Matters

The Official Newsletter of www.MountainBuzz.com

Member Picture of the Month

Volume One · Issue One

In This Issue:

Buzzard Profile of the Month 3 • BastardSonOfElvis

Klamb’s Korner 4 • Federal Water Projects and Operations in

Calendar of Events 6 • Whitewater Related Activ ities

Also:

Joel McBride boofs 57 Chev y in the inner gorge of Escalante Creek. Escalante only runs for a few weeks of the year so like ev ery boater in the state we made the pilgrimage out there on Easter Sunday for some cold dirty desert . It was pouring rain in Durango when we left and a full on blizzard on the passes. When we arrived we found some guys waiting at the take out for a shuttle and ended up running the creek with them. It was my first time down the creek but went Whitewater of the Southern Rockies - smoothly. We hit it at a medium lev el so it was mostly class three and The New Bible 2 four with a few fives in the lower gorge. Lots of fun boofs and some amazing granite gorges. I wish I could have run it again. When the snow starts melting next year, I know where I’ll be! River Stories - Close Call on Bailey Photo by Niko Peha

www.mountainbuzz.com Whitewater Matters · May 2007

Whitewater of the Southern Rockies The New Bible for Kayakers

ll kayakers know the feeling. Its early season and the weather is starting to warm up. You get out on the A river a few times, maybe scraping over some rocks but enjoying the hell out of it. And then it happens - run off starts and 2,000 cfs of water turns an enjoyable day into a wild, adrenaline charged, consciousness altering adventure. Whitewater Matters Is published monthly during the For all you boaters who have a tattered copy of Colorado boating season and semi-monthly in Rivers and Creeks II that you’ve been re-reading all winter, here’s the news. Meta- the off season. We welcome and phorically speaking, run off has begun ; Whitewater of the Southern Rockies by encourage submissions on all white- Kyle McCutchen and Evan Stafford has been published detailing over 400 runs in water related issues. Please send the region. This new guidebook, which covers all the old ground as CRC II , but also brings it to a higher level by encompassing, runs in Arizona, , and submissions to Scott Winkleman at southeast as well as new runs in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. [email protected]. The inspiration for the book began one day in 2005 w hen Kyle, after running Lake Creek in the Arkansas Valley, found out that CRC II w as going out of Editor print. He had spent many nights in his youth perusing over the first two edi- Scott Winkleman tions and, having a background in print production and design, figured a new , updated guidebook would be an ideal enterprise. On his way back to Denver, Kyle called his paddling buddy Evan, and they began brainstorming Contributing Writers on ideas for a new book. By the end of that year, they had a publisher lined Roy Hovland, Kara Lamb, up and spent much of 2006 hitting every section of river within a day’s drive, Joshua Osborne, Niko Peha, sometimes arriving at the put-in at 4:00 am after driving all night. Scott Winkleman The pair drove over 30,000 miles last summer alone to get beta on runs in the book but also relied on over 170 contributors to provide knowledge, expertise Letter from the Editor: and photos to make the book as comprehensive as possible. They view their book as a product of the boating community and have dedicated nine Fellow Buzzards, pages to acknow ledge those who contributed.

Welcome and thanks for reading the WSR has been well thought out and organized into 25 regions or drainages first issue of Whitew ater Matters, the that make it easy to find the run you’re looking for fast. Regional maps have official newsletter of Mountain Buzz. also been included that mark runs by both color-coding and page number. We envision this newsletter to be a In addition, there’s an alphabetical listing in the back of the book for all 400 product of the whitew ater community. runs. Other listings include run difficulty by chapter and quality by run diffi- We all have a passion for rivers culty. The “quality” rating they assign is a one through five-star ranking that is and boating and this is a place completely subjective and may change depending on flow s. A “beta box” is where that passion can be shared. provided for each run for a quick glance at the specifics. The details the box provides varies a little from run to run but generally includes the minimum If you have a suggestion, a story, flow s, class, quality rating, gradient, season length, run length, the gauge to gear review or anything you feel check flow s for that run and the put in and take out. your fellow Buzzards could benefit from, please share it with us! The biggest difference between WSR and CRCII is its comprehensiveness. If there is a run w ithin a day’s drive, w hether it’s a class I float or a “not recom- Be sure to check out our Member mended” (think over V+) creek you’ll find it in this book. The book also in- Profile on page 3. Josh Osborne, cludes descriptions of playparks and squirt boat runs and includes many in- aka BastardSonOfElvis shares some spiring, full page photos. Also scattered among the run descriptions are an personal information from Bagdad. assortment of river stories, some humorous – some frightening, and a sobering Also, check out the Events Calendar dedication honoring paddlers who are no longer with us. on pages 6 & 7. There are lots of great events this month to kick off Whether you’re a beginning kayaker looking for your first easy run or a grizzled the boating season! hair-boater, you’ll want this book. Run off is here – go get ya some!

