DISTRACTIONS The Glenwood Springs Whitewater Park

In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s the era of the whitewater park began. While freestyle kayaking, what we often call “playboating”, had been popular in various forms for several decades, rapidly shortening boats shrank the river features kayakers were able to play in. The appeal of “park and play” was obvious. No need for a shuttle; no need for the hassle. You could boat at your own pace for as long or short and hard or casual as desired. A few pioneering towns had the notion of creating artificial play park-and-play waves to boost local economy. Salida and Buena Vista on the Arkansas River were among the first. Utilizing the already existing platform of FibArk—a whitewater competition which at the time was primarily focused on the downriver and, to a lesser extent, slalom races—the boaters of the Arkansas Valley created what is to this day one of the best and most prestigious freestyle kayaking events in the world held at the artificial wave in Salida.

The Park at low water

With Colorado towns growing fat on the outdoor recreation industry, towns all over Colorado began to develop their own whitewater parks and freestyle kayak events. Successful whitewater parks were constructed in Gunnison, Lyons, Avon, Vail, Golden, and more. It seemed only natural that the at least one community in the boater-dense Roaring Fork Valley would follow suit. The years passed, however, and no progress was apparent.

In the middle of the first decade of the 2000’s, new energy reinvigorated the movement of the Glenwood Springs Whitewater Park, which had previously been stalled by concerns of the Hot Springs Lodge and Pool that any dredging on the basement rock during the park’s construction could adversely affect the hot springs aquifer and threaten their multi-million dollar property. An ad-hoc committee was officially appointed by the city and charged with seeing the project through to its conclusion. I was lucky enough to take part in the process during those final crucial years.

The committee consisted of about a dozen core members, consisting of local business owners, a smattering of kayakers of various ilk, and other non-boating members of the local population who, for whatever reason, took a shine to the dream of a whitewater park. Local engineer/hydrologist Jason Carey was brought in to the discussions. It was Jason and his partner Nick Turner who would ultimately do much of surveying for and designing of the whitewater park as it exists today. 

Since Two Rivers Park was deemed too close to the hot springs aquifer, a number of alternatives were considered, including Glenwood Canyon, South Canyon, numerous spots along the Roaring Fork River, and on the Colorado in West Glenwood just upstream or just downstream of the Midland Avenue Bridge. There were several key components that the committee was looking for in the site, and it seemed that none of the options had them all. The location had to have gradient, be accessible, have parking, be publicly owned, and have potential to draw visitors into Glenwood Springs to spend their money (otherwise what interest did the city or county have in paying for the park in the first place).

The Park at 4,000 cfs

With its Gold Medal Fishing designation and abundant private property, the Roaring Fork River was eliminated early, despite its tremendous potential. We knew that to really maximize our investment the feature had to be built on the world famous Colorado River. No other artificial play wave had yet been built on the Colorado and admittedly we wanted to be the first. The only question was where.

We eliminated South Canyon next. Though there was great potential since the city owned the land and parking was plentiful, the committee decided that South Canyon was simply too far from town and would not draw in visitors to Glenwood Springs the way it potentially could.

Glenwood Canyon also had several strong possible locations and seemed more closely connected to town than South Canyon. However, access in the tight corridors of Glenwood Canyon ultimately made the logistics impossible. We turned our eyes to the only possibility that was left: West Glenwood. 

We scouted the West Glenwood location extensively in 2006 and 2007; originally thinking that downstream of the Midland Avenue Bridge was the most likely spot. Most of the hotels and restaurants in the vicinity were cooperative and enthusiastic about the project. Feeling we had found our location at last, we began the process of obtaining permits and seeking funding. 

The many months that followed were spent applying for grants and prodding city council and the Board of County Commissioners for money. After several failed attempts at a GoCo (Great Outdoors Colorado) grant, the City of Glenwood Springs, with some help from Garfield County, decided to invest whatever it would take to finish the complete the project. Now we had our location and our money and all that remained was to get our rocks down in that river.

Construction began at last in the winter of 2007/2008, one of the heaviest snow years in a decade. Eco-friendly oils and fuels were required for all machinery that entered the river. The feature was built in two halves and un-veiled in the early spring of 2008. When the resulting runoff from the heavy snow came, we watched in wonder as the feature we had conceived ran the spectrum of possible flows. While the original intention had been to build a wave that was good mostly at the target levels of 4,000 cfs and below, we discovered that the feature not only still worked above 4,000 cfs but that as the water came up the wave seemed to only get better. Many Roaring Fork Valley playboater burned hours upon hours that first year on the wave, excited with each new day to see how the feature changed. The river reached 8,000 and it turned from a hole to wave. At 10,000 it was a spinning, front surfing, roundhouse machine. By 12,000 the good boaters were getting full-on aerial tricks. Buzz circulated the freestyle scene and playboaters from all over came to see what it was all about. Some of the best playboaters in the world camped out in Glenwood for several long weeks.

