Lunch Counter in Wyoming is my new favorite wave. It is, by far, the best river wave I have surfed. It’s not just slightly better either, it’s 10x better than any other river wave. This wave is so good, that it’s better than a lot of ocean waves. I’m going to break this down into three posts: the wave, the location, and the experience.

The wave itself is a right, but not just any right. It’s a right that allows you to set a rail and ride it as long as your want. Most river waves (both “rights” and “lefts”) require you to surf it straight. A turn in any direction, requires another turn in the opposite direction shortly after.

On a normal river wave, the flow of water is perpendicular to the wave. If you make a turn, you will eventually surf off the side of the wave. At Lunch Counter, the flow of water is at a 45 degree angle from the wave. This means, you have an endless shoulder to surf on without ever surfing off the side. Here’s a little satellite comparison between Glenwood Springs and Lunch Counter. The red line represents the wave, and the blue arrow the flow direction of the water.

This small change in the angle of the wave makes a world of difference. It makes the wave feel like a never ending ocean wave and allows you to surf it like one. To add even more sweetness to this wave, at certain levels it greens out and the pile starts disappearing. In the evenings the sun shines through the wave making it look like an ocean wave about to barrel. The sensation when this happens while you’re on the wave is incredible.

Lunch Counter isn’t an easy wave to surf though. It’s home to some crazy hold downs, and a fall in the eddy will pull you under while you get swept around the corner of a rock ledge. It’s terrifying at times.

Board selection is tricky too. The wave is super steep, and works best with short ocean shapes. Shortboards seem to work better than SUPs, but I was able to make the 6’6″ Starboard Impossible work. Next time however, I’ll definitely be bringing some shortboards.

Without further ado, here’s the first video. It’s from one of our first days when we were just starting to learn the wave.

Written by | Benjamin

Benjamin Smith is a land locked surfer living in Colorado. He gets his surfing fix on the local rivers, where he SUP surfs standing waves.