Back of Beyond Races – Postcard Paddle Board Racing in Moab, UT | 2024

What do you get when you combine one of the most picturesque landscapes in the American West with high-energy paddle board racing?

Back of Beyond Paddle Races in Moab, UT. That’s what.

Nestled between Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and the La Sal mountain range you’ll find the town of Moab – a place of legends for outdoor recreation. With easy access to world-class climbing, hiking, canyoneering, mountain biking, off-roading, and paddling, Moab, UT has it all.

Every year for the last nine years Paddle Moab – an outfitter and guide shop in downtown Moab – hosts the Back of Beyond Paddle Races. This two day challenge has events for every type of paddler from the most casual to the most intense.

Postcard Alley “Flatwater” Race

Day one of Back of Beyond is the Postcard Alley flatwater race. This is a 7-mile downriver race on the Colorado River as it winds its way through a sandstone canyon reaching over 1000’ tall in places. As you round the final set of bends you’re greeted with views of the famous Fisher Towers, Castle Valley, and Porcupine Rim formations before finishing under the looming Richard’s Mountain.

There are two divisions for the Postcard Alley flatwater race: Elite and Open. The Open race is for all paddlers and is more of a “fun run” type race and has groups for SUP and Kayak. The Elite race is for paddle boards up to 14’ long and is intended for the most competitive racers. So of course I signed up for the Elite race!

Besides the racers themselves, the biggest difference between the divisions is at the start and end of the race. While the Open division simply gets on their boards and boogies down river to the finish line, the Elite racers have to jump through a few more hoops, or, to be more accurate, around a few more buoys.

The Elite race starts off with a beach start running into the Colorado River at the Dewey Bridge boat ramp. Once you are on your board, racers have to paddle across the river and turn upstream behind the first buoy, then paddle upstream about 1000 feet before turning back down stream around a second buoy. Only then we were allowed to race the 7 miles down to the Hittle Bottom boat ramp. Before finishing though, we paddled past the ramp to make a U-turn around a third buoy, paddle back upstream to the boat ramp, land, and then run across the finish line.

I made sure to practice my beach start a few times before the race, and I paddled out to the far buoy to scope out how the river was flowing. I found a calmer section on the far side of the river that made it easier to paddle upstream. Between a solid beach start and paddling in some calmer water, I was able to take second position right off the start and hold it through the technical buoy section and onto the downriver race.

Now, this is a flatwater race in the grand scheme of paddle racing, but it’s nothing like a flatwater race on a lake or bay. This is the mighty Colorado River. There are constantly shifting currents, eddies, islands, and other paddlers to navigate. Weather can be a major factor in any race and we got a little bit of everything in that 7 miles.

Things started calm, but progressed rapidly into high, shifting winds (gusting over 30 MPH) and even some rain. Between the meandering river, the canyon walls and side-canyon openings, and shifting wind patterns we had head-wind, tail-wind, and side-wind multiple times each, all within an hour on the water.

The wind also chopped up the surface of the water making it hard to follow the faster current and avoid shallow sandbars.

So while this was a relative “flatwater” race, Postcard Alley offered up some really technical paddling challenges.

At one point I made a few bad calls on which way to go around an island and ended up paddling through the most powerful eddyline on this stretch of water at the same time a huge gust of wind hit me from the side. You can probably guess what happened.

After gathering myself back onto my board I made my way out of the eddy and kept moving downstream. Unbeknownst to me, I was passed by another paddler while I was counting fish. Thinking I was still in second place and not seeing another paddler behind me felt really good, but wasn’t giving me the motivational push I really needed to catch back up.

After paddling through a bachelorette party dressed like pirates and making my way around the final buoy, I ran through the finish line with an official time of 1:10:00 (official time started with the kayak division before the Elite race).

Even with taking a hefty spill, I finished third in the Elite division and third overall.

Here’s everything I used for the Postcard Alley Elite Race:

Board: Hydrus Elysium Air 14’ x 26”
Paddle: Hydrus 1-piece Tough Blade
Fin: Hydrus 6” Race Keel

Check out Travis’s Postcard Alley race recap over at USA SUP!

Stand Up Show Down – Whitewater Slalom Race

Day two is the Stand Up Show Down whitewater slalom race. Yes you read that correctly. It’s a slalom race through a whitewater rapid. Did I mention that it’s also a head-to-head race with multiple paddlers at the same time?

It’s time for some carnage!

But truthfully it wasn’t that bad. The race took place at Rocky Rapid (Ida Gulch) which is a Class II – III rapid depending on the river flow. During the race it was a really good Class II with some choppy water and a few medium-size pour-overs. It would be a fantastic rapid (and level) to teach some basic whitewater paddling.

The race started off with heats of three paddlers. Once everyone was on their boards, the officials blew their horn and we took off across the river to make our first turn around a buoy above the rapid. Like in Days of Thunder, “Rubbin’ is racin’” so there was definitely some friendly contact going on at the beginning. After the first buoy turn the racers spread out a bit more.

The first and second turns were not too far apart downriver, but they were on opposite sides of the river. The second buoy was also in the start of the rapid, so the water was faster and the buoy was bobbing up and down in a wave making it hard to see.

After turning past the second buoy we paddled the bulk of the rapid however we wished before coming around a third buoy at the end of the rapid and then the race finished with a sprint to the line.

I managed to find a new place to fall off my board each time I paddled the course. They say you never paddle the same river twice, and some days it feels like it changes from minute to minute!

In my first heat (and first time ever paddling Rocky Rapid) I was last, but made all of the buoy turns. In my second heat I lost my footing just above the second buoy and missed it, disqualifying me from the heat. Finally we had a “Stand Up Show Down Shit Show” run with all of the paddlers competing at once. I made the buoy turns and finished fourth.

This was an incredibly fun event, and while a bit more technical than what most people are used to, the rapid itself was actually pretty easy to navigate without major concern.

Class II whitewater paddling is among my favorite SUP activities. It’s just enough of a challenge to keep you on your toes (or knock you off them) without being overly dangerous when properly outfitted. Paddling with a crew like this (even if we were competing against each other) is an awesome experience and I can’t wait to do it again!

Here’s everything I used in the Stand Up Show Down whitewater race:

Board + fins: Hydrus Axis 98 with 3” flex fins
Paddle: Hydrus 3-piece Tough Blade
Safety: Whitewater helmet, quick release leash, and Type V whitewater PFD.

2025 – Back of Beyond X (and Logistics to Join Us Next Year!)

2025 will mark the 10th year for the Back of Beyond Races, and Paddle Moab has already started planning for a blowout event!

When: Dates aren’t fully set yet, but the race will be in mid-late September again

Where: Beautiful Moab, Utah

What: Expect to have similar races available, but keep an eye out for additional events or categories.

Tips:

• Register ahead of time through Paddle Moab once it is available. They’ll be able to answer any questions about the race
• Lodging can be tough! Book hotels in advance if you want to stay in Moab, or plan to be there early enough to get one of the first-come-first-served campsites through the valley. They fill up fast and very few are reservable ahead of time.
• You’ll need a quick release leash for all of the races. Never wear a leg-leash on moving water of any kind.
• You’ll also need to wear your PFD for each race. Elite racers are allowed to wear inflatables, but participants in the open category will need an inherently buoyant PFD.
• Bring a whitewater helmet if you want to do the Stand Up Show Down.
• You’ll want a fast race or touring board for Saturday (max 14’ long) and a whitewater or whitewater capable board for Sunday (max 11’ long).

So who’s ready to paddle in one of the most unique and beautiful landscapes around?

I’ll see you there!