SYOTR, Whitewater of the Southern Rockies can be ordered at scottw www.wolverinepublishing.com .

-Reviewed by Scott Winkleman

www.mountainbuzz.com Page 2 Whitewater Matters · May 2007 Buzzard Profile of the Month:

BastrdSonOfElvis

Real Name: Joshua T. Osborne

Age: 28

Resides In: Baghdad, Iraq…I left Condo Springs and will return to Gunny/CB.

Original Hometown: Venango County, PA…not much of a town, really.

Josh, his wife Casie, and dog Gizmo Number of Years Paddling: Six. missed an easy eddy I was supposed to catch to Boat(s): Jackson SuperStar, Necky Blunt…I’m stoked on a around one of the bigger drops, Sunshine falls. I ended up Jackson MegaRocker when I get home. going over it backw ards. My paddling buds tried to grab my bow loop as I drifted towards oblivion and the terror in : Assorted Werners, glass blades, nothing fancy I their faces is etched into my memory. I tucked against the break them too often. cockpit, ditched my paddle and waited to feel a lot of pain. My stern pitoned on the big rock at the bottom so Favorite run & why : That’s a tough question. I’m the guy hard I was ejected out of the seat and the pounding water that w atches a great movie and says “that’s my favorite blew my skirt and slammed my boat on top of me. I movie” and right then, I mean it. So, w henever I have a ended up out of boat having little to do with it. I basically great day on the river (and most of them are) I’m likely to closed my eyes tight, felt weightlessness, a huge jolt and say “that’s my favorite river”. If I had to pick, I’d say I’ve then I was swimming. Amazingly, I w as more or less un- had the most fun on the Moose in NY or maybe the Ot- scathed. Found my paddle and everything. And my tawa. In Colorado, I’d have to say the Royal Gorge only blunt…well, blunts are indestructible. Maybe the luckiest because that’s the closest thing to Condo Springs and I day of my life. could hit it after work. I guess it’s more my convenient river. It’s pretty scenic, too, and pretty fun at most levels. What is the one experience you’d like most to Paddle out sucks, but you can moon the train while you forget? Hmm…probably w hen I arrived at the Pueblo park have some beers at the takeout. to find tons of firetrucks and cop cars. Instead of getting my surf on I spent the afternoon looking for a little boy’s Why did you start kayaking? In dental school my buddy body. I’ve never been around when the river’s taken any- Lars Christensen from SLC needed a paddling partner. We one before and it was pretty disturbing. I kept probing the hung out a lot and after I got a scholarship from the army eddies w ith my paddle hoping his blanched face didn’t he saw I had some disposable income to invest in gear float to the surface. I didn’t want to find him. I tried to be- and little disregard for my personal safety -- so he thought I lieve he climbed out down stream and was at a was the natural choice. It looked pretty cool so I gave it a neighbor’s house. shot. He taught me to roll one day in a pond in CT just af- ter the ice broke. The water was so cold it was basically What do you do in the off-season? I love snowboarding shear will that got me up on the second try. It was like “I’m almost as much as boating and I can’t w ait to splitboard not putting my balls in that water again but my head must when I get home next winter. When there’s no snow or come out now”. The next day we went to a little class III water I mountain bike…poorly. I also just like kickin it with section and the day after to the local playspot called “T- my wife, Casie, and my dog Gizmo – knock back a few ville”. I got shaded in a nasty hole I wasn’t supposed to go brew s or an aged single malt and throw the old slobbery near, sw am a lot and almost froze to death but I was tennis ball. I miss them both like you wouldn’t believe. hooked. After that it was “w hen we goin’ boatin, Lars?” Best kayaking advice you’ve been given? “DON’T LOOK What is your most memorable kayaking experience? The AT THE HOLE/STRAINER/ROCK/SIEVE OR YOU WILL END UP IN second year I was boating Lars and I skipped school for a IT/PINNED ON IT!” week or so and took a road trip dow n to Ashvegas, hitting the New along the w ay. It was my first kayaking road trip and I had a blast sleeping in a freezing cold, stinky van. I got on the Green and was scared shitless. Exhausted, I

