Wild Wild West Fest Rodeo a SUCCESS!

The first Wild, Wild West Fest Whitewater Rodeo is in the books and it was a great success! Paddlers from Colorado and New Mexico took part in the event that was organized as part of a Pro Bullriders event.

(Lauren Burress shows her skills in the foam pile during one of her rides in the advanced class.)

The main event was the Cowboy Challenge. This event was designed to get PBR athletes into the river. Bullrider, Zack Brown was the only cowboy to take the challenge. He donned a Palm drysuit right on top of his jeans, got geared up and jumped into a WaveSport Habitat to do some surfing in the Pueblo Whitewater Park. Brown aggressively attacked the wave and got several good front surfs in before swimming out of the boat. Brown was awarded a buckle for his efforts. Way to go Zack! We aren't sure if he is a Bullrider who paddles or a paddler that rides bulls. Either way Zack rocks!

(Zack Brown paddles the PWP)

(Pueblo Paddler President Bob Walker presents Brown with the winner's buckle)

The Pueblo Paddlers put on a class event with all competitors and even some paddlers who didn't compete going home with some very cool boater schwag! Burgers and dogs were available under the tent and there were more spectators than boaters! Kudos to all who helped make it happen!

(Barry Kelsen puts on his game-face as well as the coolest boater helmet ever!)
Beginner winners!
Winners in the intermediate class!
Winners in the advanced class!

Boaters AND water show up at PWP!

(Lauren Burress)
Lauren Burress is in town at the Pueblo Whitewater Park preparing for the Wild Wild West Fest Rodeo. Lauren who is no stranger to Pueblo is back with her parents to start the kayaking season off by paddling in the PWP in Saturday's rodeo.

The water has topped the 2,000 cfs mark as of Thursday and may yet top 2,500! Warm weather, and warm water are expected to be the order of the day through the weekend. Bring your boats, your family and your smile because we are going to have an amazing time in the PWP Saturday.


(Zach Otte)

And new boater, Zach Otte, took to the Park Thursday after returning to Canon City for the Summer from the Peruvian jungles where he studies jungle medicine of the natives.

It is that time of year!

Let the paddling begin!The Colorado College kayak club made an early season trip to the Pueblo Whitewater Park. The air was warm, the water was up, but it was still reminding paddlers like Michele Yates (above) that it was not too long ago that it was snow.

Nothing like coming up from a roll with a numb face! Ah, the joys of spring paddling. David Spiegel (below) took the opportunity to squeeze a bit of surf and play into breaks in his instruction of new paddlers in the club during their trip to the park.



Bridge construction continues but the water has been at good levels and there is much more to come.

The Pueblo Paddlers are hosting a rodeo at the PWP on Saturday May 16th as part of the Wild Wild West Fest There will be prizes, fun, and food for paddlers and spectators alike!

The top pro will be taking home a $250 cash purse! The event is part of a festival put on by the Pro Bull Riders (PBR) who now make their home in Pueblo just up the street from the PWP. Come enjoy great entertainment and the opportunity to play in Colorado's best whitewater park!

For additional information contact Bob Walker at The Edge Ski, Paddle, and Pack 719 583-2021. See you there!

LOG GONE!!!!

Pueblo Paddlers president, Bob Walker, uses a chainsaw to cut up the tree that lodged itself in the channel of drop number 8 in the PWP as Pueblo Paddler, Jason Hochevar looks on.

The tree created a strainer in the channel of the final drop in the park and was a real hazard. The Pueblo Paddlers have a history of helping to maintain the park over the years instead of chasing after local officials to do things. The club is willing to step up when needed to help provide the safest boating experience possible at any level.

The PWP is one of the premier parks in the country for boaters, surfers and boogie boarders and as a club the paddlers hope to keep things flowing by applying a little elbow grease when the need arises.

Canon City Riverwalk games date moved!

Riverwalk Games & ByOB (Saturday, July 19, 2008)



Due to high river levels we have been advised to move the event to July 19th and have agreed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but it couldn't be avoided. If you have any questions contact Kyle Horne at the Recreation District, 275-1578.



