There must be something about extreme racing and inclement weather, because today during the Pine Creek Boater X it was no different. The temperature dipped down into the lower 40’s with wind gusts of 50-60 mph and snowflakes were seen briefly at times. At one point during the race a deer was spotted by spectators looking down from the mountaintop almost as if to say “what the hell are you doing?”

Once again Colorado high water was omnipresent and the spectators were hungry for some carnage, and what they got was exactly that. The famous Pine Creek Hole dished out its fair share of beat downs to those just barely off line, including yours truly. I personally flipped on the boily eddy line just above the hole and then proceeded to drop into an inverted kick flip and a recirc before the hole allowed me to escape its grip. Some were as fortunate as I was and some, well… some got a taste of the “Hungry, Hungry Hippo Hole,” aptly named by Corey Volt our shrewd emcee.

Twenty-six brave competitors met for the competitors meeting where rules, awareness and safety were discussed. Such musings that were overheard when the group gathered included Andrew Holcombe asking safety crew not to throw a rope to him if he swims, “or at least wait until he looks like he knows where he is.” Another would have been Jared Seiler who said, “Viva la running the s@#t!” These events bring along with them a particular machismo that is unlike any other event I have seen, and a sublteness of apprehension. Even the ladies including Eleanor Perry and Adrienne Levenecht were seen fist pumping or cussing and spitting if not nailing their lines.

The competition started as individuals did time trial runs vying for the top 16 spots in the head-to-head races. Though there was no jockeying for position, Pine Creek Hole still provided some disgustingly awesome entertainment. Rick Franken, owner and operator of Bomber Gear, was seen looping his Blisstick Mystic flawlessly, though unintentionally. Andrew Holcombe got his licks in; though he made his hole ride actually look like a scored rodeo ride.

The top 16 were then split into heats of four. The first Boater X heat saw clean runs through the hole as Bryan Kirk was dominating the field but had a bad case of Déjà vu from last year as he got surfed on the eddy line from hell at the finish line. Dave Fusilli and Tommy Yon moved onto the next round as a result.

The second heat saw a 30 second side surf, to wathunk, to beat down, to badly carped rolls and epic swim. It is personally my favorite freestyle move to date.

Jason Beakes may dominate many races he competes in, however the hole had complete dominance over him as I actually saw his race bib pulled over his head, maybe shielding the sight he was about to experience. He was the only unfortunate victim from the 3rd heat as the remaining field of competitors slipped past.

The final heat executed their runs well which made for a pretty boring heat. No worries, the top two from the final heat, Jeff Calhoun and Brian Jennings would get their taste of getting schooled

In fact, the very next heat the first of the semi’s they were schooled by Dave Fusilli and Tommy Yon as Brian got flipped and briefly trashed and Jeff got absolutely murdered by the hole. His one saving grace though was the fist pump he gave after he exited the hole swimming..

The next semi’s heat was pretty uneventful though the “Hungry, Hungry Hippo Hole” nearly got a taste of Shane Benedict. Whew, close call! We would really hate to see a paddling legend take a merciless beating and have to swim in front of so many who look up to him.

But what it all really came down to was the final heat. People who were there to witness what ensued will sure to be talking about this one for the next year. And as a result, we currently do not have a champion until Saturday night, it was that close… and yes, brutal. The Final’s consisted of Jared Seiler, Dave Fusilli, Tommy Yon and Evan Howard. Corey Volt made his predictions, it would be Tommy Yon swimming out of the hole, Dave Fusilli in third, Evan Howard in second and Jared Seiler in first. He only had one part of that prediction correct.

The line up approaching the “Hungry Hippo Hole” was Jared Seiler, Tommy Yon, Evan Howard and Dave Fusilli respectively. Jared Seiler and Tommy Yon were both directly on line to hit the meat of the hole, Jared was instantaneously back endered into a surf and Tommy shot directly underneath him (yellow then green boat in video) and out through the back of the hole. Evan and Dave both got a little tangled with the mess but Evan made it through well. It was now a mad dash to the finish where Tommy Yon and Evan Howard hit shore at nearly the same time with Dave coming in at third. Jared unfortunately took his licks and came out swimming. All of this being exactly what you want to see in the finals for a Boater X of this magnitude.

The judges are currently reviewing the video to determine a winner, which will be announced Saturday night, stay tuned. Meanwhile, enjoy some of this eye candy.

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