Page 3 Whitewater Matters · May 2007 rado River to augment flows in the 15 Mile Reach. This Klamb’s Korner year, only the Blue River basin is looking like a candidate for “Coordinated Res Ops.” If so, you could see a larger all and welcome to my column on Federal release from Green Mountain to the Lower Blue the last water projects and operations in Colorado, week of May or first week of June. Hi mainly those that release from dams to rivers. Each column, I’ll provide an update of current Reclamation Colorado River and related activities around Colorado. Please don’t be shy For those of you interested in Colorado River flows in the in suggesting future topics for this column. If you hear about state of Colorado, there are several public meetings over a Federal project that concerns you, let me know. I’ll check the next two weeks that you might find interesting. They are it out and report back here. called the “State of the River” meetings and the Colorado River Water Conservation District hosts them every spring, Now, the update From the Feds : right before run-off. At the meetings, water operators of res- ervoirs releasing to the Colorado River provide information Arkansas River regarding their projections for the water year. Reclamation’s Fryingpan-Arkansas Project diverts water from the upper basin of the Fryingpan River near Aspen, We don’t often see recreation interests at the meetings, under the Continental Divide, and into Turquoise Reser- but I think feedback from white water enthusiasts would voir near Leadville. From there, water travels to Twin definitely be appreciated. If you’re interested in attend- Lakes. Releases from Twin Lakes via Lake Creek go into ing, here is State of the River meeting schedule: the Arkansas and travel to Pueblo Reservoir. •May 9, 7:00 p.m., Basalt High School in Basalt, CO: As of May 1, we are not moving any Fry-Ark Project water Roaring Fork (imported water from the West Slope) down the Arkansas or •May 10, 7:00 p.m., Grand Junction City Council through Pueblo Dam. Releases from Pueblo Dam to the Ar- Chambers: Colorado River mtg. #1 kansas are currently all “native,” i.e. East Slope snowmelt. •May 15, 7:00 p.m. Granby Town Hall, Granby CO: This week, releases from Pueblo Dam are near 500 cfs. Colorado River mtg. #2 •May 16, 7:00 p.m. Community and Senior Center, Frisco, Blue River CO: Colorado River mtg. #3 The Blue River basin has one of the best remaining snow packs in the state. Dillon Reservoir, owned by Denver Water, For more information on these meetings, please visit the is close to full and bypassing inflow on down to Green River District’s website at http://www.crwcd.org/ Mountain Reservoir. Green Mountain is owned by Reclama- page_115 . tion as part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project. Also on the Colorado River is a dam called Price-Stubb. As Green Mountain is the senior water right on the Blue River some of you probably already know, this dam is scheduled and is currently in priority to store water. On April 27, we to have a fish ladder constructed on it as part of the Endan- announced our “start of fill.” Releases from the dam to gered Fish Recovery Program I mentioned earlier. Please the Lower Blue were cut back and are running at about keep in mind that the dam, and the fish ladder once it is 100 cfs. constructed, are not intended for kayaking or any other recreation. Please do not there. It is very likely Green Mountain Reservoir, and possibly Dil- lon, will participate in the Coordinated Reservoir Opera- Fryingpan River tions program this year. This program, part of the Upper Unlike last year, we are not planning any large releases from Colorado River Basin Endangered Fish Recovery Program Ruedi Dam to the Fryingpan, this year. But, if you are up in (yup, that’s its official title) is designed to augment flows Basalt on May 17, I will be hosting our annual Ruedi Reservoir in the critical “15 Mile Reach” of the Colorado River up- operations meeting at 7 p.m. Our meeting will be in the Ba- stream of Grand Junction. That reach of river is important salt Town Hall, in the middle of town, next to the public li- to two species of endangered native fish that used to be brary. Maybe I’ll see some of you there. prevalent here in Colorado: the Colorado Pike Minnow and the Razorback Sucker. That’s it for now.

