# Colorado This Weekend



## Beardance42 (May 12, 2008)

Pumphouse is gassing >6000 cfs right now. Laterals in Needle Eye are huge and chaotic, Yarmony hole would eat a bus. 

It's a VERY different experience at these levels than at 1500cfs. 

I wouldn't make a recommendation either way, not knowing your comfort level with big, cold, fast water...but yeah, Pumphouse grows mean and unforgiving at flows like this.


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## finripple (Jul 25, 2013)

Beardance42 said:


> Pumphouse is gassing >6000 cfs right now. Laterals in Needle Eye are huge and chaotic, Yarmony hole would eat a bus.
> 
> It's a VERY different experience at these levels than at 1500cfs.
> 
> I wouldn't make a recommendation either way, not knowing your comfort level with big, cold, fast water...but yeah, Pumphouse grows mean and unforgiving at flows like this.


Thanks. I'm pretty comfortable in big knarl having done The Grand, Westwater, Lunch Counter / Big Kahuna on the Snake, etc. I will have newbie passengers, however. I was just checking out some YouTube vids of Pumphouse at levels > 8k and it doesn't look that bad?? The 2 extra thousand CFS must mellow it out a bit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXtOZ4yyjww


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## Beardance42 (May 12, 2008)

finripple said:


> Thanks. I'm pretty comfortable in big knarl having done The Grand, Westwater, Lunch Counter / Big Kahuna on the Snake, etc. I will have newbie passengers, however. I was just checking out some YouTube vids of Pumphouse at levels > 8k and it doesn't look that bad?? The 2 extra thousand CFS must mellow it out a bit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXtOZ4yyjww


Have fun, be safe.


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## Pro Leisure (Sep 19, 2011)

At 6300 & rising there's lots of waves & good splashy fun. As noted eye of the needle has a couple of holes to dodge & yarmony will fuck you up if you don't go left entering the rapid & get back to center (there are a couple holes along the wall as the river turns right). Good high water fun if you gots the skills, but in a dory could be dicey. Stay safe out there!


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## finripple (Jul 25, 2013)

Pro Leisure said:


> At 6300 & rising there's lots of waves & good splashy fun. As noted eye of the needle has a couple of holes to dodge & yarmony will fuck you up if you don't go left entering the rapid & get back to center (there are a couple holes along the wall as the river turns right). Good high water fun if you gots the skills, but in a dory could be dicey. Stay safe out there!


Pro Leisure as in the Boulder based band? Ha. Thanks for the input. From what you guys are saying, I should probably run this one with an experienced buddy before taking the newbies down. So, that means we'll probably do the Grizzly to South Canyon run instead. Do you happen to know if the take out at South Canyon is practical to access at current levels? Seems like it might be hard to get in there, or no eddy?


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## spencerhenry (Jun 21, 2004)

grizzly to glenwood is hardly anything except a beer float until the levels get up above 6k. nothing difficult at any level.

cooler weather coming today and the weekend, rate of flow increase should lessen.


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## finripple (Jul 25, 2013)

spencerhenry said:


> grizzly to glenwood is hardly anything except a beer float until the levels get up above 6k. nothing difficult at any level.
> 
> cooler weather coming today and the weekend, rate of flow increase should lessen.


Yeah, it's really about those fun waves in South Canyon, but that's about it...


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## Swank (Jun 20, 2009)

Whatever you run out there this weekend be careful. Have fun.


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## bigben (Oct 3, 2010)

hey so i live at rancho and run pumphouse with custies everyday. i'm looking for paddlers this weekend. 
i'm midway thru training my rookie. gotta have paddle support to get him used to the feel of taking customers ya know. 
anyone that wants to join is welcome.

so at needles eye, you gotta go right, but beware of a big lateral wave coming just off the right bank, immediately after the turn. you can't see it from above, and it's probly big enough to flip a boat right now. just square up to it and your good.
and the right side at yarmony is opened up above 6k. it's tight, but it's way easier than going left and trying to push back to center/right before the ledges at the bottom left. it's pretty pushy in there at these flows. either way, if you stay out of the hole in the top center, you'll be fine.
other than those 2 rapids, everything else is easy. point and shoot!!

finripple, we'll be running laps all weekend if you wanna follow us down or share a shuttle or something.


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## FishVailStevo (Jun 14, 2014)

*Just did it*

I ran Pumphouse to Rancho yesterday. Needle is actually pretty washed out. Nothing to worry about at all. 

Yarmony, ont he other hand, is real big. The hole is easily avoidable but I had a tough time making the move to the center and ended up halfway in the rapids on the wall side. 

Its surely pumping through but as a novice rafter to big water, I had no problems. Just a scare there right after yamrony hole.


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## swedgen (Mar 29, 2011)

I will be there on Sunday. Green hyside at pump house around 11 if you would like to run together. 


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## OldandBitter (Jun 11, 2011)

I'm not sure of the exact level but there is an easy sneak on the right side of Yarmony that develops at higher levels. I hit it at 9600 a few years back.

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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Fatality on the Colorado near Grizzly yesterday. Please be careful and stay safe.

Rafter dies on Colorado River near Grizzly Creek | PostIndependent.com


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## gmmccalden (Apr 23, 2013)

How are flows looking on this run right now? Gauge is reading 6800 this morning. Heading up that way and thinking of doing this run on Sunday. Never run it before but seems fairly straightforward so long as you avoid the boateater at yarmony.


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## Osseous (Jan 13, 2012)

Eye of the needle as you enter the canyon is another point to be aware of. Hug the right bank- or risk getting hung up on the pour over. Not a fun swim~ Yarmony is marked by a large boulder on river right. YouTube has plenty of Yarmony videos to learn what the entry looks like. This is an easy stretch- but ant high water both waves deserve respect.

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## powrider686 (Aug 12, 2009)

Both rapids are big and have potential for problems at high water if you don't hit them correctly. 

I'm running Pumphouse to State Bridge on Friday the 19th with a paddle boat if you want to tag along. If anyone wants to join hit me up.


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## Aflo (May 18, 2012)

I ran pump house to state bridge weekend before last. Eye of the needle was big, we stayed right and missed it. Yarmony on the other hand we didnt miss. It is a big hole. We hit it dead center, didnt roll but did have a swimmer. Easily avoidable though, just stay right. There was a cat raft that came down upside down with its owner surfing on top.


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## Pro Leisure (Sep 19, 2011)

Above 7k the highway opens on the right for yarmony! Sure beats pulling hard off the wall.


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## MountainManPB (Apr 5, 2010)

gmmccalden said:


> How are flows looking on this run right now? Gauge is reading 6800 this morning. Heading up that way and thinking of doing this run on Sunday. Never run it before but seems fairly straightforward so long as you avoid the boateater at yarmony.



I am running Pumphouse to State Bridge on Sunday and feel comfortable with running clean lines at these flows if you want to run it together.


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## mountainpirate (Jun 20, 2015)

some friends and I are thinking about running tomorrow (Sunday.) Probably taking out at rancho.


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## finripple (Jul 25, 2013)

bigben said:


> hey so i live at rancho and run pumphouse with custies everyday. i'm looking for paddlers this weekend.
> i'm midway thru training my rookie. gotta have paddle support to get him used to the feel of taking customers ya know.
> anyone that wants to join is welcome.
> 
> ...


Cool. Sorry I missed this earlier. I really want to get on this stretch over the coming weeks so let's stay in touch.


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