aaliza Duncan, & Anne Santheimer. A special call out goes to NOC Retail Director Chris Hipgrave, who on Saturday participated in the Lake Lure Triathlon then drove back to Tsali to compete in the Men's Open Race. To top off the weekend Chris paddled for Team V02 Sports who won the overall team event on Sunday! Awesome showing for NOC and a great event for all who participated!

We will have more on the event soon, but please look through the photos and results below for the top finishers.

Preliminary Photos- http://picasaweb.google.com/NOC.Wesser/TSALITriahlonChallenge2009#

2009 TSALI CHALLENGE RESULTS

SATURDAY TOP 3 RESULTS

9am Start

MEN'S MASTERS

1. Dwight Shuler

2. John Halight

3. Stale Horine

OPEN FEMALE

1. Karen Masson

2. Nina Otter

3. Meghan Cox

1pm START

MEN'S OPEN

1. Cory Hall

2. Justin Tucker

3. JP Bevilaqua

Sunday Top 3 Team Results

Men

1. VO2 Sports- CHRIS HIPGRAVE / JUSTIN TUCKER / DAVID FURKNER

2. DIP, DASH & DRIVE- LECKY HALLER / KURT WILSON / BRAD MILLER

3. No Name- ANDY KLUGE / SCOTT LANGFORD / AARON SAFT

CO-ED

1. GO LITE- JAMIE COOK / JULIE RICHARDS / JERIMIAH WIGGINS

2. WEST CARE HEALTH SYSTEMS- SCOTT MCCLESKEY / ALETA MCCLESKEY/ COLIN GROGGIN

3. ALWAYS A GOOD TIME- CURTIS ROWE / HANNAH ROWE / TONY LEDBETTER

WOMEN

1. VELOSPORTS- JAMIE BURNS / REBECCA GRAHAM / JESSICA INGRAM

2. TEAM NOC CHICKS- MARIA NOAKES / AALIZA DUNCAN / ANNE SANTHEIMER

3. 29ER'S- CHRISTY WOODARD / STEPHANIE SMITH / JENNY SMITH

Labor Day Specials at NOC

September 4-7 is the last official weekend of summer, Labor Day Weekend. Come enjoy the outdoors on your three-day weekend with NOC, where we're featuring rafting adventures, live music and specials activities.

To kick things off, our Alpine Tower will be open for seven climbing samplers throughout the weekend:

Friday, Sept. 4 – 5:30pm-7:30pm
Saturday, Sept. 5 – 3pm-5pm
Saturday, Sept. 5 – 5:30pm-7:30pm
Sunday, Sept. 6 – 1pm-3pm
Sunday, Sept. 6 – 3pm-5pm
Sunday, Sept. 6 – 5:30pm-7:30pm
Monday, Sept. 7 — 10am-12pm

Climbers must be at least seven years old and must be wearing close-toed shoes. You can make a reservation for one of these sampler sessions at noc.com or in-person, once you get here at the Wesser General Store.

Another highlight is a special open climbing session on NOC's Ropes Challenge Course, which is typically reserved for visiting groups. The Ropes Challenge Course will be open Monday morning at 9am. Check out some of the unique challenges of the Ropes Course in this video:

Spectator's Guide To the Tsali Challenge Triathlon

Even if you're not up for racing in Tsali's most popular competition, next weekend's Tsali Challenge Triathlon can be a great spectator event. Volunteer to assist your competitor friend, or simply come by to cheer on the athletes. The Tsali Challenge Triathlon is next Saturday and Sunday August 29 and 30.


If you're accompanying an athlete, the first set of races begin Saturday at 9am. That's when the Open Women, Masters Women, Masters Men and Grandmasters classes all start the first leg of the race, the lake paddle. A good friend might keep a backpack handy with extra water, bananas and a spare bike tube, just in case. Athletes typically arrive fully prepared with all of these things, but your extra help could really be a morale booster in those transition zones when the afternoon sun starts to shine down on Tsali, even if it's just some friendly encouraging words.


Spectators can expect to watch the exciting run-to-bike transition of the first race, before heading back down to the lake for the launch of the exciting Men's Open Class, which begins at 1pm. After that, set yourself back up at the run-to-bike transition spot, where you can also watch competitors crossing the finish line.


