After the last speaker left the podium, the Summit organizers summarized and wrapped it up and there was a bolt to the door and the parking lot because Ryan’s tablet was plugged back into the main screen and it still showed decent surf breaking at the Bend Wave. That Surfer Optimism paid off!

Real time video from the Wave camera later showed us that those who bolted were ripping good surf on the big screen at the front of the room while we had music playing through the Riverbend Room’s pretty dang good sound system as a large delivery of extremely tasty and varied small pizzas came in the door with somebody. A number of the local Bend surfers and friends that had been invited to meet the people from out-of-town and out-of-country wandered through the lobby to find us. The gathering got bigger.

A tribe. One that shares the chores.

This is a tight crowd, more like family. Those than ran off earlier to surf came back grinning and wet and extremely hungry right about dark as more Bend brewery refreshments came in the door (there are a lot of breweries in Bend I was told). The rest of the evening was spent talking out and digesting the entire day’s list of information that was trying to assimilate into everyone’s brain. Chris from Spokane, a N/E Washington kyacker/surfer, and I talked a lot about the possibilities we had been presented with. Maybe we should start small, maybe an ‘Eisenbach’ style wave in the canals that are in Riverside Park? We agreed that more exploring of alternatives is needed. He knew of other potential sites and the waves that are produced depending on river flows in the Spokane area. That info will go into my article for OutThere.

By 9pm when the room was to close we had all pitched in folding and stacking the chairs, rolling the tables into the storeroom, emptying trashcans and wiping down counters and when we were done all that was needed was for the night crew to come vacuum the rug. Yep, a tribe. One that shares the chores.

We did have trouble with the big screen. It didn’t want to roll back up.

The Saturday Night Bar Scene Gathering

Again we really didn’t have enough room for everybody to fit into the cars, trucks, and SUVs that were in the parking lot but we managed to squish everyone in before we headed off to the big Cascade West Grub and Ale House that the local boys said (after quick checks of cell phone messages) was hopping. The Canadian board shaper guy ended up laying down between my congas and amp in the back of my truck to keep the local Bend traffic cops from pulling me over. Besides there not being enough seatbelts, there weren’t enough seats for all of us. A repeat of Friday night’s drive around Bend. Again, all I could do was follow where the lead cars were going. I was completely lost in the one-way streets and curvy roads.

The smell of good food, warm air, loud conversation, and music spilled through the doors as we all piled into the bar. Pool tables in the back two sections of the bar drew a couple Canadian guys and gals, a few others waved at the server immediately because they needed refreshments (really, just HOW many breweries does Bend have?), and the rest of us started looking for empty tables. There were all sorts of games and other machines lining walls, and the middle room had an actual NASCAR body cut in half and the driver’s side mounted to the far wall. Conversations buzzed in my ears from all directions as the riversurfers mingled with the crowd of local Bend folks that were already there.

Riversurfers mingled with the crowd of local Bend folks.

I’m used to bars, been playing music in them for four decades, but I don’t go to bars to socialize much if I’m not playing music. And that 30 years older thing was the same in that place, too, along with there being so many locals that all knew one another. I kind of kept in the background and listened and watched.

Interesting to be a spectator in another city in another state in a completely different social environment than what I am used to living as I have the last 13 years on mountain property in the Selkirk Range of Northern Washington State. In some ways bars are all the same but in others there are very noticeable differences in the social mores that are adapted from place to place.

Road Trip Rule #37: Never set your beer on the edge of a pool table. One of the Canadians spilled on the felt and got a lecture from the server. Oops.

The Punching Bag Machine

This is for the participants of the Punching Bag machine contest. You know who you are.

I found myself sitting at a table by the wall watching the pool game between the Canadian guys and gals (before the beer spilled) that was 12 feet away from this dollar bill-eating machine. I had never seen one before but maybe I had never paid attention in any of the bars I play music in and just didn’t notice. Being as … excitable as these river surfers all were, once they started the contest it quickly became too hilarious for words. If you know any of the Summit people who were there, ask THEM about it. I’m not going to name names.

Except Jacob. Who talked me the little old guy into trying three different strikes on the bag. He even put in the dollar bills. Jacob of Surf Anywhere is truly the guilty party here as he wheedled me into it. And no, I did NOT win the contest. That was one of the Canadian guys!

We started a jam session that lasted long into the night instead.

Next was a tweet that came in talking about a huge pre-Halloween costume party that was starting to rage at some friend’s house. This was somewhere between 11:30pm and midnight after far more excellent food and tasty brews had been consumed. Ryan had a few doubts about going to a local party where 20 male riversurfers and a couple of ladies would flood in through the door with him. Might be a wee bit of a pisser to the local guys that were already there. But it’s a party and we should go!

