Perhaps you’ve wandered down to the beach and happened into watching a surf contest with surfers from all over the world. There are the usual suspects (Brazil, Hawai’i, Australia), competitors representing some lesser known but still surfy areas (France, the East Coast of the States) and then, sometimes, there’s surfers from places with no ocean in sight. Places like Germany and Colorado.
Your first thought — and it’s not so far off — maybe that these people surf a wavepool. And some of them probably do. But what’s far more crazy is actually closer to the truth, as it so often is. Both Germany and Colorado are seeing a rise in surfing… rivers. As are places like Idaho and Oregon and the rest of the U.S.
Though river surfing actually has its own rich and unique history, recently, whitewater parks with in-river wave technology (cheaper than actual wave pool facilities) are making it possible for surfing anywhere in the country. In brief, river surfing has been going on since the 1970s, when Germans took boards to the Eisbach in Munich and can now claim being the originators of this form of alternative wave riding. These early Germans attached ropes to a bridge over the river and attempted a wake-board style of wave riding.
Ultimately, these pioneers found the ropes to be unnecessary (they could just shred). The Eisbach has been huge in the world of river surfing and standing waves since. CityWave, a German company which specializes in standing wave tech, based its technology off the Eisbach, and now has two large American artificial wave pools, one in Lake Chelan, Washington, the other on Oahu’s West Side.
Eventually, river surfing caught on in North America, at places like the Lunch Counter in Wyoming, and the aptly named “Pipeline on the Lochsa River in Idaho. Quebec developed a scene of its own, too, given the fantastic Lachine waves on the St. Lawrence River. Natural river waves certainly paved the way for the artificial movement we’re seeing today.
And of course, just like regular surf culture, there are river surfers who aren’t stoked on the growth of the sport. While once they could sneak down to the Eisbach and hop in, now, they have to wait in line (not a lineup, a real, standing line).
But perhaps this will change with the introduction of whitewater parks. Colorado has certainly seen a surge of interest in river surfing due to the multitude of parks across the state. There are even entire Facebook groups dedicated to uniting these fringer-than-fringe surfers. They recommend boards to those curious about hopping in the rapids, and they froth on flooding rivers. While most people dread the rain, these surfers embrace it as it makes their “waves” better! Salida, Colorado’s Scout Wave is the newest shred spot in Colorado.
Boise, Idaho has two premier artificial standing waves (we’re talking head high at the spot known as Phase 2), and a number of other spots that are ideal for groms and boogie boarders. If you count Lunch Counter (five hours east), Pipeline (five hours north), and Cascade (two hours north), Idaho is a Mecca for inland surfing. Bend, Oregon’s wave has been hugely popular as well and a number of other places around the country have plans for their own artificial waves.
All this inland wave movement has created a cottage industry of board shapers who create designs specifically for the river. Boise is home to Chris Peterson Surfboards, Gabe Paulson’s Bitter End, and Victor Myers’ Corridor Surf Shop, all locally made board builders. Bend is home to Cubicle Surf, another gifted inland shaper. In Colorado, the Badfish SUP Store happily sells river surfboards. While some traditionalists may pu-pu this activity, I think it’s pretty epic.
All kinds of waves are meant to be ridden, so why miss out on rivers? Sometimes I’m jealous of Coloradans, and Idahoans, and Oregonians. They get the best of both worlds: snow-filled winters and surf that never goes flat.
See ya on the river:
