Not every festival can have amazing prizes for the winners and huge parties... But ours can!
Dagali River Festival is a chill little festival at the end of festival season here in Norway. It is located in the valley of Dagali, a small place in the mountains. The place maybe small, but we have one of the biggest rivers in Norway. This year, compared with other years, we had more water than usual.
Two girls, Helene and I, organized the festival. We're probably the most absentminded girls in the area. But regardless, we did a great job, and the festival went very well. We could not have done it without our volunteers, so heaps of thanks to them.
The festival starts, as usual, with setting up tents, a lot of paperwork and of course beers. We always start at the last minute, what else can you expect from river rats anyway? But with girl power we got everything ready in time.
Races started Friday, with Norwegian Whitewater Cup time trials, which qualified the boatercross races on Saturday. This year, because of the water level, the race went through a rapid called Cocktail. Daniel Holler took the first place, just a few hundredths before Daniel Klotzner and Carl Whitehead who shared second place. The race went well, with no beatering and no swimming.
After time trials we were ready for the raft race, which started off with time trials before a very exciting head to head final. Voss Rafting, who usually win, got surfed in a hole in the middle of Ismar Falls, and therefore the Dagali Team from Full On won the race, with Voss Rafting placing 2nd and Team Exo in 3rd place. As usual, we finished the raft race with a surfing competition, a lot of great surfing and swimming.
Like every other festival, we ended the day with a prize ceremony, today’s video and party!
On Saturday everyone was ready for a new day with competitions, some more hung over than others.
We started off with boatercross, in the same rapid as Friday. A bit more carnage and a little swimming was expected, and we were satisfied. Daniel Klotzner won 1st place with two good runs, Carl Whitehead took 2nd place, and Martin Kadrle 3rd.
Every year we also have a competition for everyone. We call it Dagali Downhill Ducky Demolition Derby. As the name reveals, it’s a ducky competition with a lot of carnage. We paired up a rookie with a skilled raftguide or kayaker and sent them through Conrads and Angels Pathway, starting everyone at the same time. As expected, there were flips and many swimmers. Great for the spectators! Halvor and Mathilde took first place!
Saturday night we had a bigger party, with the Norwegian Hoola Hoop Championship, today’s video, prize ceremony, bootie beers and good fun.
On the last day of our festival we gathered all the raft companies in the valley, all the people we could find for all our boats, duckies and kayaks, and off we paddled down the Numedalslågen, all together!
We did this river trip to raise money for Nepal, to rebuild houses, hopes and dreams after the earthquake, in which 8000 people lost their lives, 50,000 people were badly injured, and 200,000 people lost their homes. We raised over NOK 15.000,-. On behalf of the river people, and Dagali River Festival, this means a lot to us, to send this money to a country that river people all over the world love and respect.
If you are in Norway at the end of July next year, we hope to see you at Dagali River Festival 2016.
Here are the organizers, Kaja in yellow and Helene Kjønås in blue.
SOME SICK EDITS FROM OUR FRIENDS THE MAD GOATS!
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