The future of kayaking is in Whitewater Racing, and Reel Rooster Productions is leading the way into the future with a cup circuit consisting of races on three of British Columbia's top creeks. Unhappy with the easy kayak races designed for freestyle kayakers, RRP decided to make a race that challenges the “creek” kayaker with continuos whitewater and large waterfalls. And the Whistler Creek Cup was born.

NEW FOR 2006:

The 2006 race will include a party on the evening of Friday, July 21st at the Cheakamus River.

WHEN

July 21, 22, 23 2006

View Directions to the three rivers

1. THE UPPER CHEAKAMUS RIVER
   
   Directions from Whistler : Head South on Highway 99 toward Squamish. At about five minutes south of Whistler Creekside, turn left at the Function Junction intersection/light. The Cheakamus River bridge is located less than one kilometer from this intersection, and the race center (House Rock Day-Use Area (near the bridge)) is the finish-line.
   
   Directions for Spectators : The Upper Cheakamus has easy access for spectators, with great trails on either side of the river. The House Rock Day-Use area is the race Finish Line as well as the Race Center. The race start / put-in is approximately 3 Km upstream from House Rock, on the same side of the river (river left). Some notable spots for spectators are the Finish Line, under the suspension bridge at “Down-Under” and just downstream of the suspension bridge at the rapid “Triple Drop”.
   
   
2. THE SOO RIVER
   
   Directions from Whistler: Head North on Highway 99 toward Pemberton. At about half-way (20km) from Whistler, the Motocross Track will be on your right hand side and the Soo River on the left. The Race Center is directly across the highway from the motocross track. Spectators are recommended to watch all the action at the Finish Line and will see the most difficult rapid on the Soo River, “Lovelace”.
   
   To get to the Finish Line from the Race Center, head back towards Whistler 0.5 kilometers and look for a marked trail on the river-side (right side). A five minute walk from the highway will take you close to the river and to “Lovelace” rapid.
   
   To get to the Start from the Race Center, head back towards Whistler approximately 2.5 kilometers, and look for a marked road on the river-side (right side). A three minute walk from the end of this dirt road will bring you to the Start.
   
   
3. CALLAGHAN CREEK
   
   Directions from Whistler: Head South on Highway 99 toward Squamish. At about 10 minutes south of Whistler Creekside, there will be a bridge over the Callaghan Creek. The Race Center is at the bridge on the south (river right) side of the creek. Spectators are recommended to watch the action at “The Waterfalls” section of Callaghan, which is the Race Start and has two waterfalls up to 30 feet.
   
   To get to the Start from the Race Center, head back towards whistler 0.5 kilometers and turn left onto Callaghan East Forest Service Road. Continue up this road for 4 kilometers, and turn left onto another dirt road. Turn left at the first intersection, then at the second intersection turn right to get to the kayak put-in and stay left to get to the WaterFalls Trail and Race Start. A 10-15 minute hike along the trail from the log-landing will bring you to the river and the waterfalls.
   
   To get to the Finish from the Race Center, head up the south-side (river right) Callaghan West Forest Service Road for approximately 3 kilometers. The trail to the Finish Line is on the right hand side and takes about 15 minutes to reach the river.

Registration Fee is $20 for all three races, with $10 of the fees going to the overall race winner. For insurance reasons, competitors must also be members of the Whitewater Kayaking Association of BC. Memberships to the WKABC can be purchased at the race for approximately $20.

Press Releases

2006 race- all media welcome

2005 race

This year's Whistler Creek Cup was developed to showcase British Columbia's rivers to the public, and highlight the threat to those rivers from the 400 current diversion dams applied for in BC.  “I'm extremely pleased how this year's event turned out," says Braden Fandrich, organizer of the event.  "Although there wasn't much of a difference in the number of competitors this year from last year, there was an even higher quality of athlete who attended this year's event."

This year saw 20 expert paddlers from across Canada, the US, Germany, the Czech Republic, and NewZealand, all battling it out on three class V creeks: the Upper Cheakamus, the Soo River, and Callaghan Creek.  It was a very close race over the three days; on each river, the difference between the first-place times and last-place times (over each ten minute race) was less than a minute. According to Brett Eyben, a Whistler rafting guide and On-River Safety-Specialist for the event, "There were no injuries, no workings, and no carnage.  Watching the final race on Callaghan Creek was really exciting having the kayakers race over the two waterfalls."

“I'm hoping next year's event to continue to grow in the same direction as it did this year.  It was great seeing all of the international kayakers at this year's event," say's Fandrich, “For me, the highlight was the final race on day three. It was incredible racing over the 25 foot waterfall with all of the spectators lining the banks cheering.”

The third annual Whistler Creek Cup is scheduled for July 21,22,23, 2006.

Results for overall top 5 racers, based on the 3 races:

1.Braden Fandrich, Lytton BC
2.Lochie Mackenzie, Vernon BC
3. Corey Boux, Whistler BC
4.Mikkel St. Jean-Duncan, Nelson BC
5. Paul Button, New Zealand

2004 Race

The Inaugural Whistler Creek Cup was on July 23-25, 2004, and was a huge success for both the organizers and competitors and spectators. With 22 highly skilled competitors from BC and Canada, the USA, New Zealand, and Scotland, plus great water-levels, the first-ever event exceeded expectations.