North Fork Championship cancelled in 2023, and possibly forever

The North Fork Championship is an extreme kayaking race that brings the best paddlers in the world to Idaho to take Jacob's Ladder on the North Fork of the Payette River.

[bigwheelsturning]

Rob Lesser pulled my butt out of the North Fork in 1989. We were both much younger men then.

[seanbaskett]

When insurance companies can force entire prestigious events to disappear, it's indicative of how ridiculous of a direction our country is heading in. It's personal to me, as I live in the town that this river gave its name to. It's like being told you can no longer have family reunions with more than 8 people.

[cherieunger]

That would be a shame 😢if it doesn’t return.

[squid_fish]

C’mon ACA 😢 so sad to see the demise of these Creek races

[matthewwss]

Dissolve our relationship the ACA if they refuse to support kayaking events. We need support and results, not excuses.

[cheskybaba]

It's not the racers themselves, but the spectators lining the river banks down to the river, on rocks and such that surely scare any insurance company or event organizer. Crowd control would definitely need to be done. I can see them erecting temporary fencing along the road, but then the shut down of the traffic becomes another hassle.

[epincion]

Its a problem not unique to WW kayaking but to any organised sport comp in the US and also the reason many landowners shut down access to a river or rock face (for climbers) on their land as they may be liable if something goes wrong. In the hyper-legal US of today unless every possible risk is covered by insurance then you would be insane to hold a comp.

[matthowarth]

I thought the Forest Service cancelled it because of the oil slick the kayakers left on the river!

[jonathanrush]

It's such a shame that everything in this world comes down to money.

[knaz]

Insurance companies suck ... seriously how dumb. They should crowd fund this somehow.

[cbrvench]

The kayak, canoe, paddling community is big in the NW. Wont these insurance companies understand that?

[dwork]

Distance yourself from the ACA, crowd fund and put on the show. Time for the middle finger for these insurance companies.

[strangedays]

If it isn't one fucking thing it's another. Everyone legally has military grade weapons but watch out for that evil river.