So I have been caved out up here in Mt. Shasta as we have been getting lots of snow in the past week and expect at least another foot by the end of the week. Sure as hell doesn’t feel like spring except the rivers are swollen and the lakes are full. I will be the first to admit that my play boating is the weakest aspect of my kayaking but this wave is fun no matter what your skill level. At normal flows this feature is a nasty low head dam but when Keswick Dam starts releasing at least 38,000 cfs or higher the Redding Wave forms. This happens about once ever 5 years, as the last time I surfed it was before I went to World Class Kayak Academy in 2006.
On Monday morning I decided to rally down with Callie to meet up with good friends Taylor Robertson and Sean Corbett for a day of surfin’. A big thanks to fellow Shasta boy Garrett Brown for letting us know when the wave finally came in. The weather in Redding was amazing as it was snowing in Shasta but the sun came out for a day of play with great flows.
I threw together a fun little edit of the day to give everyone a look at this wave. If you are a big play boater and around the northern California area this wave is definitely worth the time. The day we were there Keswick Dam was releasing 38,000 cfs in the morning and then was bumped up to 50,000 cfs in the afternoon. Enjoy the edit.
The 5 year wave, Redding California from Shon Bollock on Vimeo.
Hope everyone is enjoying all the water we got here in Cali or wherever you might find yourself. I will be sticking around Mt. Shasta for the next month and enjoying the local gems while continuing to plugging away at Slippery When Wet. It is official that I was accepted to the University of California Santa Cruz and will be back in SC in August to finish my bachelors degree. Expect to see the newest installment of the Slippery When Wet trailer series featuring Ben Stookesberry in the next few weeks and we are still set to leave for Japan in the beginning of May.
Much love to those in Japan affected by the recent disasters and our team is looking forward to helping on the road to recovery however we can while over there. Also positive vibes to our fellow kayaking brothers Tyler Bradt and Jason Craig as both were injured while pushing our sport a couple days ago. We are all wishing you guys a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing you boyz back on the water in no time.
Photos courtesy of Callie Daniel.
Read more at Shastaboyz.com