Red Bull Up Stream was played out in Slovenia for the second year on September 12–13, and was so tough that it was a victory just to make it to the first round.
Hitting white water at 30kph is not a prospect for the faint-hearted. But it was one contenders at Red Bull Up Stream had to face while strapped to a wakeboard, dodging rocks, performing tricks and being pulled at speed against the flow of a fierce river. It was a daunting contest, even for the pros.
The contest brought a deserved win for US national champion Adam ‘A-Train’ Errington, who proved he could cut it away from the lake, but for many, it was a victory just to make it through in one piece.
The action took place at an artificial training river designed for kayakers in Tacen, Slovenia, where the Red Bull Up Stream was held for the first time in 2008. News of the unconventional challenge spread, and pro athletes were queuing up to take part in this year’s event. It’s the first contest to pitch riders against a river, using a cable pull and a bespoke course, and there were cuts and falls during practice that left some would-be winners watching from the sidelines.
Along with eventual victor Errington, some of the best making it through to the competition stage unscathed were three-time wakeboarding world champion Bernard Hinterberger, world-class US rider JD Webb, and Slovenian champion and designer of the course, Robert Pokovec. Slovenian Naja Puhan, who has only been wakeboarding for a year, was the lone female contender, and stood out for her bravery on the waves, although she didn’t make it past the qualifying rounds.
“There were some of the best riders in the world there,” said the 19-year-old, “so I couldn’t expect to get to the final.”
Having watched the water turn momentarily red from her rivals’ pre-competition scrapes, Naja was understandably fearful of getting in the water.
“In training, a couple of people fell, so it was scarier when it was my turn,” she said. “But I used the obstacles, I went to the kicker and to the rooftop. It was hard because of all the rocks, and you have to move so quickly to avoid everything, but I didn’t fall, so it was great – I’d do it again in a second.”
Hungarian rider Balasz Bakro matched his 2008 performance in the final to claim second place with two strong rides, and JD Webb managed to come in third.
Pokovec gave his all on his home waters, but was slammed into the water after some over-ambitious moves, and eventually he and his board came off badly after a run-in with a concrete kicker, leaving him in fourth place.
“I’m really disappointed [I didn’t] make it to the podium,” Pokovec said. “My board is severely damaged – the whole concrete sliding experience was simply too much for it.”
But the ‘A-Train’ left still smiling.
“I have never attended such a good event as this one,” he said. “It is definitely a step forward in our sport, as it adds a lot of charm, despite being hugely challenging. I do have a lot more to show, but I’m saving it for the next year.”
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