RallyCrew’s Whitewater Events Recap
Here on RallyCrew’s Whitewater Events Recap page, you can find all the details about gatherings, competitions, and community moments from across the paddling world. Explore races, festivals, meet-ups, and grassroots events that connect paddlers on and off the water, so you can plan to attend next year!
You’ll find updates on:
Whitewater races and competitions
Festivals, film tours, and community gatherings
Local meet-ups, club paddles, and stoke floats
River clean-ups and stewardship events
Access initiatives and advocacy gatherings
Paddling events happening around the world
All in one place, so you can discover what’s happening near you.
Hosting an Event?
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Together, we can bring the paddling community together—on the water and beyond.
All the details about whitewater gatherings, competitions, and community events from across the paddling world.
CONTENTS
APR 4, 2026 - Collegiate Whitewater Fest (Index, Washington)
MAY 8-10, 2026 - Boss of Valsesia (Valsesia, Italy)
MAY 8-10, 2026
Boss of Valsesia: A First-Year Event That Already Feels Like Tradition
It’s hard to believe Boss of Valsesia was a first-year event. The valley has hosted races, festivals, and paddling gatherings before, but reviving energy and community stoke around a new event is no small thing. Even more impressive was how naturally the whole weekend felt woven into the spring paddling culture of the valley to make it feel like something that has already been part of the whitewater calendar for years.
On Saturday morning, racers gathered on the banks of the Sesia River for the qualifying race, with more than 100 brightly colored kayaks stacked beneath an ancient stone bridge just outside the village of Pila. The scene felt equal parts grassroots river gathering and full-blown race weekend. Water levels were low, making clean lines technical and unforgiving, but the energy at the start line more than made up for it. Ben Campbell from Level Six Europe herded paddlers into a sort of start line before sending everyone charging downstream in a chaotic mass start that rewarded smart line choices, boat control, and perhaps most of all, endurance.
After qualifiers wrapped up, Jaws hosted a packraft race that brought a lighter, playful energy to the afternoon and gave the kayakers a short breather before finals. Soon enough, attention shifted back to the main event as finalists headed into the Sermenza Gorges, where the racing stepped up another level. The tighter channels and more technical water made for an exciting finish to the weekend and kept spectators posted up along the gorge walls cheering racers through. Waiting for their turn to race, paddlers spread out along the riverbanks, swapping stories, scouting lines, and watching friends battle their way through the shallow technical sections. Spectators and locals gathered on rocks and bridges throughout the course, giving the whole event the feeling of a proper community river festival rather than just a competition.
RACE RESULTS
SENIOR MEN
Michele Ramazza (add him as a friend on RallyCrew!) – 3:34.95 (Bib 36)
Paul Aubertin – 3:35.71 (Bib 69)
Marinus Bauer – 3:37.04 (Bib 33)
Daniel Klotzner – 3:38.59 (Bib 13)
Ignacio Bakovic – 3:39.77 (Bib 26)
Thomas Waldner – 3:40.12 (Bib 45)
Jan Choutka – 3:41.30 (Bib 27)
Fabian Sieder – 3:41.41 (Bib 21)
Yoran Jacobs – 3:41.46 (Bib 52)
Mael Nguyen – 3:41.65 (Bib 32)
SENIOR WOMEN
Marisa Kaup – 3:47.00 (Bib 61)
Amber Malsen (add her too!) – 3:49.62 (Bib 55)
Laura Fontaine – 3:52.36 (Bib 60)
Nouria Newman – 3:53.50 (Bib 63)
Pavlina Kodadova – 3:54.01 (Bib 64)
Lucie Součková – 3:54.23 (Bib 58)
Flurina Fischer – 4:06.24 (Bib 59)
Louise Grigny – 4:07.58 (Bib 103)
Chiara Durigon – 4:09.33 (Bib 56)
Christine Richter – 4:09.59 (Bib 57)
UNDER 21
Stefano Baroili (find him on RallyCrew!) – 3:38.24 (Bib 5)
Luca Liuzzo – 3:44.60 (Bib 1)
Nils Biermans – 3:45.26 (Bib 4)
Mattia Depicolzuane – 3:48.69 (Bib 3)
Luca Zint – 3:56.84 (Bib 2)
As the sun dropped behind the valley walls, the event shifted from race mode into celebration. Boss Kayak hosted the afterparty at their shop with food, beer, live music, vendor tents, podiums, and a DJ spinning late into the evening. Even after a full day on the water, there was still plenty of energy left in the crowd, a healthy mix of racers, paddlers, locals, brand reps and river friends.