The games this year are a little different, but it should be a great time starting in Centennial Park and finishing at the post-race ByOB Party at the District Offices. There are many sponsors this year including:



The Royal Gorge Bridge & Park

Canon Rental

Canon City Shopper

Sonny's Ace Home Center

New Belgium Brewing

Bristol Brewing



The proceeds from the Closing Ceremony BBQ & Beer Garden at 7pm at the District Office will go towards the WKRP (Whitewater Kayak Recreation Park) and the Fremont Center For the Arts.



The cost of the Riverwalk Games is $125 for all six events or $40 per event.


If you have any questions feel free to contact Kyle Horne at the Rec. District, 275-1578.

LOG ALERT!

I want to give everyone a heads-up about a tree in the channel of the number 8 drop of the PWP. We are planning on cutting it out of there as soon as possible, but until we can get in there with some chainsaws you need to be aware of it.

The top part of the tree is a pretty serious strainer in the channel of the drop. And river right is a nasty pour-over that has the ability to give you a major beat-down if you get sucked back into it after trying to paddle through it.

I would suggest if you question your skills at all that you avoid the final drop, but if you have to do it stay as close to the rock in the channel as possible and paddle your butt off after passing it before getting caught by the tree.

-Bryan

The PWP makes the front page!

University of Colorado at Colorado Springs sociology professor, Rick Dukes, landed on the front page of The Pueblo Chieftain today.

Professor Dukes was surfing the P-wave on Monday in approximately 800 cfs of Arkansas River flows. Flows in the park are on their way up and it looks as if this will be an epic spring and summer for the PWP due to the snowpack up stream.

There is construction going on to build a new bridge across the river up stream of the PWP but that shouldn't affect the flows in the park. The access is a bit different, but not much.

There has also been some erosion control work done above number one with the placement of several additional rows of boulders. Right now they are in sand and loose dirt, but hopefully they will eventually be grouted in.

For now the park is open, and has the beginnings of what may very well be start of an amazing paddling season. So grab your gear and get out there!

Happy 2008!

(Photo © Zachary Kelsen 2008)

I managed to drag myself, my boat, and my son to the park this morning to get my first surf of 2008. There is very little water running through the park right now (less than 70cfs) as Lake Pueblo is being filled with winter water, there is a good amount of ice forming in the eddies and the water temperature is really close to 32 degrees. But it was just good to get back in my Wavesport EZG50.

I paddled for about 15 minutes attempting to surf the P-Wave which is more like the P-ripple at this level. I managed to get in and spit out about half a dozen times before rolling once and getting a huge brain-freeze which ended my session abruptly.

The sun was shining and I was smiling, so it couldn't have been all that bad.

I also wanted to report that there has been some movement on the proposed replacement of the 4th Street bridge which is just upstream from the PWP. Work crews have started to build the road that leads down to the park from above in order to allow access for the heavy equipment that will be necessary to build the new bridge. This is a very good thing.

I will have more information and photos of the work as it progresses and how it is affecting access to the PWP, so stay tuned.

Happy New Year and I'll see you at the park!

-Bryan

Pueblo Whitewater Park 2008 Calendar

The Pueblo Whitewater Park 2008 wall calendar is now available. The calendar shows a group of boaters doing a levee slide at the Pueblo Whitewater Park across the face of Bob Marley now known as Bob Gnarly.

The calendars are available for $10 at The Edge in Pueblo 719 583-2021 or email me (bryankelsen@msn.com) and I will send you as many as you like adding only the cheapest shipping I can find.

All proceeds from the sale of the calendars will go to the Pueblo Paddlers Kayak Club and to fund events in the park during the 2008 season. So get your Gnarly on and help fund the fun in the park!

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

-Bryan

Low flows

The water gods giveth and the water gods taketh away. For a while there we had some water and it has since dropped about 100cfs.