If flows in the 15 Mile Reach do not reach a certain level Next time: an update on proposed water projects cur- during run-off each spring, and if basin snowpacks are rently undergoing National Environmental Policy Act average or above, operators of reservoirs like Green compliance. Mountain, Dillon, Wolford, Williams Fork, Granby and Ruedi coordinate releases from their dams to the Colo- --Kara Lamb

Page 4 Whitewater Matters · May 2007 get any closer than rope distance either. Later, I found out he Close call on Bailey jumped in to attempt a desperate grab while floating by. I start to By Roy Hovland realize that I'm the only one who's going to be able to free me. The rock is too tall to get anything but a rope to me and that won’t do ailey Canyon runs between the tow ns of Bailey and Pine, anything but occupy my hands with the skirt snagged. With the cur- Colorado on the North Fork of the South Platte River. The rent as fast as it was, nobody would be able to stay where I was with- B flow is mostly artificial, provided from Dillon reservoir under out being tied in, in which case they'd be just as screwed as me. I the continental divide via the Roberts Tunnel. W hat this means in April can't feel my hands and I'm getting really tired fighting the current. If I is that the water’s brisk, as Dillon’s most likely still frozen over. The run relax, my head goes under, but I relax now and then just to take the through Bailey Canyon is mostly read and run class IV, with three dis- load off anyw ay. tinct V’s that warrant scouting and/or portaging.

So one fine Colorado Spring day in April ‘06, I joined tw o paddling And the damn skirt isn't cutting!!! buddies, Jeff and Ture, for our first run of the season through Bailey Cany on. I w as sporting a brand new Salto I had procured in the It's really hard to see what I’m doing, since it's all under water and the off season that had y et to touch the w ater. The sun w as shining current's blowing my hands all over the place. The skirt’s more and the w ater w as pumping out of the tunnel. It looked to be an shielded from the current in front, but the thing is SUPER tight around my waist due to the water coming down on my back and I'm not ex cellent start to another Colorado kay aking season! w anting to disembow el myself in the process. I keep working at the All sy stems go below “SuperMax”, the second class V. I alw ays sides in the current, using slashing motions wherever I feel like I’ve got feel a little more relaxed after I’m dow nstream of SuperMax, re- the best access to the rim, but it doesn’t seem to be making any pro- gardless of whether or not I’m running it. Next up is an ugly class gress. I’m starting to lose hope. Maybe even accepting my fate. I IV that goes by “Trash Can”. Trash Can consists of a jumble of distinctly remember thinking that I may as well keep working it until I rocks in the middle of the river just above a hard left turn w ith an pass out, and the drowning will go easier that way. undercut w all on the right. The preferred line is left, but right goes too, so long as one stays clear of the undercut w all. The key is to Then w ith no warning or reason to expect a different result, the blade make a decision as y ou come around the corner w ith the current slashed through the skirt’s Kevlar band in one fell swoop. It wasn't like blow ing y our directly into the pile of rocks. "I'm getting closer...almost there...", more like "this aint working, but w hat else to do?" and then suddenly it worked. The thing cut in one He w ho hesitates is lost. sw ipe and I was instantly blown dow nstream for an ex hausted, So I hesitate, get blow n into the ugly jumble, and flip. And my first bumpy, but very relieved class IV sw im. I even managed to sheath roll in the new (unoutfitted) boat is a cold, bouncy combat roll…or my blade in between drops (not gonna lose THAT knife). rather my first sw im out of the new boat is a cold, bouncy combat affair. Now the current is taking me tow ards a big, undercut rock So if y ou’re reading this, I’d ex pect you’re a kay aker, and I’m hop- on river left, so I "assume the position" to bounce off feet first, but ing y ou can take a few lessons aw ay from my ex perience. Here’s w hen my feet hit, the current blow s me into the undercut and be- w hat I took: low the surface just to the right of the rock, and then YANK!!! 1) Alw ays, alw ays, alw ays wear a river knife where y ou can Something's got me by the waist and I'm stuck underw ater in a lot of get it if y ou need it. In over 15 y ears of paddling w ith flow. I managed to get my feet on some rocks and push up to get an them, I had never used one in a real emergency until this air pocket, with a rooster tail shooting over the top. So I can breathe, incident. Sometimes you wonder w hy you keep replacing but I'm stuck, I can't see what's got me and there's a shitload of water them w hen they fall out every few years, but if I didn't pouring over my shoulders and occasionally head.! have mine then, I doubt I'd be w riting this today.

