Open Men’s 2023-2024 – Riff Raft Racing
Riff Raft Racing’s History:
We each ended up in the same boat but took different paths to the put-in. The common thread is our local river section, Slaughterhouse on the Roaring Fork River near Aspen, CO. SlaughterFest, the annual race on this section, is held just after high water in early summer. We all started there, as early as 2015, and gradually came together as a team and paddling at different races throughout Colorado.
In 2021 we won the prestigious Gore Canyon Race. 2022 brought a victory at Regionals in Cañon City earning us a spot on the National Stage. Nationals that season was canceled due to wildfire, so we set our sights on 2023. We took home the title at the USRA National Championship this year. We’re currently training for our 2024 race season.
We’re really excited and humbled to be representing you, and all paddlers in the USA at these events. We hope to see you on the river!
Instagram: @Riff.Raft.Racing
Website: RiffRaftRacing.com
Conrad Niven:
Conrad, originally hailing from Australia, has been the paddling back right for Riff Raft Racing for 4 years. He has helped pilot the team to victory locally as well as in nationals as well as winning races in WV. When not racing he guides for Blazing Adventures and has a low regard for personal injury, ticking off an increasing amount of first descents by raft.
Trevor Fredrickson:
Trevor has spent his whole life around water. Growing up in Minnesota that looked mostly like pedal boats and power boats on the many lakes in that area.
During his first summer in Colorado in 2012 he landed a job guiding rafts on local rivers around Aspen. Slaughterfest on the Roaring Fork River in 2015 is where he first dabbled in the raft racing scene. Trevor has been paddling with Riff Raft Racing, generally in the back left position, for the past few years now.
When not racing rafts, you can find him skiing and mountain biking… or of course, exploring another river somewhere.
Tyler Aikens:
Here’s Tyler. A Colorado kid looking for fun job that eventually jumped into a guide seat with Blazing Adventures in 2021.
Soon after a failed checkout trip, he found himself in the front right seat of the race boat, getting screamed at by Conrad to paddle harder. The rest was history!
Tyler enjoys eatin’ cheeseburgers, listen’ to music, and a good hat. ‘Nuff said, see ya!!!
Curtis Berklund:
Introducing Curtis, an Aspen local who has been paddling around the world since 2010. His upbringing in kayaking in the Roaring Fork Valley and at the University of Puget Sound kayak club led to a raft guide career that started in Colorado in 2013. He guided in Idaho for 3 years and has now found his home with Elk Mountain Expeditions.
He has now worked and paddled in 4 continents including a last descent down the Blue Nile in Ethiopia.
His first raft race was at Slaughterfest in 2013 and he has now competed in and podiumed in raft races from Gore Canyon and Pine Creek to the Zambezi and is now Riff Raft’s bow left paddler for your USA National champions!
Taylor Norman:
This here is Taylor. Chasing water year round as a raft guide and professional ski bum. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia and been working the local roaring fork rivers since 2017 with Blazing Adventures.
His affinity for the outdoors, and love of type 2 fun, has landed his position on the US Men’s rafting team.
Johnny Youngs:
Johnny! He left the mountains of the Midwest for the cornfields of Colorado and has guided on rivers since 2021. Johnny sits in the “engine room” of the boat with the best view ever – the backside of Tyler. 😉
When not paddling, Johnny likes long swims in the river, climbing rocks, and breaking his neck! He’s very excited to be racing with Riff Raft Racing.
Scott Lacy:
Scott was born and raised on the slopes and rivers of the Elk Mountains in CO. His passion for rivers grew out of family raft trips, learning to kayak at age 12 and living the seasonal cycles of snowpacks, runoff and rain storms.
Scott’s paddling has shown him not only adventures from Colorado and the Grand Canyon to Africa and the Yukon – but also a way of life. To Scott, rivers are the vital life blood of our landscapes and communities. They beckon to be explored, understood, engaged with and cared for.
Through rafting and kayaking, Scott hopes to share the amazing rivers of the world and his back yard to as many people as he can. To raise awareness of humanities intertwined wellbeing with that of earths rivers. To advocate for the overlooked lifelines of our communities since they don’t have a voice of their own.
After a 4 year break from expeditions pursuing international Biathlon racing for the US, Scott is beyond excited to be joining Riff Raft Racing.