The Tough Stump Rodeo Goes Underwater: Introducing the H2O Lane
Big skies, mountain terrain, and now, the deep.
When people think Montana, they think peaks and prairies. The Tough Stump team looked at that landscape and asked: where’s the water? Turns out, it was about 15 miles north of Upper Canyon Outfitters the whole time.
Welcome to the H2O Lane – it’s the newest and fastest-growing mission set at the Tough Stump Rodeo.
The Location – Ruby Valley Reservoir
The H2O Lane takes place at the Ruby Valley Reservoir, managed by local legend and longtime TSR partner Bill Wood. Bill didn’t just open the gates to his ranch; he opened the water to ROVs, robots, sensor systems, communications equipment: if it floats, dives, or transmits, Bill’s reservoir has seen it.
That kind of access doesn’t happen at just a tradeshow. It happens at the Tough Stump Rodeo.
Underwater ISR and Recovery Operations
The TSR 2025 H2O Lane scenario put ROV teams to work on a real-world challenge: searching for sensitive items on the floor of the reservoir while streaming everything back to the Operations Center in real time.
The full data package flowing through the mission included:
- Live ROV video feeds
- Underwater sensor data
- sUAS (small unmanned aerial system) footage providing aerial overwatch
- ATAK/ATOS GPS tags and PLI for full team and asset tracking
- MANET/ADHOC radio network communications, with an airborne communications platform on standby to extend range when needed
The Incident Commander (IC) at the Operations Center used the incoming intelligence and sensor feeds to guide recovery dive teams to precise underwater locations in real time, closing the loop between remote ISR and human action on the water.
Every ATOS GPS tag, every ATAK device, every goTenna transmission: all of it moving across the same unified radio network, giving the Ops Center a synchronized, comprehensive operational picture of everything happening on and below the surface.
More Robots. More Comms. More Boats.
The H2O Lane is just getting started.
TSR 2026 will build on the foundation laid last year with an expanded aquatic mission set, including more ROV platforms, more communications integration, and yes – more boats. If you want to see the cutting edge of waterborne unmanned systems and multi-domain data integration, this is the lane to watch.
Why the H2O Lane Matters
The addition of the H2O Lane isn’t just about adding a cool new element to the Rodeo. We wanted to reflect the reality of modern operations, because missions don’t just stay on dry land. Communications networks don’t get to pick their terrain. The systems that operators depend on need to work across air, ground, and water – and they need to work simultaneously, seamlessly, and in real time.
That’s exactly what the Tough Stump Rodeo proves, year after year.
Ready to See It for Yourself?
TSR 2026 is shaping up to be the most ambitious Rodeo yet. Three days, multiple mission lanes, 40+ organizations, and a reservoir full of robots.
Learn more and register at toughstump.com/rodeo
We’ll see you in June!
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