Surfs Up in Idaho- Peak UK style

Last weekend was the PBR kayaking comp in Banks, Idaho. Josh and I headed over with the idea of competing....but this quickly changed when we saw this:

The Bladder Wave was IN. WOO HOOO!!! The Bladder Wave comes in about once a year and there was actually a period of four years when the wave did not come in at all. So there we were- compete both days on the Payette OR surf the Bladder Wave....hmmm this wasnt a hard decision to make. We opted to surf :)

Josh geared up first and hopped in to check out the Gutter . The Gutter is on river left and the Bladder is on river right- both are seperated by a concrete barrier....

"It's really shallow" was the first thing Josh said. OK over to the Bladder Wave...I chose to rock the new Peak UK drydeck that Ken sent me and wow did it work. I stayed dry the whole time...even after I got tired and started rolling a lot lol .

The Bladder Wave is formed by an inflatable dam on a canal. The level was spiking due to warm weather and the huge snowpack from this winter. On SAturday, there was practically no one surfing because everyone was at the PBR comp. This meant we were to have one exhausting session on the wave with NO eddyline. It is a 7-10 foot high wave depending on the flow and it can be pretty trashy....atleast noticed I got thrown around a lot. There is a nice eddy on river left just behind the bladder dam....check out the pics....more to follow soon!

AFter a good seven hours of surfing, Josh and I headed to Boise to spend the evening with Josh's family. Pepper quickly took over grandma's feet while Missy Blaze yawned in bordem ha ha...

Sunday:

Ken Driscoll and Jeff Banks of Peak UK arrived at the Bladder Wave just before their flight out of Boise. I took a few rides and then hopped out to chill with them and take photos.

We headed back to Boise for our last good night's sleep before a good 6 hour drive home on Monday morning. Pepper dog was exhausted from a day of playing ball with the family (we left her in Boise) and we were too. Surfing wears you out. Ha ha which reminds me, at one point, we were sitting in the eddy contemplating the last time we went playboating....which was in October of last year.....wow. Living in your creekboat makes you soft!!! Anyways, the weekend at the BLadder was sweet. NExt time it comes in, Im there!!! :)

Parting Shots:

"Ummmm....what?"

"Wha? Did someone say my name?"

Happy Paddling,
Christina and Josh