On Sunday, the weekend wrapped up with a more relaxed community session as RallyCrew and Boss Kayak hosted a Stoke Float on the Sesia River with Nouria Newman. More than 30 paddlers joined the float, bringing together different skill levels, crews, and countries for a fun morning on the water. After a full weekend of racing, it was a great reminder that events like Boss of Valsesia are just as much about community as competition. There were plenty of smiles at the take-out, and photographer Marco Montori (thanks Marco!) captured the whole lap, chasing the paddlers down the river.
Huge thanks to Boss Kayak, Monrosa Rafting, Jaws, Level Six Europe, and everyone else who helped make the first Boss of Valsesia happen!
More details, rankings, and event coverage can be found on the Boss of Valsesia Instagram and the Boss Kayak event page on RallyCrew.
APR 4, 2026
Collegiate Whitewater Fest: A Heartbeat of the Whitewater Community
INDEX, WASHINGTON
I went to Collegiate Whitewater Fest in Index, Washington this past weekend and I can’t stop thinking about it.
Not just because it was fun. Not just because it was inspiring. But because of the feeling that stitched the whole weekend together. The kind of feeling that’s hard to describe, but really easy to recognize when you’re in it.
There’s a ton of heart poured into that event. You can feel it in the way it’s organized, in the way people show up, in the way the whole thing seems to orbit around lifting each other up. It’s not just a festival. It’s people actively trying to build something for the next generation of paddlers.
And it works.
What stood out the most to me was how open everything felt. It wasn’t disjointed. It wasn’t people sticking to their own schools or their own circles. People were walking around introducing themselves, talking to strangers, making new connections without overthinking it.
And it showed up in the small stuff too. Helping each other set up tents and tables on vendor row. People stepping up to volunteer as safety boaters, to help run shuttles, to cheer from the banks. Racers, organizers, spectators. Everyone pitching in.
That’s not the case at every event. So it’s noticeable.
Being there representing RallyCrew felt like a really natural fit. Yeah, it was great getting to introduce people to the platform. But honestly, it was just as much about me getting to rally my own crew. Meeting people I genuinely want to paddle with. People I hope to run into on rivers, at future festivals, at random takeouts somewhere down the line.
People I want to stay connected to.
There was one moment that keeps replaying for me. Sitting around a campfire with a bunch of college paddlers. They were singing, talking about their plans, sharing stories from the weekend, hyping each other up. You could feel how connected they were. How naturally that sense of community just existed for them.
It felt simple. In the best way.
And it also felt like something that can slip away if you’re not paying attention. The older we get, the easier it is to fall into smaller circles. Into routines. Into only paddling with the same few people, only reaching out when it’s convenient, only showing up halfway because life gets full.
That openness takes more intention over time.
That’s a big part of what I hope RallyCrew can hold onto and help grow. Not just the big moments like festivals, but everything in between.
The conversations that keep going on event discussion boards after everyone goes home. The groups that form out of crews who met for the first time at a festival and decide to keep paddling together. The gear developers you meet on vendor row who suddenly feel like real people, and then later, when you’re actually thinking about a new boat or piece of gear, you can just message them directly. The professional paddlers who used to feel out of reach, but after meeting them in person, feel human. And now you can follow along with the geekier side of their whitewater life. Not just the big boof shots that impress everyone else, but the process behind it.
That’s the good stuff. Those in-between moments are where a lot of this actually happens.
If you’re on RallyCrew, poke around the paddlers section. Use the filters. Find people who seem interesting, or who might know something you don’t, or who are paddling somewhere you’ve been curious about. Send a request. Start a conversation.
That’s the whole point. Not just showing up for the big events, but staying connected in the spaces between them.
See you in the eddy.
- Justin
Chief Connector at RallyCrew
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