Shooting the Tube - 07/07/2012 (SLC)
I was finally able to do this with my friends and the infamous Jeff,
To quote his youtube text:
"At the mouth of Parleys Canyon is a convergence of freeways. I-215 is heading north/south and I-80 is splitting off to go up Parley's Canyon. The two freeways are built up above the ground pretty high due to the uneven nature of the ground below. Right at the convergence is a large rock called "Suicide Rock".
Below the rock runs Parley's Creek, a river that flows down Parley's on it's way to the Great Salt Lake. When they built the freeway, they built an aquaduct. Where the aquaduct was built, I-215 is six lanes wide with emergency lanes in the middle and to each side. The aquaduct runs beneath all of this concrete making the 10ft diameter tube. It has got to be at least a football field in length and empties into a pond before continuing down the river. The river flows right by Tanner Park and the opening of the tube can be reached by heading east on the trails from the park. There are many people and dogs that hang out at the pond during the summer.
Shooting the Tube: First thing is to bring your own inner tube/flotation device. You can either walk up the tube from the Tanner Park side or park above the tube by pulling off right after you see Suicide Rock heading north on I-215. At the mouth of the aquaduct, where the river enters, is where the fun starts. The individual or most likely a group of people goes inside the aquaduct. There is usually a few sheets of wood or in this case 4 construction signs placed together over the tube entrance to create a temporary dam. It has to be to be a few sheets of wood or construction signs because as the water begins to rise, the only way to release it is to pull the rope attached to the 2x4 or metal pole. The ropes and/or chains prevent the "dam" from following the riders. A large wave of water rushes into the tube and the riders sit down and catch the wave. At the end, you splash into the pond and may go under for a minute. Wear a life jacket if you can't swim. Head back up the tube as the water slows down and begin again. Great times and it's all free! "
GOOD TIMES! A lot of fun if you are in SLC looking for a quick summer, cool adventure!
BTW - bring tubes, and not sleds. Sleds have too much friction. Tubes ride above the wave and send you flying!
ENJOY!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZuiPwjcr60
