Reno River Surfing – High Desert Sessions
In line with my Nevada native-ness, I’m betting that when you hear the word ‘Reno’, you think ‘casinos & gambling’, and odds are that the furthest thing from your mind is ‘surfing’.
Rolling the dice is a gamble in Reno, but when it comes to surfing Reno-Tahoe’s Truckee River, you’re guaranteed to win – as there are no flat days. Beginning as the only outlet of the majestic & famous Lake Tahoe, the Truckee River winds its way down through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, into ‘The Biggest Little City In The World’, Reno, Nevada; and eventually ends up in Nevada’s mysterious Pyramid Lake, in the high desert. Along its way, ‘the Truckee’ has a few surf-able standing waves – both natural & human-made – that can provide stoke 365 days a year, and Reno-Tahoe’s river surfers are riding them – adults & grommets alike.
To see surf culture developing in Reno – so far from an ocean or sea – is quite special for me.
The two main standing waves on the Truckee are located in two riverside parks, one in Reno, and one in Sparks. The Reno wave, known as ‘Hole Three’ as well as ‘The Third Hole’, is at Wingfield Park in downtown Reno near the 24/7 glitz & glam of the casinos. Its significant other is at Rock Park. Both parks attract families, kayakers and of course, river surfers. The quality & size of these river waves varies depending on flow. For example, the wave at Rock Park can be a surf-able ankle slapper during the end of summer when the river is at 300 CFS, or it can be waist-high in the winter & spring when the Truckee’s water flow is raging at 2,000+ CFS.
The cultural & commercial aspects of the burgeoning river surfing scene in Reno are beginning to rear their beautiful noggins as well, with the October 6th, 2018 grand opening of Reno’s first business serving the needs of the Reno-Tahoe surf scene: Ruach Surf Shop, on 400 Mill Street in downtown Reno. Those interested in river surfing in Reno can get expert advice on Truckee River surfing conditions from the good folks at Ruach Surf. They also have used surfboards for sale that are specifically chosen for river surfing, and they do ding repairs for both surfboards & SUP.
River Surf Shop in Reno
Dedicated commercial entrepreneurships like Reno’s Ruach Surf Shop help to strengthen & promote river surfing as a sport and lifestyle. I was born and raised in Reno, and I’m a surfer who did a fair amount of business creating products for some of the biggest names in the global surfing industry. So, to see surf culture developing in Reno – so far from an ocean or sea – is quite special for me. I can easily imagine that ten years from now, there will be more than one surf shop in Reno; and the big players like Billabong, O’Neill, Rip Curl, Quiksilver & Volcom will be among them – catering to Reno’s river surfers, snowboarders and skateboarders. This is really exciting stuff because the future of river surfing is wide open.
Across the world, river surfing is bringing the surf culture & lifestyle inland, to places that we never would have imagined to have a surf culture.
Owing to the creative surfers that first pioneered river surfing, these days you don’t have to live by – or go to an ocean to be able to surf. Take Gerry Lopez for example, a master of Pipeline on Oahu’s north shore. These days, in the lovely inland city of Bend, Oregon, you might spot Gerry enjoying & shredding Bend’s popular river wave. Across the world, river surfing is bringing the surf culture & lifestyle inland, to places that we never would have imagined to have a surf culture; and Reno, Nevada is one of them. Just think of that: surfing in the high desert at 4,506 feet/1,373 meters above sea level. River surfing is redefining the parameters of what we call ‘surfing’.
Rock Park Wave (left) and Hole 3 Wave (right) in Reno, Nevada
The future of river surfing is wide open.
When you’ve had enough Truckee River wave time for the day (or night), and need to fuel up, the biggest little city in the world has a variety of great dining options, bars & craft breweries that you can hit. The Third Hole wave is, in fact, located right next to the Sierra Tap House craft beer brewery. If you want to surf another wave in the area, driving southwest two hours from Reno will take river surfing enthusiasts to ‘Barking Dog’ on the American River. So there are other waves for landlocked surfers to surf in the region. All up, the odds are that river surfing in Reno will continue to flourish and provide stoke for future generations. See you at the river!
Brought to you by
Jason Lopez Jason Lopez is an adventure travel writer, blogger, world traveler, guru & surfer who spent 20+ years living, working and surfing in Bali and other exotic locales of Asia. He has dedicated his life to finding his way to personal enlightenment & happiness. Check out his travel adventure blog at: thetraveladventuredude.com
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