I was in the P-Wave at about 293cfs and it was an okay surf, but I only live 5 blocks from the park. I am not sure I would travel much farther than that right now to get in the park. Keep an eye on the gauges though. If it gets close to 400cfs it is "Game On". At least for me. No looping going on, but not a bad level just to get the boat wet.

I will post from time to time and if things change I will do my best to get the word out.

SYOTR

Whatever floats your boat.

There hasn't been a lot of water in the Pueblo Whitewater Park as of late. The last couple of days there has been just below 400 cfs running through the park. It isn't much, but if you are dying to get your boat on the water, it works. As my friends say, "Whatever floats your boat."Mike Griffin of the Pikes Peak Whitewater Club surfs in number 7 earlier this week.

The mornings have been a bit on the cold side, but if you can get to the park in the early to mid afternoon temps have been in the 70s. We paddled the park into November last year, I have my fingers crossed we can do it again this year.

SYOTR

Bob Gnarly in Kayak Session!

A photograph of a five-boater levee slide across a mural of the face of reggae legend Bob Marley in the Pueblo Whitewater Park was featured in the latest (fall 2007) issue of Kayak Sesskon.The group of boaters took to the levee during the Arkansas River Festival in May.

The photo sits at the top of the magazine's editorial page entitled "Edito". The accompanying editorial calls for more action worldwide to save rivers. Here in the states we have American Whitewater but the rest of the world doesn't have such an organization. And as countries hungry for electricity dam rivers for hydro-power the need for such a group continues to grow.

Glad the PWP could be of service!

Chile Fest Paddlin' "AWESOME!"

Another Pueblo Chile & Frijole Festival is in the books. The weather was amazing, the food was terrific and the water in the Pueblo Whitewater Park was at a warm 700cfs!

Paddlers from all over the region made the trip to Pueblo to take part in rodeo events and also to just enjoy the late season water provided by several generous shareholders of Arkansas River water. (See comment on previous post.)

Pueblo Whitewater Park designer, Gary Lacy, brought a crew of boaters to the park from the Boulder area to take advantage of the late season water and the festival. Lacy was also able to return to Boulder as the top finisher in the novice category of the freestyle rodeo. Way to go Gary!

Gary Lacy shows his winning form!






Colorado Springs student, Ben Shev, moves in the hole to score enough to clain the top intermediate spot.



Matt Ogburn sets up for a loop to claim top honors in the advanced cateogory of the freetsyle rodeo.







The judges take full advantage of the Wavesport judges' couch atop Wavesport, Dagger, Wilderness Systems and all-around Confluence Water Sports rep Ryan Hastreiter's truck. Maybe next year he will show up with Laz-e-boys for the judges!




Raft Masters of Canon City provided free raft rides through the PWP once again at the Pueblo Chile & Frijole Festival. They are a major supporter of the PWP and The Pueblo Paddlers. Raft Masters ROCKS!


A great big thanks goes out to Bob Walker, The Edge Ski Paddle & Pack, The Pueblo Paddlers, Ryan Hastreiter & Confluence Watersports, Raft Masters, Juls Bayci (for providing sound equipment), and the Pueblo Board of Water Works & Alan Ward for making the second annual freestyle rodeo at the Pueblo Chile & Frijole Festival a splashing success!

Paddling at the Pueblo Chile & Frijole Fest

Mark your calendars for the Pueblo Chile & Frijole Festival September 21-23rd.

This is the second year that the Pueblo Paddlers have organized a paddling event at the Pueblo Whitewater Park in conjunction with Pueblo's second biggest event (after the state fair of course). The Chile & Frijole Festival is a great reason to visit Pueblo all by itself, as local farms line the streets with chile roasters and tents selling their Anaheim and Pueblo Chiles (the Pueblos are the hot ones).

There is also a lot of music to listen to, food to eat along with activities for the kids. The water levels may have dropped to end-of-summer levels (with the exception of some rain flows) but there is still enough water in the PWP to make it enjoyable.

