Your complete guide to river surfing in Calgary

Hey hi hello Calgary, and welcome to your crash course on river surfing! It’s time to take you down to the 10th Street bridge, where a lil wave is making some land-locked Calgarians very happy. Embrace your inner Kunu and buckle up, it’s time to hang loose.

First thing’s first: you’re gonna have to book a lesson with our pals at Outlier. One does not just cruise their way into the wave, so you’ve gotta rent some equipment and expertise from these guys. Don’t worry, they don’t bite. But they *do* give you a wetsuit, a surfboard, a PFD, and a helmet. We know, we know– helmets aren’t cute but neither is CTE.

Once you get in, you’ll learn the fundamentals, practice safe river habits and get accustomed to the community (spoiler alert: it’s pretty chill). Usually there’s a bit of a line to get to the wave– there is only one, after all– but your instructor will help you grab a spot.

Reach the front of the queue and you’ll find yourself at a rock. It’s pretty hard to find if you’re a beginner, but with some practice you’ll be good to go. Launch yourself towards the dip in the wave and give a strong paddle or two, and you might just be lucky enough to hit the sweet spot.

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Don’t be discouraged if you don’t, though– it’s ridiculously hard. All that helps is good ol’ practice, so get to know your fellow surfing pals and eventually you’ll get there. From that point it’s just up to balance!

Think you can handle the wave? Go give Outlier Surf a shout. And if you’re already down to try the next hardest thing? It might be time to hit the Kananaskis wave. Go embrace your best surfing self, Calgary!