Surfing the Park at 15,000 cfs

Another pleasing surprise was the wave’s popularity with non-kayakers such as surfboarders and, a bit later, Stand-Up Paddleboaders. From the standpoint of those that invested their time, energy, and even money into the wave, it had never been a park just for kayakers. The fact that on many days kayakers are only a small percentage of the SUPers, surfers, and spectators present at the park is a sign of its success on a broader scale, which had been the goal from the beginning. 

 The river peaked that first season just over 20,000 cfs, toppling a few of the newly constructed boulders in the process. Corrections were made and the banks improved in subsequent years.

In the spring of 2009 the hype surrounding the park allowed Glenwood to win the bid for U.S. Team Trials for the 2010 World Cup team. The event was held at the new whitewater park in late May of 2009 at flows around 15,000 cfs. The town of Glenwood Springs later declined an invite to host the World Championships, citing a lack of necessary infrastructure to accommodate such an event at the site.

The runoffs of 2010 and 2011 were epic, boasting some of the highest and most sustained flows the valley had seen since the infamous record years of 1983 and 1984. 2011 was especially memorable. Late spring snows and cool temperatures kept the water high. The river peaked in late June at over 27,000 cfs through the park and stayed well over 15,000 cfs for almost three months. No matter how high the flows got, the wave only seemed to get better. As far as we have discovered, there is absolutely no level in which there isn’t some play at the Glenwood Whitewater Park.   

DISTRACTIONS The Legend of South Canyon

The eddy was eerily silent. Memories, almost tangible in my mind, came sweeping to the forefront of my conscience. There were days not so far past when boats would line up at this very spot by the dozen, all jockeying for a turn to surf one of the Colorado River’s best play waves. The flow was 3,500 cfs. Three or four years ago this exact level would have brought kayakers from across the state.

South Canyon was once a king among surf waves. In the 1990s during the era of longer boats, you could sit on the wave for hours, gliding and carving across its dynamic face. As boats shortened with the coming of the new millennium, Southy (as it was affectionately referred) was the perfect place for dizzying flat spins and roundhouses. As kayaks became even shorter, we found that South Canyon was the perfect place to learn the new aerial tricks, blunts and helixes.

South Canyon’s golden age of freestyle pre-eminence lasted well over a decade. It was common for the wave, with its small window for good surfing, to be in for only a few days as flows came up and receded. South Canyon days were treated as special holidays, well worth a sick day from work or unexcused absence from school. We spent countless hours on those holidays trying and perfecting the latest tricks: right blunt, left bunt, helix, flip turn. But now, just a few short years later, the eddy had fallen silent. No cheers of glee. No eddyline chatter. No camera clicks or excited dogs barking. Just a lonely silence. What had happened?

In 2008 the Glenwood Springs Whitewater Park was constructed in West Glenwood. Although we didn’t yet know it, this was the beginning of the end for the Age of South Canyon. As the levels that summer spiked to near ten-year records, we were delighted to discover that our new wave—the product of over ten years of hard work—only got better as the water came up. Above 10,000 cfs the whitewater park formed something unprecedented in Colorado: a wide, fast, tall, and bouncy big water surf spot. The new wave not only overshadowed South Canyon but anything else in the state. It was consistent, easy to access, and allowed a variety of tricks with the ability to easy link them without washing out.

When the river reached that critical window the first season, the boating crowd was divided between the new whitewater park and old Southy. Some paddlers still clung to the old hero. But highwater in 2010 and again in 2011 (the latter reaching a 27-year high of 27,000 cfs) altered South Canyon forever. No longer did the wave hold its classic shape. The death of the King was complete.    

Now, as age and two decades of experience have begun to catch up with me, it has become easy to slip into the “you should have been there when…” rhetoric of the old timers. But sitting in the eddy at South Canyon at 3,500 cfs, remembering when this exact level would have seen the parking lot three-cars deep with excited boaters, it was hard to fight off the memories and turn to those too young or too new to the sport and start to talk about what used to be.

DISTRACTIONS River Terminology

Appendix A

Glossary of River Terms 

Hey, even if you aren’t a very good boater, at least you can sound like you know what you are talking about. Impress your girlfriend (or boyfriend) by creating the impression that you know what you are talking about. Brush up on your boater lingo and be the armchair rodeo star on the banks of the Glenwood Springs Whitewater Park.

Blunt- The staple of a wave rider’s repertoire. A vertical carving turn performed on the face of steep wave. Really good blunts can catch several feet of air.

Blind- Running a rapid without having scouted it. Can be exhilarating and/or punishing, depending on your luck.

Boof- Paddling briskly (and with well-timed technique) to skip off a steep drop and launch you (hopefully) past the ensuing hydraulic at its bottom. A vigorous chunder (see subsequent entry) awaits should you fail proper execution. 

