River Surf League 2021 Tour
Colorado River Waves
May 14th – July 31st, 2021

Record yourself riding the waves and sending tricks. Upload videos via the Activity Feed (as many times as you like). Your best submissions will count towards awards. Also, when you submit a video, you’ll unlock cool perks from local retailers. Judges will review, score, and award prizes throughout the course of the competition.

What is the River Surf League 2021 Tour?

10 Barrel Brewing is proud to present the River Surf League 2021 Tour. River Surf League is a “virtual” river surfing competition where you compete against one another and raise the stoke of river surfing in Colorado. A portion of registration fees benefits the Colorado River Surfing Association a 501(c)3 non-profit.

How does it work?

• Enter any or all of the divisions you’d like to surf.
• Get out there and surf from May 14th through July 31st!
• Record yourself riding the waves and sending tricks.
• Upload videos via the Activity Feed (as many times as you like). Your best submissions will count towards awards
• Also, when you submit a video, you’ll unlock cool perks from local retailers.
• Judges will review, score, and award prizes throughout the course of the competition.

Video submissions

• Submit your videos as .mov files
• Please keep them to about 1 minute long
• Make sure they don’t include copyrighted music
• Please keep them socially acceptable (G-rated if at all possible for language)

Are you Judging me?

Yes. Judging will be based on the following categories:

• Best Wave – Girl Groms (<18 years old)
• Best Wave – Boy Groms (<18 years old)
• Best Wave – Women (18+ years old)
• Best Wave – Men (18+ years old)
• Longboard
• Bodyboard

Special Judging Categories

“KICKFLIP” – No one has pulled this off in the Colorado River Scene yet!!!

“BEST TRICK” – Sendy McSenderson #ftw

“BEST WILSON”- aka best fall (FYI: intentional endangerment/injury does not qualify)

“ROOKIE AWARD”- First timers only. Show us sticking your first full ride.

“BEST IMPROVED”- Surfer who submits several videos and gets better the best over the competition.

“OLD FARTS” (50+ Women & Men)

“MOST ARTISTIC VIDEO”- Most visually appealing to watch.

“WAVE HUNTER”- Person who got the best ride on an unknown wave.

“BEST FAN”- Person who cheered on other in video(s).

“BEST RIVER SURFING STEWARD”- People supporting the river surfing scene be it pickup trash, chase down a board, help someone out in need while in the river, etc.

The Small (but important) Print:

• Surf within ability
• Surf with safety gear
• Know before you go (check river flows and hazards)
• Surf with others
• Have fun & Send it!

Which Waves? Here you go!

METRO DIVISION

South Platte
Miracle Wave
Reynolds Landing
Union Chutes
River Run Park
Beaver Wave
16th Street Wave
Trestle Wave
Dave’s Wave

Clear Creek
Lawson
Golden

WEST BY SOUTH DIVISION

Arkansas River
1.5
Buena Vista Park
Canyon Doors
Salida Park
Florence River Park
Pueblo Park

Uncompahgre River
Montrose Park

Animas River
Durango Town Waves

WEST BY NORTH DIVISION

Eagle River
Eagle Whitewater Park

Colorado River
Pumphouse Wave
Glenwood Wave
Big Sur
Lucky 7
Las Colonias
5th St Wave (GJ)

Bonus points

Send us photos and videos of your kit and race attempts. Tag it #RiverSurfLeague and #10barrel on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or whatever you use to communicate with those in the know. Or message us using the blue help bubble in the lower right corner on each page of this site. The coolest and most creative submissions will get bonus prizes.

Check out the link for more details: riversurfleague.me

The post River Surf League 2021 Tour appeared first on Riverbreak.

Spot Details

Country: USA, North America
Nearest town/city: Montrose, Colorado
River: Uncompahgre River
Address: River Bottom Drive Montrose, Colorado
Directions: Park at Baldridge Park
Latitude: 38.4641685
Longitude: -107.8790436

Wave Details

Characteristics

Waves on thru 5 work great at 200 to 700 CFS. Over 700 CFS, waves 4 and 5 are best. Season is mid April thru October most years. Best beginner to advanced park anywhere.

Conditions

Check today’s estimated flow here.
Contact Montrose Kayak and Surf at 970-249-8730 for current conditions and equipment needs.

Tips

Check out the interactive wave map of Montrose Park.

Weather in Montrose, Colorado

Currently

Currently

Currently

Spot Location

Montrose Park Videos

Eric Thomas river surfing Montrose Park

You know more about Montrose Park?

