El Chupacabra, Rocky Dogs Highlight Day Two of GoPro Mountain Games

Coors Light Raft Cross champions were crowned, Freestyle kayakers jockeyed for the top position moving into the finals, and competitors tested their balance and agility in the Bouldering World Cup and Slackline semi-finals on day two of the 14th edition of the GoPro Mountain Games.

The legend of ‘El Chupacabra’ grew even more fearsome Friday as the two-man Chupacabra team took first place for the second year in a row in Coors Light Raft Cross. The team, made up of Vail local river guides Jeramiah Williams and Jordan Kurt Mason, have made the podium in all five years that they’ve competed in this lighthearted event.

“We are equally as terrifying as El Chupacabra, and we are equally as spicy as this sauce,” Williams said, holding up a bottle of hot sauce on the banks of Gore Creek after their victory. “This is El Chupacabra sauce. We take it before every race and it’s the secret to our success.”

The Rocky Dog Trail Run competition had a taste of success as well as competitors ate up the 5K course around Vail Mountain along with a canine companion. Alex Brown and his dog Zeke took top honors in the Men’s category with a time of 17 minutes, 18.8 seconds, followed by Smoky Burgess and Manni in second (18:35.6), and Tyler Costin and Caeser in third (19:28.3).

The Women’s Rocky Dog Trail Run competition was topped by Kate Dubuisson and Opal (21:52.9), followed by Lauren McVey and Jake (22:19.7), and Devin Scannell and Bella (22:22.6).

The Coors Light Kayak Freestyle semi-finals featured the world's best playboaters in an old-fashioned throw-down at the Vail Whitewater Park. Each kayaker had a timed run to throw his best cartwheels, loops, tricky-wus, phonics monkeys, space godzillas and more in an attempt to impress the judges and the crowd for the highest combined score. Each competitor had one minute to use their skills and athleticism in the park to try and score the most points possible.

Tennessee’s Stephen Wright ended the day in first place with 1,220 points followed by Nick Troutman in second (1,190 points) and Dane Jackson in third (1156.67 points). Emily Jackson is in the lead for the women with 537.67 points, Claire O’Hara in the second position (523.33 points) and Courtney Kerin in third (366.67 points). The finals are scheduled for Saturday, June 6 at 4 p.m.

Earlier in the day the IFSC Bouldering World Cup competitors took center stage in Vail’s Mountain Plaza with international competitors from Germany, Italy and Japan, to name a few. The IFSC Bouldering World Cup is a crowd favorite and one of the only World Cup Bouldering events on U.S. soil. This event features some of the best boulderers in the heart of Vail. The men’s and women’s semi-finals and finals take place on day three of the GoPro Mountain Games starting at 10 a.m.

The best pro slackliners from around the globe competed head-to-head in the Jack Lin’s International Slackline Invitational presented by Slackline Industries. Hundreds of spectators descended on Solaris to watch a feat in aerial athletics. On the leaderboard after heat one are Felix Carreira, Luke Diestel, Tauri Vahesaar, Kota Hayasaka and Alex Mason.

DockDogs Outdoor Big Air waves continued to compete in the KIND Adventure Village at Golden Peak throughout the day. Children also enjoyed complimentary climbing and kayaking provided by Avid4 Adventure in the KIND Kids Adventure Village. The afternoon wound down with the Rocky Dog Trail Run, SUP Yoga in River Town, a disc golf clinic at the Vibram Disc Golf Experience and the Coors Light River Town Happy Hour.

Natty Vibes kicked off the evening’s entertainment with Iration performing live for crowds in the heart of Vail Village. “Can I Surf That” featuring SUP superstar and GoPro Mountain Games competitor Brittany Parker was the feature presentation at the GoPro Outdoor Reels film festival in Mountain Plaza.

Day three of the GoPro Mountain Games starts with the 2 Fly X-Stream Qualifier, Disc Golf Skills Qualifier and the X-Country Mountain Bike Race. Participants will get dirty during the Mud Run in the afternoon with whitewater activities such as s2 SUP Cross and Kayak Freestyle Finals. The IFSC Bouldering World Cup also will crown a winner late tomorrow afternoon.

Families can enjoy a number of great kid-friendly, free activities such as rock climbing and kayaking at KIND Kids Adventure Village in Golden Peak. Another great family-friendly option is the free zipline adventure across Gore Creek at the Covered Bridge. The evening will wind up with a free concert by headliner G. Love & Special Sauce and the GoPro Outdoor Reels kicking off at 8pm in Mountain Plaza.

For a complete calendar of events for the 2015 GoPro Mountain Games, please visit www.gopromountaingames.com. For daily photos, video assets and micro-feature content, please visit www.media.mountaingames.com.

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About the GoPro Mountain Games/Vail Valley Foundation

The GoPro Mountain Games is a project of the Vail Valley Foundation. The Vail Valley Foundation is a Colorado 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, dedicated to enriching the Vail Valley and sustaining its unique spirit through the delivery of unparalleled arts, world class athletics and inspiring education programs throughout the community. For additional information on the GoPro Mountain Games, please visit http://www.mountaingames.com. For the Vail Valley Foundation, please visit www.vvf.org.

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