Somew here between the YANK and scrambling for footing, my skirt 2) Kevlar rimmed skirts can be really hard to cut. This didn't got spun around backwards, which is what had me confused. I didn't even cross my mind w hen I initially made the purchase, think "skirt" when trying to figure out what could be pulling me from but I won't be ow ning another one. behind, so it took me a minute or so to figure out w hat was snagged.

There's probably a couple hundred pounds of water pouring down on 3) Dress for immersion. With an early season run like this, my back, so it's REALLY tight on front (a year later, I've still got minor w earing all our w arm gear w as a no-brainer, but now I scars on one hip from the skirt tension) and I'm not sure I can slide out dress warm for this run even late summer, as the w ater out of it. In any case, doing so would mean surrendering my foothold, of the tunnel is alw ays cold. Thi nk w orst case. w hich is my air, so that's the last thing I want to do.

4) Get your boat dialed in before y ou go creeking. At a So I unsheathe my knife and go at the skirt. My last knife had come minimum, get the outfitting right, but knocking off a few out in the river late in the previous season, and thank God I re- rolls before y ou need one isn’t a bad idea either. placed it before my first run this y ear! I picked up a Bearclaw, be- cause of the blade shape. Its curved blade looked to me like it 5) Bad things can happen very quickly during a sw im. Better w ould be ideal for cutting rope, w hich I ex pected to be the most to stick it out, take a few knocks and get the roll than to likely use. W hat I hadn't really paid much attention to was the trig- bail. ger finger hole right below the blade. This is a GREAT FEATURE in a river knife! I spent at least 10 minutes stuck there and I don't know if 6) Never give up! You may be closer than y ou think, and my numb hands could have held onto a regular knife handle that besides—what do y ou have to lose? long w ith the river blow ing on me like that. Be safe out there! By now, I can see Jeff on a small cliff river right offering to throw a rope, but I wave him off, because that would just occupy my hands Originally post ed on Mount ainbuzz April 24 th , 2006; Revised May 1 st , that are cutting a skirt. Ture is on river left, but I can’t see him. He can't 2007 Page 5 Events Calendar - May

