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Post date: Oct 11, 2016 1:20:32 AM
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#11 ....A moment with April Zastrow ,a Idaho professional ,artist ,designer,model,dirt surfer guru & surfer .
Nacho Clown :Aloha ,April hope all is surfing or jumping some horse power ...was wondering river surfing safety ...the PFD thing in rivers ,you folks don't have to wear one in Idaho waves ? And your in the motorcycle industry lots of rocks ? What about a wet suit that is a PFD & has padding as the flotation of a PFD ? for river surfing & protection from Rock bangs ?& Leashes if worn should be of coiled bungee waist belt Velcro relase not ankle .Whats your opinion. ? Thanks keep surfing ." Nacho Clown
April: No we do not have to wear PFD. Our way is pretty safe considering that we are in a river. We do not have to worry about rocks. In the spring when they open the river to higher CFS there is a lot of debris that comes down that built up from the winter. You have to make sure to look up stream for large logs coming down. In winter you have to look for ice sheets. In spring the water seems the most dangerous to me with higher CFS and debris. They actually advised people not to be in the water and if we had to be rescued it would be the victims bill to pay. RSM : Have you ever tried a belt leash hook up .
April :I haven't tried the belt leash hook, but I think something needs to be done with an ankle leash or leashes to make it safer for river surfing .
RSM:How are the waves that way Idaho.
April: We are surfing it at 3000cfs and right now it is about 850cfs (normal summer flow). Winter we surf as low as about 250cfs (not a good wave though). The better surfers go without a leash up to about 1200cfs. I would feel better about a safer leash option. I personally am thinking about replacing the Velcro around my foot with an elastic band. One guy uses zip ties to attach his leash to his board and sometimes that breaks with normal use. I had to rescue his board down the river one time. When I went to the bend wave it was way more dangerous than ours. I have heard many stories of sketchy moments there. A few days after I surfed it, their wave became not operable and they plan to fix more problems again this winter...
"Yes I work in the dirt bike/motorcycle industry and we focus a lot on safety. I always wear a helmet on a bike."
April Zastrow
RSM: What size board do you perfer in the river ?
April: I surf boards that are about 5' X 19.5" 2. RSM : How long have you been surfing in rivers ? & do you ocean surf ? How is it different in your words As well ?
April: This is my third year river surfing. I ocean surf as much as I can, but the closest spot is about 8-9 hrs away. I think they are both very different words, but my skills from river surfing have helped so much with learning surfing in the ocean.
Nacho Clown :You Shred!!! Do you ocean surf a lot ...what's your favorite ocean spot ? No comment is cool with us ?
April:I ocean surf as much as I can, but the closest spot is about 8-9 hrs away. I think they are both very different words, but my skills from river surfing have helped so much with learning in the ocean. 3. I've surfed the most around Huntington Beach, CA and went there a lot this winter. I think that the Oregon coast will soon become my main spot since it is closer.
RSM:The Idaho Wave park finish , how do feel your hometown Wave park should be finished ? April: It would be awesome if our wave park had another feature we could use while using our main feature or to accommodate for unique flows. Right now river surfing is gaining a lot of popularity and we are experience overcrowding during the hotter times of the year. There is planned growth for the park, but I am not completely sure what the end result will be with the expansion.
Nacho Clown :What is the longest you have jumped on a motorcycle ?
April:I don't know exactly how far I've jumped on a my dirt bike. I've hit freestyle ramps at 75' and dirt jumps at probably 100-110'.
Nacho Clown :That's Huge !!!!respect to your dirt surfing .
RSM: Who is your favorite river surfer ? Odd ? But yea! Flori Kickflip
Master is mine .
April: My favorite surfer to watch is Greg Goulet. He is an experienced skate boarder and snow boarder. You can really see his board skills transfer over to surfing. He is always trying something new and moves on the wave so fast and effortless, but the best part is the huge smile he has the whole time he is surfing.
RSM:Where do
You see the future of riversurfing ,
A= contests , events ,
B= or just for the soul
Of it .
C= let it flow ?
April:I think there will be more river surfing spots, Bend and Denver have just opened up waves in the last year. I think it will mostly be just for the soul as that is the heart of surfing. But I do think there will be enough waves in the PNW to have a little series if people were up for it. Could be fun.
RSM : I agree for the soul ,and river surf Jams and rodeos have a more inland feel to it.
Nacho Clown :Keep it real & April Thank you for your words of wisdom
& thank you for the stoke Keep on Flying the friendly sky's !
RSM :Thank you for your time April & a incredible look into
Idaho surfing , well said Nacho keep on rocking the inland waves April whatever THEY MAY BE .
All Photos & her words Courtesy of April Zastrow
http://www.flyracing.com/ support your local dirt surfer
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHWOk_fD3c3/?taken-by=aprilzastrow11
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