Tsali Recreation Area remains open to the public, with access to Mouse Branch Loop and Thompson Loop for running or bike riding (non-competitively, of course). So if the race gets boring, just head out one of the other trails!

Map courtesy of the USFS. In this map, Right Loop is blue, Left Loop is green, Mouse Branch Loop is yellow and Thompson Loop is red.

Sunday's team challenge competitors usually don't require assistance, so maybe you want to grab a few office mates and compete. NOC has a long tradition of staff members competing in the Tsali Challenge Triathlon. Pictured below is NOC Guest Relations Manager Leigh (left) along with Tracy and Melanie, the 2002 winning women's team.



Here's Leigh again (center) with her 2003 teammates Kathy and Melanie. This year, Leigh will not be racing, but you and your friends can still register the day of the race. Remember, it's a 3-mile lake paddle, a 5-mile trail run and a 12-mile bike ride. Divvying up the three legs of this race is a fun way to challenge yourself and enjoy a day at Tsali.

For more information, visit noc.com or go to race organizer Gone Riding.

NOC Adventure Travel Unveils Epic New Trip: Whitewater & Medical Relief Volunteerism in the Bolivian Jungle

We're thrilled to bring you news about our Adventure Travel department's newest trip, the Boaters Without Borders Expedition to Bolivia. Next August, the premier trip of Boaters Without Borders, MedicForce and NOC leaves for the Bolivian jungle and the Rio Tuichi, flowing through Madidi National Park and one of South America's largest tracts of protected land.

To give you an idea of what this is all about, I talked with NOC's head of Adventure Travel and SOLO Wilderness Medicine, Jonathon Bryant. He'll be the expedition leader for this trip.

What is Boaters Without Borders?
Basically, the idea is to provide immediate care and long-term training in isolated areas. Specifically, Boaters Without Boarders is a new series of expedition-based adventures offered by NOC in association with medical relief charity MedicForce. These adventures utilize NOC's years of whitewater expertise with medical relief volunteerism in remote riverside communities around the world. BWB expeditions involve a team of kayakers, medical professionals and expert raft guides, exploring unfamiliar rivers and addressing basic medical conditions in communities along the way.

How did this idea come about?
In 2008, I founded MedicForce as a non-profit organization connecting medicial professionals to remote jungle communities in need of medical care and basic first-aid education. The first expedition was to Borneo, in the South Pacific and I just got back from a second trip there. I've also done a motorcycle ride from here in North Carolina to Guatemala, a little reconnaissance mission, really. I know a lot of kayakers here at NOC who are just as fired up to visit these remote places and lend a hand however possible.

How did you decide on Bolivia?
I read this book about a reed raft expedition on a river in Bolivia. They took the raft from the jungle to the ocean, all via the Amazon. The whole story sounded so amazing, so I though "we need to go here!" When I began researching more about Bolivia, I found Sergio Ballivian, the first guy to navigate the Rio Tuichi in 1995. I'm really psyched to be working with Sergio, he's definitely the guru for the river and the area. 2005 was the last descent of the Tuichi, so it should be really exciting. We'll definitely be pushing the boundaries of kayaking, boating and medical outreach. (Check out this awesome article about Sergio's 2001 descent of the Rio Tuichi.)

What's the trip going to be like?
An expedition, full of adventure and the unexpected. We'll be in Bolivia for 21 days, leaving the capital city of La Paz and traveling overland to the Rio Tuichi. We'll float the Tuichi all the way to its confluence with the Rio Beni, stopping in communities along the way to provide care where needed. There will be hiking, light paddling, extreme paddling and everything in between. I absolutely can't wait.
For complete trip information, click here.

Special Presentation this Sunday
This Sunday, August 23 Jono will give a slide presentation about his most recent trip to Borneo at The Pourover, at NOC’s Nantahala River resort beginning at 7pm. The presentation is titled “Headhunters with Toothbrushes," and is free and open to the public. This year, a team of six medical students, a Malaysian doctor, a dentist and one of the US’s leading eye surgeons from Seattle treated 920 patients, pulled 150 teeth, diagnosed 30 cataracts and prescribed over 200 pairs of glasses in the jungle of Borneo.