49°42′N · 123°09′W Squamish, BC · Átlʼka7tsem / Howe Sound
Catch the outflow. Chase the thermal. Ride it home.
A weather-driven downwind festival at the top of the Sound. Three races, one weekend, and a course chosen by the wind. Surfski, outrigger, SUP, kayak, prone.
First full edition · Summer 2027 Test paddle · Fall 2026, Squamish Oceanfront
Get on the start list
The flagship
Ride two winds in one race. Leave Squamish on the morning outflow, round Anvil Island as the afternoon thermal builds, and turn the return leg into a full downwind run home. Every year the timing is different. Reading the wind matters as much as paddling fast. Complete the Mission.
The downwind
The run that made Howe Sound famous. When the thermal fills in, it is wall-to-wall runners from Porteau to the Squamish waterfront. Fast, loud, and pure fun.
For everyone
A short buoy course right off the beach, plus a kids race on the sand. Rec boats, first-timers, families, whatever floats. Cheer zone and a finish line everyone crosses.
How it works
Squamish means “Mother of the Wind,” and we let her call the course. If it is nuking from Porteau, we run Porteau. If the forecast favours Anvil, the Mission is on. Lighter day? A fast triangle off the beach. Final courses are announced at the Mission Briefing, from a published weather matrix, wind, direction, swell, visibility, so every paddler knows exactly why we are running what we are running. The best downwind run available that day. That is the race.
The race is the excuse. The festival is what you will remember.
Registration · demo paddles · clinics · film night
Main races with live tracking · demo village · food trucks · beer garden · music · awards
Fun paddle · kids races · clinics · shoreline cleanup
Átlʼka7tsem / Howe Sound is the traditional and unceded territory of the Skᴇxᴇú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and a UNESCO Biosphere Region. These waters have been paddled for thousands of years. We are reaching out to the Nation early and hope to build this event in genuine partnership, so it belongs to Howe Sound rather than just taking place here. We are also building it with the local paddling community that already knows every mood of this fjord.
We are gauging interest before we open registration. Leave your email and you will get course announcements, the 2026 test paddle invite, and first crack at 2027 entries. No spam, just wind.