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.