Watch: Weird Waves // Bend, Oregon

Stu Nettle (stunet)
Swellnet Dispatch

In the third instalment of Weird Waves, Dylan Graves travels from Pipeline, Idaho, to surf with the King of Pipeline.

Bend's second most famous resident - behind Charles Webster Baer of course - is Gerry Lopez, who along with his son Alex shape river boards for the whitewater park on the river.

I can appreciate Gerry's move from Hawaii to the mountains to go snowboarding, but the river 'wave', no matter how they dress it up, seems a pitiful facsimile of the real thing so it's hard to understand his devotion to it. All of which has me wondering: if this was the only surfing I could do, would I even bother? Probably not..

But I guess the fact that people do is fascinating and makes the 'Weird Wave' series one to follow.

Comments

indo-dreaming Monday, 21 Jan 2019 at 08:12 pm new

If you lived here, i think its something you would do as a grommet for a few months to a year and then move on to something else....even riding it once i think id be over it in a hour or less.

t-diddy Monday, 21 Jan 2019 at 11:42 pm new

Yea, totally agree. Like having half a beer.

freeride76 Monday, 21 Jan 2019 at 08:17 pm new

that was my favourite one.

Hoodie Monday, 21 Jan 2019 at 08:20 pm new

Wow, Gerry Lopez is such a cool guy. Always has been. Always will be. So humble.

GuySmiley Monday, 21 Jan 2019 at 08:46 pm new

Agree, a true legend

lost Tuesday, 22 Jan 2019 at 08:29 am new

Only Gerry could make that wave look good and he did. Would love to see him snowboarding given he seems to have devoted a fair chunk of his life to that as well.

nextswell Tuesday, 22 Jan 2019 at 09:25 am new

Agree an absolute legend. You seen Sprout Lost? About 10 yrs old now but has a whole section on his life in Bend Oregon. Snowboards well for a bloke his age too.Shapes Rasta and one of the malloys replica 70s singles. Worth a view.

lost Wednesday, 23 Jan 2019 at 05:52 am new

No but thanks - will hunt it down. Cheers

epictard Tuesday, 22 Jan 2019 at 01:29 pm new

They need to take the super-frother from the first episode with them everywhere. He would have been so excited and livened it up a bit.

wax-on-danielson Tuesday, 22 Jan 2019 at 01:45 pm new

I always assumed Gerry moved to Oregon cause he found a wave that pumped like Pipe with no crowd

truebluebasher Tuesday, 22 Jan 2019 at 07:01 pm new

River Recreation Specialist aka The Wave Shaper!

I agree with all that Gerry stuff.

Fair to ask how many earth-like planets were mined for Bend Riverboard Quiver?
I don't ever recall the need for a new board each twiddle of a dial...
Them there Riverboarderz have gone right up round the Bend.

(Good series Stu! Thanx Swellnet)
Here's a different spin on dial-up river waves...

Oz Penrith Whitewater Stadium. (Canoe Surfing)

Waveloch plans for Rotterdam Canal are also similar.
https://www.surfloch.com/rif010-urban-surfing-rotterdam/

All flow from Mad King Ludwig's Venus Wave'Grotto.
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=5bcriKdSDB4C&pg=PA103&lpg=PA103&dq…

velocityjohnno Tuesday, 22 Jan 2019 at 07:25 pm new

Really enjoyed that one, everyone sharing and seemingly stoked. Imagine wave parks like that in any town with a decent river, or decent snow runoff. For the techies being able to manipulate the water flow and wave quality too, wow.
Gerry seems to be in a good place, he's expanded surfing in so many ways.

Walk around G Tuesday, 22 Jan 2019 at 09:25 pm new

Standing waves.....meh, you can have it. Maybe put a few of these in Melbourne for the hypocrypto hipsters, it might keep a few out of the way down here. Tick tackin while looking at your feet is where it's at hipsters.

truebluebasher Wednesday, 23 Jan 2019 at 01:32 am new

velocityjohnno hold that thought!
I know what your all thinking...Imagine if you could actually surf a river back to health.

U.S. Nuke Plant is 5 x more water efficient than Kelly's Surf Ranch.
Also every wave pool has been drained & refilled several times mid drought.
Surfers guzzle most fuel polluting far off marine parks,dumping 30% fuel on tow-ins.
Now resource guzzling Wavepools are branding all surfers as #1 eco terrorists.

Oddly Wavepools do less damage to River/Estuary than a recreational riverdance.
Mostly because each mode depletes the environment...Choice of lesser of two evils!
I'll introduce a transitional article that compares the bratz... re: (Bend v Pool).

https://www.theinertia.com/surf/opinion-adjustable-river-waves-are-a-be…

The future of River Surfing flows with free power/ free water/ low maintenance
But surfers still erode river banks & lakes! What if surfing revived our waterways?

Now government /Council would pay Riversurf Rangers to repair Environment.
That's right! Surfers as eco heroes rather than eco vandals. Bullshit! What a Joke!

Exhibit one! Use the force to escape the dark side to see what good comes from bad...
Latest Surf Toy is more marine debris or a prototype Surf Ranger's - Lake Aerator ?
https://www.surf-pool.com/

Dams cut off flows and Weirs/Sand pumping erodes river banks & destroys our surf.
Surfers! Your mission is to surf our mountain riverbend estuary back to health.
Huey approved Surf for the Dole gives our Rivers/Surfers a new lease on Life.

Eco dream can come true! The future is here.
https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/64/10/870/1780369

Or keep playing with toys..(German Shopping Mall 2018)

Back to the future! (German Shopping Mall 1929)See: [Time Traveller Mall Guy 1:08] (2018 Dude in 6 pack Metro Mankini >>1929) Wrong wavepool Romeo! "Scheissen!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=Uz_A6VDUbSI

truebluebasher Wednesday, 23 Jan 2019 at 01:58 am new

Twist in the tail...
Basherz crash 2018 to reclaim Wave Mall... Skegz Strikeback (Locals only! Derby).
See: [Timelords Wavepool Wars]

charlesbaer Saturday, 26 Jan 2019 at 06:19 pm new

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Craig Friday, 4 Oct 2019 at 07:22 am new

Now this is a river wave!