Organized events are scheduled for Sunday leaving Saturday open to boaters and boogie boarders to enjoy the park on their own. Sunday will mark the second annual Pepper Plunge raft race where contestants build their own rafts and race them over the first drop in the PWP for top honors and carnage! Each raft should have a pepper theme to it and be made of just about anything other than an actual raft!



Contact Bob Walker at the Edge (719) 583-2021 for additional info. (Click on the image at the left to see the raft race info!)

There will be a laid-back low-water rodeo with divisions for all levels of boaters. Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in each class.

This year the "Extreme" rubber ducky race through the PWP returns. Buying a duck supports the Pueblo Paddlers and gives you a chance to win the jackpot.

And last, but certainly not least, there will once again be free raft rides through the PWP for anyone who is interested. It is a great way to get non-boater family members to get a taste of being on the river without having to get in a kayak.

So set a day or two aside to make the drive to Pueblo to enjoy some great food, friendly people and one of the best whitewater parks in the state. SYOTR!

Pueblo Whitewater Park is still runnin'!

It may be August, but there is still good playboating in the Pueblo Whitewater Park.

Flows have recently fluctuated between 900 and 1,400 cfs through the park. Due to recent rains upstream and the movement of leased water from Lake Pueblo we have been treated to some great play water for boating and boarding.

Several of the features are producing some amazing play. The big news is that drop number seven is in!

The above photo shows Pueblo Paddler, Charlie Vial, surfing drop seven. The wave that was once a sticky and feared drop has become a double play feature. The inital drop provides some steep surfing allowing spins and tricks from atop a foam pile that is approximately 4ft tall. Then there is the steep secondary wave that has a great potential for air loops and other aerial moves!

I don't know how much longer these levels will hold, but for now there are no complaints from boaters and surfers in the Pueblo Whitewater Park.

A successful paddle-a-thon

The Pueblo Whitewater Park hosted the first Pueblo Paddle-A-Thon this past Saturday July, 7th. The Pueblo Paddlers event was designed to raise money for First Descents a kayak camp for young adults with cancer. (see www.firstdescents.org)

Seventeen paddlers (the majority being Pueblo Paddlers Kayak Club members) took to the water and raised approximately $4,100 for the camp which gives young adults with cancer an opportunity to learn to paddle and enjoy the outdoors. It costs $1,000 for each camper to attend the camp so this event made it possible for four young adults with cancer to go to camp.

Paddlers in the Pueblo Paddle-A-Thon were treated to free Gatorade and cookies. Each paddler who raised $50 or more qualified to win a portion of the $2,000 worth of donated paddle accessories (ie paddles, helmets, a sprayskirt, and even a drysuit).Corporate supporters were, Palm/MTI, AT Paddles, Seven-2 Paddles, Voz Sports, Shred Ready Helmets, Keen Footwear, The Edge, Smitty's Greenlight Tavern, The Pueblo Firefighter's union, The Summit Company, WRSI helmets, and Snapdragon Sprayskirts. A HUGE 'Thank You' for your support!

The Summit Company provided a very cool shuttle.A John Deere-esque trailer pulled by a hefty pickup truck saved the feet, legs and shoulders of the paddlers. Thanks Summit!

A portion of the proceeds will be earmarked to send a Pueblo-area young adult with cancer to the 2008 camp.

All in all a very good event and we look forward to being able to make use of the PWP to make a difference in the lives of young adults with cancer again next summer.

PWP GETS MORE NATIONAL ATTENTION

Local Pueblo Whitewater Park surfer, Logan Gogarty, appeared in the July/August issue of Paddler Magazine. Gogarty, 18, has spent countless hours on a surfboard (and an old knee board) in the Pueblo Whitewater Park this spring and summer. His efforts have not gone unnoticed by others who came to surf the park.

Pueblo Whitewater Park desinger, and avid river surfer, Mike Harvey, of Salida, commented that young Gogarty was really tearing it up in the park.

