Darby McAdams had her eye on a raging stretch of whitewater on the North Fork Payette River near Smiths Ferry for years before she finally kayaked it.
McAdams eventually became a regular contender in a popular whitewater kayaking competition known as the North Fork Championship, placing second overall in 2022 before the race folded that year amid insurance issues.
Now, the championship series is set to return in 2026, fueled by new management and enduring love for fabled Class V rapids known as Jacob’s Ladder, Golf Course, and S-Turn.
“Competing on Jacob’s ladder had been a dream of mine since I first started kayaking,” said McAdams, a resident of White Salmon, Washington. “It represents the pinnacle of whitewater competition.”
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Format changes
The revived North Fork Championship will be held June 9-11 next year, though with some changes from previous iterations of the event.
A festival associated with the championship will be moved from Crouch to Smiths Ferry to make for smoother logistics for competitors and spectators. The championship will also be held mid-week to reduce congestion on Idaho 55.
The North Fork Championship was revived by a new nonprofit bearing the same name as the race. Executive Director Carli Beisel, who also competes in the race, said the format changes and management overhaul were necessary for the sustainability of the event.
Beisel teamed up with James and Regan Byrd, the original founders of the event, to form a new leadership team and restore the race following a three-year hiatus.
“Competing in it is what drew everyone to the NFC, but now the team’s focus is to still race in it, but help make sure the event continues,” Beisel said.
The race itself
The mechanics of the race itself are simple—lay down the fastest time through the half-mile course to be crowned King or Queen of the North Fork Championship. Winning times typically range between about 90 seconds and two minutes.
Race organizers hang a series of gates across the river, which racers must pass through without hitting to avoid time penalties. Missing a gate costs racers 50 seconds, while hitting one results in a five-second penalty. Each racer gets two attempts at the course.
“Athletes don’t just run Jacob’s Ladder,” Beisel said. “They push the limits by navigating gates through the most challenging lines this rapid has to offer.”
The race is divided into a men’s division and a women’s division, with the winner of each receiving prize money, though Beisel is not yet sure of the amounts for the 2026 race.
Global draw
In 2022, the event attracted more than 200 athletes from 19 different countries. Beisel expects next year’s race to be an even bigger draw and is preparing for as many as 250 competitors—not to mention scores of spectators perched on boulders along the riverbank.
“This kayaking race is the hardest and most prestigious paddling event in the world,” she said. “For elite kayakers, this race is a must-attend, testing the very limits of skill and endurance. We’ve had World Champions and Olympic medalists at the event.”
Among those elite kayakers will be McAdams, who agreed with Beisel’s characterization of the race as the “hardest, rowdiest course in kayaking.”
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“There is truly no other event in our sport that compares to NFC in difficulty, skill, and sheer extremity,” McAdams said. “The only parallel I can think of is Red Bull Rampage in mountain biking.”