4th – 6 th structors for a weekend of on w ater boating, education, entertain- Alpine Quest Sports Kayak Swap ment, environmental education and instruction. Join a pro kay - Alpine Quest Sports in is having its annual kay ak sw ap & sale. Rain aker for a freesty le clinic, take a guided tour on the river, partici- or shine or snow . pate in a 'how to' clinic, show off y our skills in a fun kay ak competi- Location; Edwards, CO tion in the new river park or relax and w atch live music and vid- Information: 970-926-3867; click here for website eos . Paddlefest 07, the Kick Off to Paddling is sure to be a hit as this year's event will take place on the legendary Arkansas River. 5th Colorado Kay ak Supply in Buena Vista will be the 'Event Head- PPWC Beginner Trip – Old Parkdale quarters' for most of the activities. CKS will also host a gear sw ap Join the Pikes Peak W hitewater Club for this beginner trip on the and storew ide sale throughout the weekend. Gear up for Pad- Arkansas River, the Old Parkdale section. There w ill be ex peri- dlefest '07! enced boaters along to provide safety and offer boating tips. You Location; Buena Vista, CO must register in advance if y ou plan on attending and be a cur- Information: 888-265-2925; www .coloradokayak.com rent member of PPW C or have ACA insurance through another club. Visit the website for more information. Location; Colorado Springs, CO 18 th – 20 th Information: click here for website Colorado Whitewater Training Camp Come join y our Colorado W hitew ater friends at Training Camp, 5th & 6 th it’s CW's largest annual event. You can learn new skills, meet new Riversports Used Gear Swap & Season Kick-Off Sale paddling buddies, and build confidence on the w ater by pad- Sell y our old gear for cash or store credit. Buy new gear at season dling w ith skilled kay akers. You must register in advance and be a kick-off prices. Gear check in May 4th all day and May 5th 7-8:30 current member of CW to attend. Off-river activities will include am. Doors open at 9:00 am each day .10% off storewide. Receive group dinner and breakfast, plenty of campfire time, and even 20-50% off select boats and gear. Please see the w ebsite for more live music! info. Location; Loma Linda KOA Campground, Cotopaxi, CO Location; Durango, CO Information: w ebsite click here ; eric@coloradow hitewater.org Information: www.riversports.com/events/specialevents.php 24 th 12 th LVM Video Premiere with PPWC Ice Breaker Rodeo Join Tommy Hilleke, John Grace and the Pikes Peak W hitew ater Registration opens at 9am, Rodeo starts at 10am. Prizes aw arded Club for the Premiere of LVM's latest video. This event will take to top finishers in the rodeo and to random boaters! Come com- place at Southside Johnny 's at 528 S. Tejon St. pete, spectate and paddle the new est boats from Dagger and Location; Colorado Springs, CO Py ranha! Music, fun and w ater provided for some aw esome early- Information: website click here season boating! This is an ACA event. Location; Pueblo W hitew ater Park 28 th Information: 719-583-2021; w ebsite click here Paddling Life Invitational Fish Creek Race and Freestyle Competition . A select 4 -8 local PPWC Beginner Trip – Pueblo Playpark Colorado boaters competing against the pros in tow n for the Teva Join the Pikes Peak W hitewater Club for this beginner trip at the Mountain Games in Vail. Pueblo Play park. There w ill be ex perienced boaters along to pro- Location; Vail, CO vide safety and offer boating tips. You must register in advance if Information: website click here y ou plan on attending and be a current member of PPW C or have ACA insurance through another club. Visit the w ebsite for 29 th – June 4 th more information. 2007 Teva Mountain Games Location; Pueblo, CO The 2007 Teva Mountain Games returns to Vail. Professional and Information: website click here amateur athletes will converge upon the mountains and rivers of Vail to compete in six sports and ten disciplines. 18 th – 20 th Location; Vail, CO PPWC at Paddlefest 2007 Information: website click here Join Pikes Peak W hitewater Club at Paddlefest 2007! W e’ll be camping nearby and joini ng in all the festivities. There w ill be club 29 th river trips on the 19 th & 20 th and w e’ll also supporting American East vs. West Amateur Kayak Rodeo (Qualifier) W hitewater’s fundraising efforts by helping out at there booth. Teva Mountain Games Come join us for the fun! W hat better w ay to settle the 100 y ear debate over w ater Location; Buena Vista, CO rights...take the best boaters in each region and have them battle Information: website click here it out. The top 2 male and the top female finishers from the Avon rodeo will qualify and ditto for the West team qualifier in Vail Vil- 18 th – 20 th lage. CKS Paddlefest Location; Avon, CO Colorado Kay ak Supply is bringing together the largest and most Information: website click here w ell renow ned manufacturers, top pro kay akers and leading in-

Page 6 Events Calendar

29 th 31 st TMG - East vs. West Qualifier after Party Dagger Steep Creek Championship Party Come to the East vs. West Qualifier After-Party at 7:30pm. Located in Teva Mountain Games the heart of Avon Colorado, Finnegans Wake Traditional Irish Pub Dagger Steep Creek Championship Aw ards Ceremony & Party at hosts live music and a traditional Irish Pub Menu. 9:30 pm. Location; Finnegans W ake, 82 Beaver Creek Blvd, Avon, CO Location; Vendetta's, 291 Bridge St, Vail, CO Information: 970-748-4610; w ebsite click here Information: (970) 476-1305

