Vail Recreation District Whitewater Race Series is still on — but will start a week earlier

Despite the 2025-2026 winter season’s historically low snowpack, the Vail Recreation District plans to host its whitewater race series this spring. But the races have been moved up a week.

A March 25 press release indicated the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District Vail Whitewater Race Series will take place on Tuesday evenings from May 5 to June 2 in Vail Village. In an update posted online, however, organizers noted the series will now start on April 28 and finish on May 26.

“We are actively monitoring the water flows in Gore Creek,” the release stated. “We are still planning on a fun and exciting 2026 whitewater series and will update you with any changes throughout spring! Follow the Vail Recreation District on Facebook and Instagram or follow the Vail Whitewater Race Series on Facebook for the most up-to-date information.”

The spring race series is divided into three categories — kayak, stand-up paddleboard and two-person raft — with participants taking on different weekly course challenges. Races start at the Covered Bridge and end at the International Bridge. Each event’s course challenge will be determined on the day of the race based on river flows. The series is open to all paddlers ages 16 and up with intermediate to expert ability. Paddlers must have the skills to run class III whitewater in their chosen craft, the release noted.

Thanks to race sponsor Hyside Inflatables, rafts will be available for two-person raft teams to use for the series. Raft registration is limited.

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“Due to the low snowpack, series registration has been closed for the 2026 season. You can sign up for each race individually,” an update on VailRec.com stated. “If you sign up for all five races and we complete the entire series, we will issue a refund to give you the series price. We will issue refunds for any races that are cancelled.”

Online registration ends at 10 a.m. on race day; day-of registration will only be accepted on a space-available basis. Race-day bib pickup and registration begins at 4 p.m. at the Vail Whitewater Park at International Bridge, and all races begin at 5:30 p.m. All racers must attend the mandatory safety talk and course instructions at 5 p.m. An after-party with awards, raffle and free beer for competitors will take place at different locations around Vail Village after each event.

Last year’s series champions were Meg Dean and Kate Kalamon (women’s raft), John Anicito and Matt Norfleet (men’s raft), Bella Borski (women’s kayak), Jeremiah Williams (men’s kayak and men’s SUP) and Jennifer Hodgkiss (women’s SUP).

In addition to the weekly series, the Minturn Downriver Dash is slated for May 30 at 5 p.m. Kayaks and 2-person raft teams must register for this event separately from the series. Preregistration is highly recommended and online registration ends at 10 a.m. on race day.

For more information on the whitewater races and other events, visit http://www.vailrec.com, call 970-479-2280, or email sports@vailrec.com.