Anyone? Any insight into this race at all would be awesome. Thanks!

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"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time."

This is an awesome looking race. Someone wrote a great RR a few years ago about it with pictures. I would do it, if they could spread it out a little bit past Boston. There should still be snow on the mountain a few weeks later.

Never done this race but looks like a great challenge.
From looking at the course elevation profile (a few rides are uploaded to RWGPS) I'd use a road bike. There are only a couple of flat miles and the one downhill looks fast and technical. I'm personally more comfortable on very steep climbs and descents on my road bike so that's what I'd use, YMMV.
I haven't done whitewater kayaking in many years, so take w/ a grain of salt, but I'd strongly recommend a spray skirt from a safety standpoint. Class II is relatively easy as whitewater goes but it's still real whitewater and you don't want to get a lot of water inside your boat.
From the finish times, I'd say this is significantly longer timewise than a half IM, the distance can't be compared due to so much climbing.
Their site is not particularly helpful on logistics, can't help you there.

FYI, my father raced in the original Inferno downhill ski race in 1939 (the same year Toni Matt schussed the headwall) and placed in the top ten. He had some trouble navigating through the rocks on the summit cone, and fell a couple of times on the Sherborne trail towards the end because his legs were so tired. I was always super impressed by his achievement, skiing 4300 feet of descent nonstop over the steep headwall on heavy long wooden skis and leather boots.

awesome race, crazy logistics but doable even as a solo person. i usually put my kayak (but not pfd/jacket) out the night before. then real early, ie 5 am, drop off pfd/paddle/jacket (so they dont freeze overnight) , then drop off bike/gear, then drive up to pinkham notch, direttessma lot and park my car with ski gear in it. crucial next step is getting a ride back to the start line in time , that doesn't always happen ; ) . this way when i bike up to pinkham, i drop my bike in my car and take my skis out. also makes warm clothes/food available after the race. then pick up boat later in the afternoon, because no one is stealing that. ( i am a little leery of leaving bike and ski gear sitting around for 4 hours, transition is not as secure as WTC)
link to brian's report
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...n%20inferno#p5507191

and andrew's blog
http://blog.skithewhites.com/...17/tuckerman-inferno
this 2017 blog has the links to 2015 and 2016

sorry, i should have answered your actual questions
-i usually go tri bike , there is only one steep climb/descent on glen ledge, rest is gentle climbing
-equal or harder to HIM effort, 8 hilly miles running and 3-4 hiking or skinning is harder than HM run
-kayak should have a skirt, you will get wet ( and very cold) without it, even with it you get wet. unless it is a very low water year, but that is unlikely. i got wet on a warm year and it was almost game over, unless you do a full change of clothes , which is a good idea to have at your bike transition just in case. at a minimum new socks and gloves. starting the bike soaking can be dangerous. try and borrow a sea kayak, but the short rental ones at least are pretty stable.
-no shuttle, thats why i leave my car at pinkham and find a ride down. they will do gear transport for extra $ but i find i dont need it.
2 big tips, the kayak scare people but isn't too bad, but leg cramps in the kayak are killer.
the hike/ski has completely changed in the last few years, if there is any snow on the trail skinning is best. if you're not familar with skimo it is the superior mode of transport in the winter mountains.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-e1OJ7SKtc

Thanks for the info jflan and tt- just the kind of tidbits I was hoping for. Unfortunately, I'll be using a borrowed kayak that will not include a spray skirt. I'm thinking that I could throw on some rain pants to keep my butt dry and be prepared for wet feet with some dry socks at the bike transition. Also, I'm snowboarding the final leg, so I'll have to stick to hiking up but I have to say that skimo looks amazing. If only I could justify buying a skimo set-up to my wife... Thanks again for the info!

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"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time."