AR World Championships 2017
A Swedish Race Down Fremont Canyon
Rob Howard / 13.08.2017
For much of the race the two top Swedish teams, Haglofs Silva and the Swedish Armed Forces Adventure Team, have been holding the podium places behind race leaders Seagate. They’ve changed places many times over to swap position, and even worked together on the road ride earlier in the race to try and close the gap on Seagate.
Today it was SAFAT who arrived at the edge of the Pathfinder Reservoir first, part of the two consecutive trek/pack raft stages (stages 10 and 11). However, they didn’t immediately move onto the water and Haglofs Silva caught up and set off ahead of them. They were still ahead when they landed on the far side near the Fremont Dam, but were not concentrating on the portage they had to do to get around the dam.
Instead of simply walking over the dam and down to the next CP which was set below it at the start of the Fremont Canyon they set off on the road on the wrong side of the river and took some time before realising their mistake and doubling back. As they walked up the road on the hottest day of the race so far Robert Lindberg told me, “We are having a good race, but lost over 2 hours last night due to a navigation error.”
Josefina Wikberg said, “We had a good wind behind us and were surfing some of the time on the last paddle so that was good.” Overall the weather for the race has been as good as can be hoped for so far, with the temperature not as hot in past Cowboy Tough’s, not much in the way of strong headwinds, and none of the violent storms which can take place this time of year. (However a sudden squall did whip up the wind on Pathfinder this afternoon and they can happen any time.)
As Haglofs Silva set off SAFAT came into view carrying their rafts down the side of the dam to the North Platte River. They’d almost caught up again and were quickly on the water.
The river here is low at the moment and Haglofs Silva were making slow progress. As they approached the main canyon through an open valley they carried the rafts more often than not and Bjorn Rydvall said, “There is no water and we don’t want to risk damaging the rafts on the rocks.”
Just behind the Swedish Armed Forces team were trying to stay in the rafts as much as possible and perhaps taking more risks, but were not moving much quicker.
After a short distance they entered the impressive main canyon through an area littered with fallen rocks and began to make their way downriver. The ochre canyon walls rose up sheer on either side for several hundred metres, so it was a spectacular descent, but maybe a frustrating one for the teams as they made slow progress.
They were also to get some company when they left the canyon as the French team Lozere Sport Nature caught and passed them before the next and last pack-raft crossing on Alcova reservoir. The two Swedish teams had looked secure in their podium places for some time ... but now the race is on the finish!
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