The Jam Session

There weren’t enough women at the party for all the unattached males to dance with. How sad. So we started a jam session that lasted long into the night instead. The Boise Wave Shaper pulled out a lead electric guitar, Ryan alternated with the mandolin and the banjo, another of the Summit guys had his acoustic guitar, the hand percussion from my bag came out, and everybody was singing-some rather badly, but it wasn’t half bad and making music is always enjoyable.

We all promised ourselves that we were going to get up and surf it early, that was the plan. I had my doubts because by the time we were again laying down our heads at Ryan’s it was well after 3am.

The Sunday Morning Surf Session

Yeah guys, right, we’re going to Dawn Patrol it. I opened my eyes a couple of times to crazy early bird types rummaging around for wetsuits and assorted gear but once that front door shut and they were gone I closed the eyelids for another few winks. I managed to do that a few times before it was obvious that it was time to get up because the rest of the surfers in the house were trying to get organized. I noticed they were moving even slower than the previous morning.

The trouble was that it was the only board that I knew I could surf on a river wave.

It was time to empty the air bed and pack up the truck for the trip home after the surf session. Instruments loaded first, and all the other gear was packed in around them. I was taking my Lunch Counter twinfin out the door when I was stopped and explicitly told that I would NOT be surfing on that board today. I was informed by the boyz that this old board was a piece of riversurfing history and didn’t deserve to get busted up. I never thought about it that way. It’s just always been my Magic Twinnie. The trouble was that it was the only board that I knew I could surf on a river wave. Ryan said there would be a board waiting for me from one of his friends that was already surfing this morning.

We didn’t arrive at the Bend Wave until 10:30am. Or later. Coffee, breakfasts, packing vehicles, this all took awhile in spite of the good intentions. I followed Ryan and company to the park and found a parking spot on the street, then walked over to the Parks & Rec building where Ryan has his office. He was on his cell phone trying to find out where the board I was to borrow had gone and came to find out the friend had already left for work with the board and couldn’t come back to drop it off. I didn’t have a board to ride until Ryan pulled out a 4′ 3” semi pig-shape Glide twinfin that was leaning against a wall in the back. A tiny little board about the same size as my wake board. Will this thing even float me? The guys said they’d meet me at the Wave and ran out the door.

In the line-up at Bend

Went back to the truck and started pulling on my mid-1990s Rip Curl Zipless Ultimate 3-4mm wetsuit that I hadn’t surfed in since the last surf camping trip on the Olympic Peninsula in Spring 2012. Oops. Gained a little weight as I’ve aged but it still fit well enough though the neoprene is getting a little stiff feeling to it from hanging on a closet dowel. Walked across the park and through the fence to the edge of the Deshutes River where you had to walk through the flow to get to the middle where the wave is. The water was REALLY cold compared to the lake, even being in a full-length wetsuit. I looked across at Ryan with no booties, no hood, no gloves and wondered to myself how he could surf so well without the added warmth factor.

How in the world do they flip their boards into the wave and jump on it?

There was a crowd of locals and Summit people waiting their turn on the Wave. I saw kids with belly boards, women in pink tennis shoes, a variety of helmets ranging from bike to climbing to kayak brands. Hoods and no hoods, gloves and no gloves, kyack life vests and rafter float vests, waterski and wake board safety vests with a scattering of the new high-tech PST inflatables down to just a guy in a wetsuit with a board under his arm. Jacob and I chatted as the line moved forward and everyone took a turn at slashing turns. I didn’t know the get-out downstream, what to watch for. Hell, I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to stand up on this tiny little board on a wave that looked far different than the Lunch Counter. How in the world do they flip their boards into the wave and jump on it?

Starting from a sitting down position, Jacob held my nose up as I tried to stand and find my balance in the little bit of flat water that exists along the edge of the concrete wall. As I stood up he let go and suddenly I found myself standing facing upriver riding the wave but unfortunately pointing straight ahead. I couldn’t get the board to turn which slowed me down as I slid into the pit before it sucked me under and backwards through the whitewater behind. But I did stand up for a few seconds. A minor triumph!

As I paddled myself out of the current below the wave and into the eddy flow that runs up the side back towards the wave I kept asking myself how do I turn this little fat board? I watched others who did the sit-down take-off and realized that as they stood up their boards were already starting to point in towards the middle of the wave. There’s the trick! My turn again and another surfer held the nose up for me as I stood up. This time I managed to wobble sideways and into the wave to surf it for a few seconds longer before it pulled the board up too high and sucked me over. Down the river I went again and back into line for the next attempt.

Paddling back up

There was one wave that I really found the balance on, near the last I caught that day. Alex Copp from Canada was taking the pictures and vid of me with my old camera. Alex couldn’t believe the camera actually had a viewfinder that you had to look through, but somehow he managed to catch my best and longest wave on video. And it was the one where I tried to throw a tiny cutback off the lip right in front of Ryan the Bend Wave Shaper. I made the move but didn’t make the wave as I found myself getting sucked into the top of the wave before it pulled me down and spit me out again.

