River Surfing is the Cool New Sport in Colorado, Where and How to Partake
Colorado is a cool place. Cool sports happen here like snowboarding, skiing, kayaking, cycling, rock climbing, ultra marathon running through the mountains and a zillion other fascinating things like river surfing. Who needs an ocean, when you have rivers?
River surfing is a real sport. There is a Facebook page for Colorado River Surfers, where river conditions are discussed and surf trips are planned. A new store called Badfish Surf Shop opened in Salida, Colorado catering to the river surfing community.
Documented river surfing has been happening in Germany and Jackson Hole, Wyoming since the 1970s. In fact, those surfing the Snake River in Wyoming are part of the most famous river surfing community in the US
So, what is there to know about river surfing? River surfing conditions happen when a river has a rideable wave. These are typically found when a high volume of water flows against a rock formation and makes a standing wave. The water can't be too low or too high. There are also man-made whitewater parks that recreate this effect. A drop structure is implanted in the river forming an area for tubers and kayakers to play around.
There are some posts on Colorado River Surfers that say there are actually a few good weeks in May to surf the Poudre River Whitewater Park, but most say the wave is just too small for surfing.
Which waves do rivers surfers in Colorado most prefer? The Kayak Park in Pueblo, Colorado, and the whitewater park in Salida, Colorado seem to be at the top of the list. The park in Salida is impressive. It has six different features, including a very popular river surfing scene. Hydrologists engineered a wave specifically for surfing that's called the Scout Wave 2.0. In Salida, river surfing happens year-round.