Welcome to the world of Boater X, Extreme kayaking at it's finest. Six racers rushing down the Payette River nearly a mile on incredible whitewater. The first two who touches the banner moves on to the next heat. It's just one of the events at the North Fork Championship.
"This rapid is actually good for the Boater X style. You can have some carnage were you run into each other and this is a nice rapid that ends in a big pool so it's safer for that," said James Byrd of the North Fork Championship.
Alec Voorhees knows the river better than most. The Meridian-based pro kayaker trains on it as much as he can.
"I know we're all the crashing waves are the rocks I just know where to go all fast lanes are," explained professional Kayaker, Alec Voorhees
He didn't let this year's high flows stop from getting out on the water. With the river flowing at 3,900 CFS it's making the race much more dangerous. Alec and the other racers are keeping safety in mind.
"Safety is a big concern here and we're all doing our part to make sure everyone is safe but have a good time and have good lines and try to go fast.," said Voorhees.
While Alec hopes to take home the $5,000 dollar purse during Saturday's main event. He is thankful to have world-class rapids in his backyard.
"Now I get all my friends and the best paddlers in the world coming to see what I grew up on and just having a big race is really nice and it just shows how good the the North Fork of the Payette is," said Voorhees.
