Photo gallery: Provo River Race

A group of whitewater kayakers gathered near Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon Saturday morning to do battle with a section of the Class III–IV waters of the Provo River, and race each other.

According to the organizers’ website, “The Bridal Veil Falls section of the Provo River stretches from the Olmsted Dam to the Diversion Dam at Nunns Park. The most challenging portion of the river comes right in front of Bridal Veil Falls itself known as the Crux. At the Crux, the gradient increases and the river constricts creating the largest waves and holes on the river.

“At high flows, this section boasts continuous whitewater that stretches for nearly half a mile and can push class IV. At lower flows, the whitewater remains a continuous class III but offers more technical rapids with plenty of solid eddy lines to put a smile on your face.”

There were two categories for the races — slalom and boater cross. Safety was the priority during Saturday’s competition.

For more information on the Provo River Race, visit the organizer’s website: https://www.provoriverkayak.com/

Deseret News photojournalist Scott G Winterton captured the energy of Saturday’s competition in these photos.