The photo of Gogarty shows him attmepting a handstand on his surfboard while riding the wave in drop number three in front of the "River Reaper". The reaper proved to be a popular background with editors as it also was in the background of a photo of Pueblo Paddler Jeff Mara which appeared in the Canoe & Kayak Magazine annual whitewater publication.The magazine is produced annually by Canoe & Kayak and is not part of the regular subscription. You need to get this issue either online or at a newsstand that carries Canoe & Kayak. Unfortunately I was not able to find it sold locally so I got mine online.
Not only has the reaper proved popular, but the background of the levee itself has also gotten some attention. As chronicled in an earlier post, Jeff mara paddled past the mural of Bob Marley in a photo that appeared in the Canadian publication "Rapid".
New murals are being added to the levee from time to time so there is an ever-changing landscape of art to paddle in front of at the Pueblo Whitewater Park. Maybe you have an idea for a new mural? If so, I can point you in the right direction to make it happen...just let me know.

EJ PADDLES THE PWP!

Four-time world champion freestyle kayaker, Eric Jackson, sits in his boat next to drop number 7 in the Pueblo Whitewater Park this past Sunday afernoon.

Jackson, who comes to Colorado each June to compete in several whitewater events made a stop at the Pueblo Whitewater Park as part of an instructional clinic sponsored and organized by the Pikes Peak Whitewater Club as well as American Whitewater.

PPWC vice president, Greg Horton, said that the group was originally going to hold the event in Salida, but when they ran into obstacles in usiing the Salida feature the idea to come to Pueblo came up. Now the group hopes to hold more events of a similar nature in the PWP. Horton also said he looks forward to organizing events in the park in conjunction with the Pueblo Paddlers.

The flows were running between 2,300 and 2,900 cfs during the event and Jackson had nothing but good things to say about the Pueblo Whitewater Park. The Pueblo Paddlers treated paddlers to pizza, Gatorade, and water during the event.

The Pueblo Chieftain was on hand to do a story on the visit by Jackson. The story and accompanying photo ran on the front of the sports section in the paper Monday morning.

EJ is truly the number one ambassador of the sport.


















(Jackson and participants in the clinic surf in hole number 6.)

A big "Thank you" to EJ and Jackson Kayaks for taking part in the AW and PPWC clinic and helping get the word out about the PWP!

Pueblo Paddle-A-Thon July 7th!

Click on the poster to get all the info you need to help us out with the Pueblo Paddle-A-Thon to benefit First Descents.

I would be happy to send you the pledge sheets if you want to come take part or I can take you pledges if you can't be there and still want to do something. Just remember if you raise money you are eligible for the awesome giveaways! You can see some of it at http://pueblopaddleathon.blogspot.com

Help us make a difference in the lives of young adults with cancer. Come paddle with a purpose.

GI-NORMOUS WATER!

The flows in the Pueblo Whitewater Park have been "Hooooooge" of late.

A combination of warm weather and rainfall upstream has made for some major water days in the Pueblo Whitewater park. The flows have been growing since late Monday and early Wednesday. Monday's 850 cfs peaked at approximately 3,500 cfs! This some pretty amazing stuff to the park.

The features are transformed into waves and offer a very good opportunity for aerial maneuvers should a boater have the strength, skill and cahones to even get into the feature. There is little or no eddy service at this level, yet there is a great deal to chose from should you be able to climb aboard any of the 8 features.

I was at the park this morning prior to going to work. I photographed local paddler and fire fighter, Mike Hammond, as he paddled the park. I have to admit I would have like to been able to spend some time in the park as well, but I just didn't have the time. Mike attempted to paddle into several of the features with limited success.

Drop number three and drop number 6 offered the best chance to do some surfing. I have to tell you that if I had the skill to loop this would be the time to get in the water as the foam piles grew and the water in the drops got deeper and faster. Perfect conditions to loop. That is, if I knew how.

As of this post the flows are beginning to subside and the water has already dropped into 2,800 cfs range. I am sure that we will have surges like this again due to increased snowmelt and rains upstream. Keep your fingers crossed.

Now if we could just get the city to finish placing rocks and do some more grouting on the bank river right to help fight the erosion that occurs at this level.