Flashes of the old days. Body remembered how to do this. How cool is that?

The last wave was the worst. I didn’t even make it to standing up before the nose went underwater and I did an over-the-nose fall and completely separated from the board. I still had the leg leash attached to my bicep but it tangled me up for a few long seconds before I could get the board under me, and then the old wakesurfing vest rolled me off the deck before I could start paddling. I couldn’t get the board pulled back quickly enough to get out of the river’s flow so I ended up being dragged too far downstream before I was able to get myself in motion.

Too late. As I was trying for the corner and what I hoped was a little backwater the woman kayaker standing there looked down at me with the ‘Uh-Oh’ look clearly visible on her face. I was close enough to hear her say “You’re going over” just as I looked to the right and saw the edge of the drop-off that the current was inexorably dragging me to. There was no fighting it as the edge of the rock she was on passed by on my left, so I rolled off the board, let go, crossed my arms as I laid on my back, and pointed feet downstream. I went over the drop.

Jacob and me at the wave

Not too bad. Could have been worse. Two dunkings in 30 seconds certainly does pull a lot of heat out you wearing a mid-90s wetsuit, though. Yanked the leash and shoved the dinky little board beneath me and started paddling for the rocks. Found my footing close in and climbed out of the water. I was cold! I smiled at the young woman as I walked by, she smiled back before remarking that I had broken a fin off. I looked and she was correct, the fin was gone. Eaten by that second drop I’d imagine. Must have smacked a rock in there somewhere.

My heartfelt thanks to all that welcomed me into the Tribe.

My Summit surf-a-river day was over. The first one in 26 years. The Summit was done, I had plenty of notes to ponder and organize before sending the summary to Derrick at OutThere Magazine by Spring. And I had an 8-hour drive north facing my tired cold self for the rest of the day.

Jacob saw me walking back up the bank and came across to see what had happened. Showed him the board, said my good-byes, waved at the other surfers in the middle of the river that were looking with the tail of the board missing the fin up in the air which got a few knowing nods and smiles, and headed back to my truck to change and warm up and start the long drive home. It had been a very good weekend. My heartfelt thanks to all that welcomed me into the Tribe.

Part I: A Gathering of the Tribe: North America’s 1st River Surfing Summit

The post A Gathering of the Tribe: North America’s 1^st River Surfing Summit (Part II of II) appeared first on Riverbreak.

Friday, October 6

Starting at 7:00pm (no registration required)
Meet and Greet: Meet and surf with river surfers from across North America

Saturday, October 7

8:00am–8:30am
Morning registration

8:30am–9:00am
Jacob Kelly: event introduction

9:00am–10:00am
Neil Egsgard: step by step timeline for wave builds

10:00am–10:30am – Via Skype (Austria)
Maximilian Neuböck: stakeholder management, overall wave build approaches

10:30am–11:00am
Jeffrey Banks: fundraising for surf waves

11:00am–11:30am
Ben Nielsen: finding the best sites and conditions for successful wave projects

11:30am–noon
Questions and answers

Noon–1:00pm
Lunch

1:00pm–1:20pm
Alex Copp: experiences in growing surf communities and starting a surf shop

1:20pm–1:40pm
KB Brown: experiences in shaping river surfboards and young surfers

1:40pm–2:00pm
Discussions: in groups

2:00pm–2:20pm
Loren Kaehn: registering a non-profit surf association

2:20pm–2:40pm
Tyler Kraushar: fundraising strategies for small groups

2:40pm–3:00pm
Discussion: in groups

4:00pm–4:30pm
Ryan Richard: whitewater park evolution, adjustable waves, relationships with cities and businesses

4:30pm–4:45pm
Ben Nielsen: engineer’s point of view with working with cities

4:45pm–5:00pm
Neil Egsgard: presentation of a communication framework

5:00pm–5:20pm
Questions and answers

6:00pm–9:00pm
Evening social, river surf discussions, mingling, beers

Sunday, October 8

Sunday Funday (no registration required)
Meet and surf with river surfers from across North America

Location

Bend, Oregon

Ticket Options

Wave Building Workshop ($115)
8:00am – 1:00pm: includes the rest of the day – no other registration is required to attend later events

Community Building Afternoon ($60)
1:00pm – 6:00pm: includes the evening but no access to the morning -no other registration is required to attend the social

Evening Social ($20)
6:00pm – 9:00pm: includes evening only, no access to morning or afternoon

As part of the summit a Meet & Greet will take place the Friday evening before at the wave as well as a Sunday Funday surf but registration is not required.

If you want to join the Summit it is not too late to purchase your ticket at eventbrite.com

The post 2017 River Surf Summit: Program and Schedule appeared first on Riverbreak.

