Summer may be coming to an end with Labor Day weekend quickly approaching. Still, the Mini Boat Mafia team headed back to the Salmon River in Idaho for another epic adventure. This time four drivers headed to the river for an epic video full of near-death experiences.
This isn’t the first time the Mini Boat Mafia crew has been to the Salmon, but the water is flowing at a much more dangerous rate this year. Many of the rapid sections they visited last year turned into something completely different this year for drivers Blake Wilkey, David Hartman, Nick Nelson, and Adam Fitza.
“The thing I liked most about this year on the Salmon was how big the flow was,” Nelson said. “Last year, we ran it at 8,000 CFS and this year, we ran it at 52,000 CFS. This made it a lot more exciting, and you had to be on your game or lose a boat or your life. This year that big flow gave us the adrenaline rush we are used to racing off-road and doing big jumps. The only downside to the big flow was many of the other features from last year were underwater, so there weren’t as many good technical rapids.”
“I was invited to tag along with the Mini Boat Mafia crew this summer,” Fitza said. “We went up to Idaho and Montana to take the mini boats up some of the gnarliest rivers in North America. Being a rookie on the boat side of things, it was Insane! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous when I saw the water for the first time, as the rapids were bigger than the waves in SoCal. Not to mention I was in a rental. Thanks, Dave!”
You have to be on your A-game when out in the water doing what these boats can do, but above everything else, it is a pure adrenaline rush.
“I’ll tell you right now, it’s addicting,” Fitza continued. “Great friends, great times. Thanks to the whole Mini Boat Mafia crew for letting me participate in such a fantastic opportunity. It won’t be the last time either.”
“Going out with the Mini Boat Mafia is a thing in itself,” Hartman said. “Being in the environment with of a bunch of people coming together for the goal of doing something no one else has is something you can’t find elsewhere.”
“My favorite part of going out with the Mini Boat Mafia crew is the energy we all bring when we are together,” Nelson said. “We have such a good time on the river, camping at night, and even traveling as we are all on radios joking and making the trip fun. That energy also pushes us to try new things; as a group, the ideas evolve beyond the original concepts. This is a new sport in a sense, so we are coming up with these ideas on the fly.”
This episode of Mini Boat Mafia couldn’t be done without the support of Motul, RSRacecraft, Rockford Fosgate, Baja Designs, Rugged Radios, Full Throttle Battery, Ultra Deck Flooring, PRP Seats, AreaBFE Tents, Heat Wave Visual, and Rugged Geek. If you enjoyed this one, the Mini Boat Mafia crew has three more upcoming episodes.
