The First Crazy Eddy Review: Is the New Wave Worth a Trip?
This Saturday, there was a good enough reason for a road trip to Silz: the long-awaited opening of a new river wave at the former Crazy Eddy area, now promoted by Area 47. Uncertain if the wave would be any good, we packed our car, ready for an exhausting ride to Silz.
After our arrival in Silz we got a first glimpse of the wave and couldn’t wait to get our feet on our boards. Well, after our first run, the wave turned out to be somewhat sobering: the wave that looked so amazing from the bridge turned out to be relatively flat on the right and pretty messy on the left end.
Let’s Do It Again
Aware of the fact that the very first attempt to ride a new wave is often doomed to fail, we thought to give it another go. Queueing up along the bank, grabbing the rope, pulling in … taking-off and voilà — finally getting a good ride on the wave. The secret is not to drift too far to the right, where the wave is rather flat. It is easier to stay in the wave at the left end, which is more like a huge bowl section. The face is great too: there are roughly three to four meters to cruise from one end to the other and to throw a few buckets of spray.
The highlight is definitely the “hump section” in the middle of the wave. A frontside turn, a few pumps to pick up speed and the hump acts like a small kicker allowing you to get some airtime and off the ground.
The Grand Opening
After a few rides in the new wave, we had some time to look around: does the opening event live up to its expectations? Ibiza sound, a few riders and € 4.10 beer — it is already 2pm and we are still waiting for the event to actually take off. The location, however, is fantastic — situated directly at the river banks, the easy access and a small bay make the Crazy Eddy area a great place to chill and surf.
Fear of Crowds or Bad Reputation?
We were still wondering why there was so little talk about the (quality of) the wave prior the event? One reason might be risk of (over-) popularity of the spot. The better the wave, the more river surfers will head to Silz, thereby risking the cultivation of a local/hater attitude and a negative atmosphere at the spot.
Besides the potential risk of attracting massive crowds of river surfers, another reason for not promoting the wave too much might have to do with the 3-year development plan proposed by Area 47: in its first stage, the guys from Area 47 have built a smaller wave at the left end of the river, while in the next winters, the right end will be developed. It is well known that throwing 20 truck loads of rocks into a river may not always produce a great wave — and if the “grand opening” of a new wave does not live up to its expectations, it is hard to shake off the bad reputation. But we can put your mind at ease: the guys from Area 47 did a great job.
Infrastructure, Café and Gear
We were also wondering what kind of infrastructure Area 47 has planned for the spot. The former Crazy Eddy building is supposed to be transformed into a small café. However, chances for party are low as the café has to shut its doors at 7pm. Next to the café, there are plans to build a small skate park and a surf shop, where surfers can buy basic surf gear and rent boards.
The Bottom Line
Our conclusion: the wave is great, the location is stunning! It is worth a weekend trip to check out the new wave, so if you have a car, pack your stuff and head to Silz. The guys from Area 47 have definitely put the 20 truck loads of rocks at the right spot.
More About the Trip
This article is based on the original German version kindly provided by NU.ART surfstuff. Read the German version here: Ja, es war die Reise wert
Brought to you by
Max Since Max started to surf at the tender age of seven, he has now been surfing for more than half of his life -- and he has no intentions to put a stop to that! Not only is Max highly active local in the river surf community, but he also runs his very own surf shop, NU.ART surfstuff. Please welcome this brilliant guy at Riverbreak!
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