Lakeside Surf Rail Surfing Coaching Trip with Barry Green

Lakeside Surf delivers again with a truly one-of-a-kind surf trip. Traveling inland, deep in the state of Washington, felt strange, as it has the last two times we've gone there to surf. We traveled with boards between four and a half and five and a half feet, with volumes 20-40% lower than most people ride. [see video at the end of the article]

But that's the thing. There's no need for length or volume when the wave provides you all the speed you want. 

This environment gives the surfer the most unique coaching experience for rail surfing. The same wave, the same section, repeatable, without paddling or taking off. 

Sounds too good to be true?

There's always a catch. 

As we disclosed in the last Lakeside trip blog post - From a Down the Line to a Carving Surfer … in 3 Days - there is a bit of a learning curve before you can begin unlocking the wonders of rail surfing. 

Of the wave pools Barry and I have visited, Lakeside has the steepest learning curve, and certainly the most ego-crushing. 

But once a surfer makes it through that learning curve (as described in the last Lakeside blog post), they are able to grow leaps and bounds. 

The key to it all comes down to how resilient someone is. How long can you slam, catch edges, and feel like an absolute kook again, until your brain "clicks"? 

It was remarkable to see that moment when a surfer's brain reached that point. It was like night and day with their body motion, confidence and speed on the wave. And it really was like a "click". I even saw it happen while someone was on the wave riding. One minute they were stiff and robotic. The next, something clicked and their turn was smooth, body moving with the board and curve, eyes looking around ready to smack the next section. It was magical. 

Big thanks to Barry Green who conducted some surf technique and mental toughness coaching while on the trip, and to those who came along to share in the laughter and smiles. Let's do it again soon.

Enjoy the video:

To learn more about the various paddling and surf technique trips, please feel free to reach out: Contact Me.