Lakeside Surf in Chelan to Host Open Riversurf Competition

Lakeside Surf is preparing to host its inaugural Battle of the Butte.

The "riversurf" event is slated for Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29. It is open to all-comers, regardless of age or ability. In fact, the Battle of the Butte is the first open competition in Lakeside's almost three-year history.

Competitors will be grouped into four divisions: Super Groms (10- to 13-year-olds), Groms (14-17), Prime (18-44) and Master (45+).

Only the Super Groms are coed. As the reasoning goes, boys and girls at that age are similarly situated in terms of athletic ability.

Then there's the "open" division, an all-ages free-for-all; the winner of which will receive a coveted distinction.

The open division is "highly competitive," says Jared Eygabroad, who manages Lakeside Surf. "It's a qualifier for Team USA and the Continental Surf Cup." Eygabroad couldn't be more excited about this fast-approaching spectacle.

Lakeside is a wave pool facility that abuts Slidewaters Waterpark in Chelan. It is home to a 50-foot stationary wave, the largest and most imposing of its kind in the world.

Riversurfing is a stark departure from traditional ocean surfing. The waves are man-made and stationary, or "standing."

Munich, of all places, attracts hordes of riversurfers. A stationary wave was erected some years ago on the Eisbach, a stream that flows into the larger Isar River.

Citywave USA, the company that built Lakeside's principal attraction, is headquartered in Munich.

Registration for the Battle of the Butte is $50. But spectators - and this is important to note, stresses Eygabroad - won't have to pay anything.

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