Cartwheel- Whee! Vertical or near vertical rotations until you puke!  How many can you tolerate? This self-explanatory maneuver barely even nets points in today’s modern scoring system. Also known as “throwing ends”.

Chunder- Ever been jealous of your Sunday laundry? Powerful hydraulics can give you that spin-cycle experience you always been curious about.

Eddy- Whenever any fluid flows around an obstruction it has to spin back around to fill in the void behind it. On a river, eddies form behind rocks and jutting points of land. For boaters, eddies are our parking garages. I have seen them from inches across to the size of a football field.

Eddyflower- Any paddler, can be male or female these days I suppose, who prefers to spend their time in the eddy looking good rather than thrashing that surf spot.

Flat spin- While definitely not as ancient as the pirouette or the ender, this trick is definitely yesterday’s news. Still good fun, and well-worth mastering to spice up any bag of tricks.   

Gaper- c’mon we all know one of these. A gaper is anybody who calls a loop a “flip” or has a $429 AT bent shaft paddle but holds it upside down. Also, anybody that yells from the bank, “How ‘bout a roll squirt?” certainly deserves this prestigious designation.

Helix- Inverted, fully aerial, 360-degree retentive rotation. Invented by Steve Fischer on the giant-water waves of Africa’s Zambezi River. Longhaired, freaky gapers need not apply. 

Hole- The frothing whitewater that forms behind a steep pourover. They can range in size from tiny to building sized and vary from friendly to violent. You will know which from which when you see them. If you don’t, you will after dropping in to a few. 

Huck- Another term for throw or launch. I.e. “I just hucked myself over the drop and hoped for the best.” Or “He hucked a massive loop!”.

Loop- Fully aerial front flip initiated by driving your bow into the green water of a steep hole and throwing your weight aggressively forward as you rocket upward.  Impressive, but does not carry the clout that it once did. Comes in “front” and “back” varieties. 

Lunar Orbit- Sputnik did not orbit the moon but you can upon mastery of this Eric Jackson invented maneuver. Spinning, crossgrain, cartwheel-flip might describe it best. 

Mank- Gnarly, rocky, probably wood-infested whitewater more reminiscent of a cheese grater than something any sane person would intentionally boat into for fun.

McNasty- Another trick in the crowd of cutting edge maneuvers guaranteed to receive “ooos” from the crowd if performed correctly. Switch stern blast 360 into front loop combination. 

Overly retentive- any hole or wave that holds you for multiple tricks even if you are ready to be let go. (related entries: retentive, sticky, window shade, chunder)

Phonics Monkey- A rare species of river monkey (Lophocebus Kayakus) that lives along rivers and streams in Colorado and other paddle-friendly states. Prefers to live on or near local whitewater parks or surf holes of other varieties. Okay, okay. It’s actually a retentive crossbow-initiated pirouette into a front loop. (If you see anyone actually perform one, they deserve a good pat on the back).

Retentive- A hole or wave that is sticky enough to allow for multiple tricks per ride. (related entry: overly-retentive).

Roostertail- A dangerous river hazard that forms when water fans off a shallow rock into a spray reminiscent of a rooster’s tail feathers. Almost always something to be avoided.

Sick- Not certain how this term came into being. Scholars maintain the etymology was lost centuries ago. Loosely interchangeable with the words “awesome” or perhaps “amazing”.

(Editor’s note: No animals were harmed in the creation of the sentence “that guy threw a sick phonics monkey.”)

Side surf- Surfing sideways. Did you really need someone to explain that to you? 

Sleeper-  A hidden rock with only a little water running over it that is close enough to the surface to stop of raft or kayak but invisible from above.

Space Godzilla- Its okay, don’t panic. This term has nothing to do with early-90’s Japanese film. The Space Godzilla is a trick normally (at least by me) performed on accident when a poorly executed loop goes wrong. Seriously though, this is a legitimate trick. Sort of an aerial cartwheelish, flippy thing with a twist. 

Sticky- Ever accidentally coated your fingertips with aquaseal while trying to repair that pesky drysuit gasket? Well, imagine a hole with giant, gnarled fingers, coated in aquaseal (or sometimes superglue) and those fingers are securely fixed around you and your kayak. At higher levels of this designation, zealous prayer might be your only hope for escape. 

Unintendo- The unintentional performance of a spectacular rodeo maneuver (or if you’re really unlucky: multiple maneuvers) in a sticky (see previous entry) hole, only to roll up and find yourself still caught in the hydraulic’s grasp. 

Window shade- Highly technical term used to describe multiple, unintentional, retentive rolls in a sticky hole or hydraulic. Not usually a pleasant experience for the victim; though people on shore often cheer while the action is being performed (victim remember: the spectators are not cheering for you). From the victim’s perspective it feels much like this: sky, water, sky, water, sky, water and can repeat indefinitely until victim decides to cut their losses and punch the eject button. (related entries: chunder, unintendo, sticky)