The post Montrose Park appeared first on Riverbreak.

Why hasn’t any river surfers been recognized by mainstream surf companies? River surfing opens the sport up to so many more people. There are definitely more people who live next to rivers than the coast. Yet there is no validation given to any of the river surfers by mainstream surf companies.

I don’t understand. Surfers dream of discovering new waves and surfing an uncrowned lineup. With river surfing you can discover or build new waves. You can almost always find an uncrowned wave to rip on. Take my video for example. The wave isn’t the best but there is no one else in the line up

What do you think?

• Will river surfing ever be accepted by mainstream surfing?
• Do you even want it to?
• Why do you think it hasn’t been accepted?

Comment below and share your thoughts!

The post River Surfing – Going Mainstream? appeared first on Riverbreak.

Beaver Wave is right on the edge of downtown. It is the epitome of urban surfing. The sound of cars humming by on the highway is a soundtrack for your surf session. The water is warm and nasty. I only wear neoprene to protect myself from the shallow rocks and the trash floating around in the eddylines.

Beaver Wave is the epitome of urban surfing

You would think a species who depends on clean water for survival would be a little bit more interested in preserving our waterways. It is clear to me from the riverbed that if it is out of sight, it is out of mind. Not only do we depend on the waterways for clean drinking water but farmers downriver use this same water for crops that we eat. Personally I wouldn’t want my food watered with this sludge. I barely want to surf in it!

We need to have a positive impact on the environment to preserve the earth for future generations to enjoy. I want my kids to be able to enjoy surfing clean water no matter where they chose to catch waves (river or ocean). Just remember to try and leave a zero carbon footprint at your surf spots. Pack in what you pack out! If you have time pick up some trash at whatever location you surf. Leave your local surf spot cleaner than when you arrived.

Surf and take care of the earth.

The post River Surfing Beaver Wave appeared first on Riverbreak.

Florence has been a go to spot for most the front range locals in Colorado. The drive is really simple and the wave is easy to find. The wave can be surfed as low as 400 CFS. The prime flow for shortboarding is 1,000-1,200 CFS. It is in the Desert so the weather is typically pretty warm. The water temp is cool but feels perfect with the warm air temps.

Staircase wave is Buena Vista is an iconic wave in the SUP surfing world. This wave is pretty soft on a shortboard so it is going to require a board with some volume even at the higher flows. I had a lot of luck on it with my inflatable surfboard. Prime surfing flow on this wave is anything above 1,400 CFS. The altitude is 9,000 FT above sea level so be prepared to suck wind in between every ride.

One thing that I am lucky to have for the lower flows is my inflatable surfboard. The thing surfs rail to rail amazing and has a ton of volume so it can pretty much surf anything! Look for my next vlog I will be surfing my inflatable surfboard in Golden Colorado!

The post River Surfing Buena Vista and Florence appeared first on Riverbreak.

Everyone had been surfing this wave from 400-700 cfs. We rolled up and the water looked way higher. I checked the gauge and it was pumping at 1k – the wave looked awesome! So we all got ready as quick as we could. We jumped in the water and got our first rides.

Florence Wave in Colorado

By the time we took a break a few more surfers showed up. I couldn’t believe we had already been surfing for 3 hours. I surfed until I had noodle arms and legs. The scenery at the wave was pretty cool.

I couldn’t believe there was a wave in the desert. There were cows all over the place. Surfing new waves is awesome and experiences like this make me want to surf as many places as I can! Thank you Florence! I will be back to shred soon!

The post River Surfing Florence Wave, Colorado appeared first on Riverbreak.

Yes, River Surfing is still in its infancy and although I still get puzzled looks when I explain to people that I surf in the river, it is definitely growing in popularity. I grew up surfing on the Central Coast of California. After moving to Denver, Colorado and discovering that there was a park built specifically for surfing in the river, it didn’t take long for me to get out there and give it a shot. Immediately after arriving to River Run Park in Denver, I realized that river surfing had a completely different culture than ocean surfing. Instead of the localism that often comes with certain breaks on the coast, at the river it was nothing but good vibes. When I started river surfing there was a small tribe of mostly ocean surfers that had transplanted to Denver. When they noticed a new face they welcomed me in, shared tips and even loaned me a spare board to spend my first couple hours face planting on.

The crowd is usually just as stoked as you are.