If you are part of a wave building project or want to surf in your hometown – register for the morning sessions to get a step by step guide to wave building. Already in a community with river surfers? Register for the afternoon and participate in presentations and discussions that will shape the future of our sport.

If You Love River Surfing, Be There!

There are no details confirmed yet but here is what you can expect:

• Morning: Wave building workshop hosted by Surf Anywhere with lots of value for those looking to build waves
• Afternoon: Will be geared towards community building, so events, surf comps etc. (essentially a mix of speakers and discussions)
• In the evening there will be a social, free flow conversation with beers

Details and Registration

River Surf Summit 2017
October 7th
Bend, Oregon

The whole summit will run from 8:00am to 9:00pm. Registration fees help make the summit happen, covering the cost of room rental, food, gifts for presenters, other logistical/admin stuff and goodies.

Go put your name on the mailing list if you are interested in helping shape the future or river surfing in North America: http://bit.do/riversurfsummitmailinglist

The post River Surf Summit 2017 appeared first on Riverbreak.

E-Mail
bixbysurfboards@gmail.com 

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/Bixby-Surfboards-492152024136578/

The post Bixby Surfboards appeared first on Riverbreak.

Spot Details

Country: USA
Nearest town/city: Bend, Oregon
River: Deschutes River
Address: 166 SW Shevlin-Hixon Dr, Bend, Oregon 97702
Directions: Located north of the Colorado Avenue Bridge. Viewing is available on the pedestrian bridge and on the east side of the river and at McKay Park. Parking is available on public streets or at Miller’s Landing Park.
Latitude: 40.9408646
Longitude: -58.7430038

Wave Details

Characteristics

Glassy, steep, wide surf wave
Width: 40′ (12m)
Wave Height: 3’ (1m)
Adjustable: Yes
Ideal for shortboards

Conditions

Flow range: 200 to 1,000+ cfs (5 to 30 cms)
The ideal flow is right around or below 1,000 cfs and the wave gets steep and full green shoulder to shoulder
Current conditions can be checked here

Dangers

Helmets (especially when water drops below 900 CFS) and PFDs are recommended.
Be careful when using leashes, they can get caught on underwater objects. If you wear a leash, make sure it has a quick release.

Tips

Watch people surf on the live webcam.
Here’s another live webcam of the wave in Bend.

Weather in Bend, Oregon

Today 09/02 High 28° / Low 10°

Tomorrow 09/03 High 27° / Low 8°

Tuesday 09/04 High 28° / Low 9°

Spot Location

Bend Videos

Aerial perspective on Bend’s river wave

Gerry Lopez river surfing Bend

More on Bend

Bend Whitewater Park on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BendWhitewaterPark/

Current conditions
http://www.bendparksandrec.org/bend-whitewater-park/water-wave-conditions/ 

You know more about Bend?

The post Bend appeared first on Riverbreak.

The post River Surfing Trestle Wave: Elijah Mack and Kevin Ludwig appeared first on Riverbreak.

The post Oregon Floods River Surfing appeared first on Riverbreak.

As one of the founding fathers of the sport, Eli has long been a huge inspiration for lots of river surfers around the world. His travels brought him to the remotest corners of the Earth — constantly on the lookout for fresh, unsurfed river waves. There’s probably not a single, serious river wave out there, which Eli hasn’t surfed yet. His record stands at some 200 river waves surfed.

Surfing Runs Through his Blood

Having surfed over 200 river waves, Eli is kind of the godfather of river surfing.

Biographically, Eli had already inscribed the sport of surfing into his genes. His great-uncle, Dempsey Holder, was one of the first big-wave surfers and his dad, Jeffery Simmerman was a surfer too. Eli started bodysurfing at the age of eight, and surfing at the age of twelve. Relatively soon, he discovered his passion for larger waves and surfed the “Killers” (Todos Santos) and then the infamous Mavericks in Northern California.

It’s not an everyday thing that big-wave surfers develop a passion for (relatively) small river waves. Eli is an exception to the rule. He started river surfing at the age of 27 when he realised that he just has to take a look at rivers (as opposed to the ocean) to find untouched and uncrowded waves everywhere. Since then, he began to explore river waves across the world.

Taking a Break from River Surfing

It’s safe to say that Eli was one of the early pioneers who helped give the small river surfing community a voice and emancipate the sport from ocean surfing. Today, Eli lives in Oregon with his four kids and his wife. In the last couple of years it got quiet around Eli, but he ensured me that he’s still in love with river surfing as much as he did when he first started. Let’s hope we’ll soon hear back from the man who has been surfing anything and anywhere.

More of Eli

Browse through our photos, videos and stories to see more of Eli’s surfing: Eli on Riverbreak

The post Elijah Mack appeared first on Riverbreak.