photo: cleansnipe.com
It’s a long way to the ocean from Jackson. So for those of us that want to get our liquid shred on (and that don’t have a boat) Lunch Counter on the Snake River is the next best thing. I wont claim to be a good, nay, average river surfer for a moment- but it sure is an awesome time. The surfable wave on the Lunch Counter Rapid is the first in the wave train, so the only way to get off the wave is by swimming through the rest of the rapid- which is always quite thrilling. It’s not for the faint of heart, if you fall and loose your board, swimming Lunch Counter without a life jacket is pretty intense.
photo: jacksonkayak.com
Another variable to keep you on your toes is the constant stream of rafters coming through the rapid. There are some jackass river guides out there that will aim right for you. Although the boats coming down the river do have the right of way, at bigger flows there’s enough of a shoulder on the wave to let boats though. But said jackasses might still try and take you out with an ore.
The video above was shot at around 13,500CFS, about the upper limit for a surfable wave. Above that the wave is generally washed out. The wave is generally surfable between 13,500CFS and and 8,000CFS. Higher flows usually mean a broader face but flatter, whereas lower flows offer a steeper, narrower face. Although it might not exactly by Teahupoo, it’s not bad for a state hundreds of miles from the nearest beach.
Surfing, in Wyoming?
Awesome river wave, i wish the truckee river had a better one
Standing waves are not that hard to make. Making the river was the hard part. Officials might get a bit bent but the fish won’t notice a thing compared to a dam. All that is needed is logs properly placed but a safer wave barrier would be a removable standing wave guide made of fiber impregnated plastic sheeting and rope which would construct around two or more drawn out ropes by folding sheeting around the top and bottom ropes several times and let the pressure and friction do the real work sewing it together just to keep everything in place once a design shape for a location is figured out and tested.
IF you could attach it securely. There always a catch and trees are too high on the banks to secure it. And a solution as holes drilled for securing line posts would be good for torrorisum and bring in revenues to make the officials happy;-).
You could angle it and get the type of wave you and the rafters want…unless you add a release gate with pulley rope reduction system to get it back up after they go by. But the rafters will be nice when surfers control the exciting spots.
Brant Page is an awesome finger surfer and makes “finger boards” in Kona on the Big Island so if you have a running creak you can still surf and not get yelled at for adding objects to increase size and control the wave parameters.
If I lived on a fast flowing river I’d probably get myself in trouble so I’ll let someone else have the fun. I’d watch the military auctions nation wide and see what comes up in sheeting, ropes, anchoring, etc for pennies on the dollar.
John^^
BTW….on second thought since the forces to contain are so immense looking at it from the point of view of a river rock on the bottom, if the barrier structure shape had (enough) volume and filled up with water adding pressure to weight, an uneven rocky bottom could substantially help hold it in place forcing the water to stop and go over it creating a wave. Hard part is keeping the barrier face upright but the right design shape could solve that issue.
John^^
what’s with all the rafts taking people out?
you need some footage of the real surfers of the Snake rallying all sorts of amazing footwork. we have some unbelievable surfers around here and its pretty amazing to see it posted on Unofficial. pretty much the only cool thing going on the Snake bsides fishing…..surfs up
Surfing without a lifejacket seems….. like a bad idea. The rafts kinda have the right of way, they’re not exactly maneuverable.
That’s the raft line, if you aren’t far enough left when you enter, you end up against the wall at the bottom. Doesn’t help your tips if you’re a guide I imagine.
As a surfer at lunch Counter and also a raft guide on the Snake
I gotta say, when I’m surfing I have the wave all day and i can exit and enter at will. As a raft guide I have one shot at it.