Ponderosa Wave is the crown jewel of the Durango whitewater park. At its best, it’s wide, fast and steep. At high water, this is one of the most difficult waves to surf in Colorado. Anyone looking to test their river surfing abilities should check it out during the spring runoff.
We spent a few days in Durango to surf Ponderosa, as well as attend the Animas River Days. This year the water was the highest I’ve seen it. The swims were long and hold-downs were scary, but the rides made it totally worth it. Here’s a video of the best rides from the big crew we had surfing during the Animas River Days.
Written by | Benjamin
Benjamin Smith is a land locked surfer living in Colorado. He gets his surfing fix on the local rivers, where he SUP surfs standing waves.
dan
July 12, 2017 at 11:34 am
What about at ~1000 CFS? Fairly newbie friendly at those flows or do you still consider it a tough wave to surf?
thx
Benjamin
July 26, 2017 at 7:06 pm
At around 1000 CFS Ponderosa is MUCH smaller and more friendly. It’s not the best wave to learn to surf on, but not the worst either. You could also try other waves in the park. Clocktower is a great wave to learn on!