The North Fork Championship will bring the best kayakers back to Idaho next June

BANKS, Idaho An extreme kayaking competition known as the North Fork Championship takes place down the largest rapid on the Payette River’s North Fork. Although the 2023 race was canceled, the 2026 NFC return has been announced.

Working with kayaker Driscoll Larrow, Aaron Pruzan, who owns Rendezvous River Sports and Jackson Hole Kayaking School, has over 30 years of experience paddling the North Fork.

Giving the next generation an opportunity to compete is one of Aaron’s driving forces.

Watch as competitors maneuver through this intense whitewater competition.

“There is so much stoke and energy in the young kayaking community, and they really want this event back,” Pruzan stated. “Just the whole intermountain region has been producing a ton of paddlers right now, and it is going to be fun seeing those guys compete against the best in the world.”

Following Thursday’s announcement of the championship, the excitement was palpable up at Banks and along the North Fork of the Payette River.

For specialists only, the North Fork offers fifteen miles of class five whitewater. Additionally, it’s one of the few rivers in the area with water this late in the summer. Finding someone who made the lengthy journey for this river didn’t take long.

Finnegan Gormley of eastern Massachusetts remarked, “We drove from Massachusetts to Idaho just for this event; it was 50 hours nonstop, and that was a good memory.” “Until the day I die, I look forward to trying to compete each year. “This river is home.”

I am aware that local paddlers who were never given the opportunity to compete, such as Mateo Kowalcyzk and Connor Voorhees, are thrilled about this chance. In 2022, Jennifer Chrimes won the women’s race, while Hayden Voorhees won the men’s.

Insurance was a major role in the cancellation of the North Fork Championship following the 2022 event, among other reasons. In addition, traffic on Highway 55 became congested as the event gained popularity.

Additionally, the celebration stretched beyond the space at Jacob’s Ladder and the awards ceremony in Crouch.

With intentions to have the full event in Valley County, the race will be held in the middle of the week next year, from Tuesday to Thursday. Some of those issues, such as the traffic at Banks, should be resolved, according to the organizers.

“We still need to dot some I’s and cross some T’s on things, but we formed a new non-profit called North Fork Championships Inc.,” Pruzan stated. “It’s an Idaho non-profit, and we have been working closely with Idaho Rivers United.”

Rob Lesser, the legendary paddler from Idaho, James and Reagan Byrd, the creators of the North Fork Championship, and numerous more are on the board of this non-profit.

With the assistance of Idaho Rivers United, this non-profit will use any revenues to fund river conservation in the Payette River basin and event planning for the next year.

After Pruzan, his son, and a few others finished a top-to-bottom lap on the North Fork, I met up with him. “We are really excited to be here today when we made the announcement,” he remarked.

“The electricity and the level of excitement has been infectious, and it has been really special for me.”

Pruzan also expressed gratitude to the Grossman family for their support. Another North Fork legend was Jim Grossman, who died while kayaking on the South Fork of the Salmon.

This great statement confirms that the North Fork Championship will be held from June 9–11, 2026.