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If someone told me two years ago I’d be surfing in Missoula Montana I would have laughed and called them crazy. Coming from the Great Lakes I’m more inclined to believe in “out of the box” surfing styles, but come on, Montana? It’s hundreds of miles from any ocean and the largest body of water in Montana still doesn’t even come close to the size of Lake Ontario; the smallest of the Great Lakes. So unless I missed a memo and the definition of surfing suddenly changed, people who claimed to have surfed in Montana were a little irrational.
I couldn’t be more wrong. Not about the crazy part; surfers here definitely have a screw loose. But it’s the same screw that’s barely hanging on up there in my own head. Instead, I was wrong about surfing and its culture in Montana. One step inside the Strongwater Surf shop in Missoula and you’ll see exactly what I mean. Once through the door the vibe comes in strong with posters and pictures everywhere and the customary wall lined with gorgeous boards. At first glance it seems as though you’ve teleported to Southern California or Honolulu, but a second look reveals some major differences: the pictures aren’t of long San O rollers, but rather a standing wave on an icicle-strewn river in Idaho; the boards aren’t the usual mix of ten-foot behemoths and high-performance shortboards, instead they are strange, boxy-shaped things that seem more like oversize wakeboards; and more sweatshirts than boardshorts are offered. This shop and its inhabitants are a new breed that I instantly wanted to be a part of.
I’ve stood on waves in the Pacific, Atlantic, on multiple Great Lakes and even behind a boat, but nothing could prepare me for the experience of surfing a river. When you fall in the ocean a small amount of underwater tumbling occurs but soon enough you resurface and everything is relatively calm. This is definitely not the case in river surfing. After the inevitable fall, you are immediately at the mercy of the river, it’s current, and any rocks submerged a few feet from the surface. Two thoughts came to mind instantly following wipeout after wipeout: “Swim like hell,” and “Where was that rock again?” Even after flailing madly for a few seconds to get myself out of the brunt of the current, the board tied to my leg continued to drag me downriver like an anchor. Oh, and did I mention this water was freezing cold? Cold enough to knock the breath out of you. And breathing is definitely an advantage when floundering for your life. That already loose screw definitely got a little looser in my own head, because I loved every second of this experience. Maybe I’ll be able to fit in with this breed after all.
Once we got the hang of it (sort of), surfing on a standing wave was unlike any experience I’ve had before. Being stationary as foaming water rushed past you seems to defy the laws of physics. Putting a few simple carves in and finding the sweet spot has the same addictive, time-slowing effect as any other wave. Immediately after falling, my mind and body would long to experience the sensation again and again. In our five hours on the river I had scored more rides than in an average two days on any coast. Completely drained from the experience, both physically and mentally, we stumbled back to the car with grins stretching from ear to ear. Our session of getting bashed and tumbled by the river was so amazing it changed the plans for the trip home, as we crashed at a friend’s house and snuck in some quick morning rides before rushing home.
Cold, isolated rivers throughout Idaho and Montana are definitely not on many surfers’ radars and even fewer know river surfing exists. Hell, it took me six months of living here to discover the sport, and another year before actually trying it, but I now know without a doubt I’m hooked for life. Surfing on a river won’t replace standing up on ocean waves, but it’s certainly an experience in a league of its own. For any of us who are separated from the ocean by miles and miles of dry land, river surfing is a gift sent straight from Heaven. So next time you’re meandering your way across the Northern Rockies be sure to stop for a day or two and experience a magnetic sport and culture that will leave you wanting to come back again and again.
