[deepsouthpaddler]

SEVERE HYDRAULIC WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
GOLDEN, CO
457 AM MDT SAT JUN 27 2015

...The Severe Hydraulic Warning continues for the following rivers in
Colorado...

Clear Creek Near Golden affecting Jefferson County.

.A severe hydraulic has formed upstream of tunnel 1 on US 6 in the rapid known as "Screaming Quarter Mile". The hydraulic, locally known as "Cripps Hole" had a recent geologic shift and now has been rated as an H5 on the international scale of hydraulic ferocity.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Safety message...

Novices should stay off the creek until water levels drop. Clear creek in golden is closed to watercraft such as inner tubes, inflatable alligators, and all other forms of gaper craft (creature crafts exempted). Experienced parties should carefully scout this section to determine safe passage.

A new swimmer takeout is conveniently located 35 ft downstream from Cripps Hole on river right. Several local Kayakers were witnessed utilizing this takeout after being parted from their kayaks in Cripps Hole.

The City of Golden is installing an automated net at the tunnel 1 dam that will lower into the creek to collect yard sale gear. The net will be automatically raised and lowered with 2 sharp blasts of a whistle. Paddlers are encouraged to use the net to save gear to avoid trampling sensitive riparian areas downstream that are home to the endangered thistle slug.

Stay tuned to your National Weather Service in Golden for the latest
information. For the latest hydrologic forecasts and warnings...visit
the National Weather Service in Golden at weather.gov/golden. You can
link directly to the hydrology page by clicking on Rivers and Lakes
under the Hydrology section of the left hand menu

 

[Andy H.]

Great job bringing us this important public service announcement, Ian!

 

[Joel_G]

HAHAHA awesome! Great post.

 

[-k-]

Witness some carnage?

 

[lmyers]

Awesome. Gaper craft, swimmer takeout, automated nets and thistle slugs... I love it!

 

[benR]

Awesome post!

I was like like wtf, there really is a hydraulic rating scale and this is an H5? And they know its called Cripp's Hole?

I just looked at it tonight, and couldn't really see a "good" line any which way other than to pick a spot and charge, boof (not that there's a good edge to boof), dig in and pray.

Opted for 2 laps on the "dam down" run. I haven't seen Cripp's hole in past years at this level, but it had a bad reputation before -- sounds like something's shifted to make it even worse?

 

[tango]

Geologic shift?

I thought Elbow was the high water crux.... with a convenient river right takeout.

Pictures please... obnoxiously long unedited pov headcam footie from a swimmer (no music) will suffice.


Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz

 

[deepsouthpaddler]

Tango... comic moment when changes in Cripps hole are discovered via swim. Its a nice river LEFT takeout for swimmers, not right oops. I don't have any video, but there is probably some shitty video of me grasping for shore somewhere. Elbow has been pretty sporty as well.

 

[hojo]

WWFD?