It’s a popular annual event based on the North Saskatchewan, but this year the Sourdough Raft Race has been pushed back a few weeks, because that very river is making for treacherous conditions.
Organizers of the summer event announced Thursday that the annual race was going to be postponed.
“Well, looking at the river, we’ve actually been in touch with the City of Edmonton, we have an events liaison and we met him out here Monday and he instructed us that it’s risky,” Ken Evasiw with the Sourdough Raft Race Association said.
It’s not just the water level that could cause a problem for the event; the banks of the river are also considered dangerous.
“It’s flowing fast, it is, so you know with the increased level what you get is a drop-off that’s a little more dramatic,” Evasiw said. “So if you step off from the river bank to the river you’ll be deeper than you normally would, so that’s a danger too especially for little kids.”
Organizers hope to reschedule to race for mid to late August.
With files from David Ewasuk
