Brennan's Wave / image: Matt Baldwin

Some of the best paddlers in the region will descend upon Missoula this weekend for the annual kayak rodeo

This year's Best in the West kayak rodeo is setting up to be a perfect 10.

"With the warm temperatures hitting at just the right time, bringing on the snowmelt, the Comp Hole should be perfect," says Scott Doherty, Director of the World Class Kayak Academy and one of the rodeo's directors.

Paddlers competing in the rodeo can only hope their entourage of tricks will garner the same score from the judges.

Best in the West is an annual kayak rodeo in Missoula, Mont., which lures some of the top paddlers in the region. This year's event will take place over two days, May 17 and 18. The preliminary rounds will be at Brennan's Wave on the Clark Fork River in downtown Missoula. The finals will be just down stream at Comp Hole near Alberton. A kayak rodeo involves paddlers surfing a river wave or hole and performing tricks such as cartwheels and spins.

"Last year Comp Hole really blew out when [Best in the West] came around," says Doherty. But he thinks this year it will be as sweet as a vine ripened tomato. “It’s going to be perfect,” Doherty reiterated.

Doherty says the quality of a river wave has little to do with the amount of snowpack and more to do with the immediate temperature effecting the melt-off. "If it is too hot right before the event, the wave will be blown out. Too cold and the wave is weak."

The first day of the event at Brennan's Wave will weed out the pack, with only the top 12 paddlers moving on to the finals. Every boater gets two 45-second long rides where they will pull as many technical tricks as possible and accumulate points. The competition will be judged by the US Freestyle Association's guidelines for scoring points.

"Difficult tricks get the most points," says Doherty. "It is like judging a figure skating competition where technical moves get the highest score, while the style component is minimal."

Comp Hole is the setting for the finals on Sunday, which Doherty calls a more advanced hole than Brennan’s Wave.

“Comp Hole is a world class wave,” he says. “It’s as good as any play spot anywhere. There is a lot of water going through it and the breaking water is more like an ocean wave.”

Sunday’s event will consist of three rounds with the finals pitting the top three paddlers against each other in a one-ride, winner takes all, whitewater throw down.

Friday there will be pre-registration for the competition and a movie premiere at Big Sky Brewing at 6 p.m. Saturday morning is registration at Caras Park with the event kicking off at 3 p.m. Sunday's finals begin at noon.

"We are expecting about 30 competitors from all over to sign up," says Doherty. But they'd gladly except more. The competition is open to everyone, from novice to expert.

For more information on Best in the West, contact waves@zootownsurfers.com. We'll see you out there.