River surfing definitely has similarities to ocean surfing but it also has distinct differences. I have to admit being an ocean surfer, I thought I would just hop right on the river wave and start doing cutbacks. I quickly realized it was going to take some time to get the hang of. For starters on the Benihana’s wave, you enter by jumping into the wave and landing on your board. This is by far the hardest part of learning to surf the wave. Another major difference is that in river surfing, the wave is stationary and the water is coming at you, this takes some getting used to as well. The best part of river surfing is once you are on the wave, you have it all to yourself for as long as you can keep your balance, something that rarely happens in the ocean. The crowd is usually just as stoked as you are and will often be there hooting, hollering and slapping their boards to acknowledge a good ride.

River Run Park: Benihana’s Wave

A Vibrant Mix From All Different Backgrounds

In Colorado, there is a lot of excitement for the young sport of river surfing and I’d say it’s off to a great start. The sport is growing rapidly as cities are putting money towards revitalizing their rivers and providing recreational opportunities for its residents. As the sport grows in popularity, I just hope it can remember it’s roots and keep the positive vibe alive. The Denver river surfing crew is a mix of guys and girls from all different backgrounds. The backgrounds range from snowboarding, stand up paddling, wake boarding, skateboarding, kayaking and ocean surfing, with each bringing their own style to this awesome new sport we are all figuring out as we go. I think the diversity represented in the sport makes river surfing special as it borrows a little something from each.

I think the diversity represented in the sport makes river surfing special as it borrows a little something from each.

For me personally, coming from an ocean background, I knew very little about river etiquette and safety so that’s where those with a whitewater SUP or kayaking background have really contributed to river surfing. Those with skateboarding, snowboarding and wake boarding have helped push the sport towards more progressive moves. Despite all the different recreational backgrounds represented in Denver’s river surfing community, one thing is consistent and that is a shared passion for riding waves. Once you’ve felt the stoke of being able to surf in the river, it’s much like riding your first wave in the ocean and it’s highly addicting. If you ever find yourself in the  Denver area and want to give river surfing a shot, shoot a message on the Colorado River Surfers page on Facebook.  There will be plenty of people willing to introduce you to our little home break on the South Platte river.

The post What Separates River Surfing from Ocean Surfing? appeared first on Riverbreak.

The post Boogie Board River Surfing appeared first on Riverbreak.

Glenwood Wave

Glenwood Wave is one of the most iconic river waves in the sport. Show any river surfer anywhere a picture of the wave and they can tell you where it is. Just in case you are new to the sport this wave is located in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The wave is river wide and surfers left is a long board style wave and surfers right is more of a short board style wave. Ideal flow for this wave is 15,000-24,000 CFS. You can even check this wave out live on http://www.coloradowebcam.net.

Glenwood Wave, Colorado

Scout Wave

Scout Wave is easily some of the best surfing in the state. This wave is located in Salida, Colorado. If you follow the Badfish team you have seen this wave. This wave is great for SUPs and short boards! If you are looking for a wave to learn and practice new tricks this is one of the best spots. The ideal flow for this wave is X.

Scout Wave, Colorado

Pueblo Wave

Pueblo, Colorado is home to one of the most unique surf parks around. Surfers Right is lined with a huge wall full of some bad ass graffiti. Hole 3 has a mural of a dragon and the grim reaper. Tell me pictures with that in the back drop don’t grab peoples attention. An ideal flow for this wave is 1,100-4,000 CFS.

Pueblo Wave, Colorado

Miracle Wave

Miracle Wave on the front range is just that, a miracle. Years could pass and this wave will not break. When it breaks it is amazing. It is a river wide wave with a pocket on each side. With a long enough board you can connect the pocket and surf the whole wave! This wave starts breaking at 1,000 CFS. The higher the flow gets, The better the wave gets.

Miracle Wave, Colorado

Benihana’s Wave

Benihana’s Wave is hands down the best wave in the state! Don’t underestimate the size of this wave is the pictures. It is much, much more than just a small tongue. This wave is helping expand the river surfing culture in Colorado. This wave is adjustable and can be dialed in depending on what the flow is. Ben Nielson designed the wave and it will be a game changer for the growth of the sport. This wave is on point between 200-400 CFS.

Benihana’s Wave, Colorado

Benihana’s Wave, Colorado

The post Colorado River Surfing – Wave Guide appeared first on Riverbreak.

Alex and his mate headed over to a fast food restaurant to get a lunch tray. They wanted to see if it was possible to surf it on the new wave down at River Run Park. The plan was to order food, borrow the tray, take it and surf with it. Curious if this impossible idea worked out? Check out the video above and find out!

Check out Alex’s VLOG for more fun river surfing clips!

The post Lunch Tray Surfing appeared first on Riverbreak.