“River Surfing Day Zero” Is Getting More Tolerable in Colorado

River surfing day zero is the point in the river surfing season when water flow is depleted and turned down to an unsurfable level for the remainder of the year. This comes not only with an inability to river surf but also the five stages of grief.

Unfortunately the end of the river surfing season at most spots in Colorado happens without adequate prior notice for a chance at a last session to river surf. This is such an odd ending to such an addictive activity that river surfing is. Side effects of the cold-turkey stopping of river surfing year over year are similar but it seems that the blow of the end of river surfing season is softening.

First, here are the “five stages of grief” that you will go through when the water turns off for the river surfing season:

• Denial that the season is over. Symptoms include, incessant watching of the river gauges for even a hint of surfable waves, hope that monsoon rains deluge the tributaries for the local river waves to come up one last time, trying to find other places to river surf despite the conditions of those waves, and then back to checking the gauges like watching paint dry.
• Anger that the season is over. Symptoms include, rage at the-powers-that-be (water managers in particular) did not give a heads-up that the water was about to be turned down/off so that you could have scored on last river surf, disgust at those who appear to be smugly claiming the season is over, and just being irritable to be around since you are no longer river surfing.
• Bargaining that the river surfing season is not over. Symptoms include, bargaining with oneself and one’s bank account balance that there has got to be another place to travel to river surf, or maybe there is some place to ocean surf, or maybe a even a wave pool to surf.
• Depression of loss of river waves. Symptoms include loss of river surfing companionship, and sadness from the realization that it will be another eight months before the next river season starts.
• Acceptance that river surfing for the most part is done for the year. Symptoms are not really symptoms but a return to normal off-season life of not being addicted to river surfing and no longer having that unhealthy fear of missing out of when the river wave(s) are up.

How things are changing to help deal with the end of river surfing season in Colorado:

As we know, all good things come to end, especially each year for river surfing, but there are some major changes that are happening that help one deal with or even put off end of river surfing blues. Those changes are physical and informational.

More River Waves Being Built

Most importantly, more quality river waves are being built in Colorado that has expanded the river surfing season by months. In particular Scout Wave in Salida and likely Pueblo’s new wave.

Scout wave in particular has guaranteed water to August 15th each year under the Voluntary Flow Management Program (VFMP) in the Upper Arkansas River, except for drought years. Scout is located in the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) part of the Upper Arkansas River that extends from well north of Buena Vista past Salida and Cañon City ending for all purposes in Pueblo at the Pueblo reservoir/dam. The goal of the VFMP is to provide enough summer water in the upper Arkansas River for whitewater rafting and kayaking that is in the most commercially rafted river in the United States and is noted for its world-class fishery, for anglers fishing for brown and rainbow trout. Result is, Scout on most years will get surfable flow until August 15th and the AHRA does a good job of notifying the public when the water is planned to turn off or extent beyond August 15th. Here is a link to watch that you need to click the “WaterFlow Announcements” tab for indicators of VFMP flow that impacts the Scout Wave.. https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/ArkansasHeadwatersRecreationArea/Pages/Waterflow.aspx

Pueblo’s new wave located next to City Park (the last drop in the Waterworks whitewater park) is surprisingly very similar to the Scout Wave in shape, style, and flows to surf. Not much is known about how long of a season P-Towns New Wave will be surfable, but from early surf tests on that wave, it looks like it will last longer flow-wise and be surfable longer than say River Run Park and hopefully be surfable into mid/late August. No promises but P-town’s New Wave will also likely extend our river surfing season in Colorado. Take a look at the closest gauge to that wave and select “Last 365 days” for your thoughts on the P-Town Wave as people surf it over the next months at different flows… https://dwr.state.co.us/Tools/Stations/ARKMOFCO?params=DISCHRG

Other waves are surfable and plan to be built, though they are not close to Denver. One spot that is surfable to October is the Montrose waves but that wave park is a long drive and really only for the hearty since it is a bit difficult to surf and the water is cold.

Whitewater parks that are in the planning stage to be built in Colorado might extend the season but unfortunately most are being built on paper as kayak holes or tubing parks. Currently the only way whitewater parks are getting quality surfable river waves throughout Colorado and the nation is by the luck of the draw of who is designing and building these whitewater parks along with a good dose of “it maybe surfable“. For example BV plans to start building Pocket Wave 2.0 fall of 2024 that will be similar to Scout Wave and is being built by REP who built Scout, so chances are excellent that wave will be a quality wave to surf to August 15th of each year.

Information about River Surfing Season

Over the past decade, information about if and when river waves are surfable has been spotty. FaceBook seemed to be the main source of information and disinformation about river waves in Colorado. Luckily people are able to learn the tricks of reading when waves are up in Colorado using public gauges and other informational web pages such as the AHRA water flow page. The Denver Surf Report was created to provide information to the public on flows from Chatfield before it hits the gauges.

What the public needs is information on intended daily release before it hits the gauges and why the release is changing. Such information should include obvious future predictions of when the water flow changing or ending in particular for Chatfield Reservoir and Pueblo Reservoir.

The Chatfield Reservoir Operations Team has indicated that in time they may automate the planned daily release information. Such information could be then subscribed to by interested parties from water users, to first responders, to impacted business and parks, and of course to recreational users like us river surfers. The same should be done by the Pueblo Reservoir/Dam operators…. Contact your local council person, state rep, and the water boards to request transparency of daily planned water releases and why to include anticipated changes in release in the near future.

The Denver Surf Report is in reality a personal blog that strives to provide surf reports and predictions of when the surf is up or is not up. Our goal is that The Denver Surf Report will not be needed when it comes to providing information on flow changes ahead of the gauges but instead provide analysis of the releases and other river surfing information.

We have no idea how long The Denver Surf Report will remain in existence but hope to eventually pass The Denver Surf Report on to other open minded forward thinking river surfers to keep the blog going.

Other ways to deal with river surfing day zero:

Luckily we live in Colorado where there are so many activities to immerse oneself into after river surfing season ends. Some are willing to buy thick wetsuits/gloves/booties to surf every month out of the year at spots like Scout, maybe P-Town’s New Wave, Dave’s Wave, or when snowmelt hits RRP. Others go hit the slopes for our ski/boarding season that lasts literally from October to June or even longer. Some travel to the beaches and hit the ocean surf. Maybe in time, wave pools will become actually affordable to surf.

How do you to deal with end of river surfing season?

The comment section is open for any thoughts on how to better deal with the end of river surfing or even how to better experience the current river surfing season.

LBK