The Mountain Wave – 2019 (CA)

The Mountain Wave (2019)

Kananaskis, AB, Canada

In 2019, Surf Anywhere redesigned and upgraded the famous Mountain Wave for the Alberta River Surfing Association.  The new wave is wider, the paddle out is better, the spectator area is greatly improved and the entire experience is upgraded.  The project involved over 400 tonnes of boulders and there are no moving parts on the wave.  The normal flows are 30 cms / 1000 cfs and during run-off the river regularly goes above 100 cms / 3,500 cfs.  The next stage of the project is to install the fully adjustable wave lab.

Key Improvements

  • Wider and better wave with more surfable area
  • Ability to paddle back to wave from 100m / 300 ft downstream
  • Improved downstream section after wave area
  • Black rock beach for families including young children
  • Better wave and spectator area access
  • Very flood, debris and ice resistant
  • Improved fish passage
  • Improve flow control and water level control

Services Provided

  • Wave design
  • Access and egress design
  • Spectator area design
  • Coordinating and consulting on engineering and construction
  • Hydraulic modelling
  • Environmental protections
  • Material and equipment sourcing
  • Project management
  • Permitting
  • Fundraising
  • Wave tweaking

Wave Details
Wave Quality: Glassy, steep, fast surf wave
Characteristics: Thick flow into pool above deep shaped bottom
Width: 25’ (8m)
Wave Height: 3’ (1m)
Flow Range: 700 to 1300+ cfs (20 to 36 cms)
Adjustable: Yes. Manual adjustment when flow is off. Flow is off daily.