30 th June 1 st Kayak Paddlecross Pro Kayak Rodeo (Qualifier) Teva Mountain Games Teva Mountain Games These races date back to the days of the Champion International This mainstay of the Mountain Games features the w orld's best W hitewater Series almost 15 y ears ago. The updated version fea- play boaters in an old-fashioned throw dow n on the Vail Whitew a- tures four kayakers battling it out on the Class IV rapids of Dow d ter Park at 2:00 pm. Each kay aker has a timed run to throw his Chute on the Eagle River . best tricks in an attempt to impress the judges and the crow d for Location; Dow d Chute (Minturn Ex it #172), Minturn, CO the highest combined score. Please note that the qualifiers are Information: w ebsite click here required unless y ou have been pre-qualified or invited. Location; Whitew ater Park, Vail, CO 30 th Information: w ebsite click here Kayak Paddlecross Awards/Party Teva Mountain Games June 2 nd The Kay ak Paddlecross Aw ards Ceremony & Party w ill be held at Pro Kayak Rodeo (Semi-Finals) the Minturn Saloon at11:15 am. Teva Mountain Games Location; Minturn Saloon, Minturn, CO This mainstay of the Mountain Games features the w orld's best Information: http://www .minturnsaloon.com/ play boaters in an old-fashioned throw dow n on the Vail Whitew a- ter Park at 10:00 am. Each kay aker has a timed run to throw his 30 th best tricks in an attempt to impress the judges and the crow d for Golden Community Rodeo Series the highest combined score. Please note that the qualifiers are This w ill be the 5th annual w hitewater GCRS. It’s organized, man- required unless y ou have been pre-qualified or invited. aged, and r un ex clusively by local volunteers w hose common Location; Whitew ater Park, Vail, CO characteristic is the hope that all levels of boaters will feel wel- Information: website click here comed at this event – from the meekest “new bie” to the local he- roes. Our goal is to provide fun events w here everyone is wel- June 2 nd come, and everyone is supported. The course is located at the Pro Kayak Rodeo (Finals) w est end of Tenth Street, adjacent to Lions Park in Golden. Park- Teva Mountain Games ing is located at Lions Park, the ball fields and adjacent areas. This mainstay of the Mountain Games features the world's best play- Location: Clear Creek Whitew ater Park, Golden, CO boaters in an old-fashioned throw dow n on the Vail W hitew ater Park Information: w ebsite click here at 5:00 pm. Each kayaker has a timed run to throw his best tricks in an attempt to impress the judges and the crowd for the highest com- 31 st bined score. Please note that the qualifiers are required unless you Big Trick Competition have been pre-qualified or invited. Teva Mountain Games Location; Whitew ater Park, Vail, CO Go big or go home. Checkout the world's best kayakers as they Information: website click here throw dow n their new est and most innovative tricks in this best trick w ins format! The action starts at 4:00 pm. June 2 nd Location; Whitew ater Park, Vail, CO PPWC Parkdale- Pinnacle Rock River Clean-Up Information: website click here Join the Pikes Peak W hitewater Club as w e participate in National River Clean-up W eek. We’ll be cleaning up the Parkdale/Pinnacle 31 st Rock section follow ed by a run dow n the river. You must register in Dagger Steep Creek Championship advance if y ou plan on attending and either be a current mem- Teva Mountain Games ber of PPW C or have ACA insurance through another club. Visit Dropping a whopping 480 feet per mile, Homestake Creek is a paddling the website for more information. gem that was once known only to Vail Valley locals. Then, in 2002, local Location; Colorado Springs, CO weatherman, shuttle driver and pro kayaker extraordinaire Ken “ Hobie ” Information: website click here Hoeve hosted a successful grassroots race on the creek with little more than a keg of beer waiting at the finish line. In 2003, Teva Mountain Games took Homestake Creek nationwide as some of the world's best paddlers hucked their meat down the drops. The rules are simple – the fastest time to the finish line of the ¼ mile creek wins. Location; Homestake Creek, Red Cliff, CO Information: website click here

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