Surfing on Lake Chelan?!

Technology brings beach sport to wave-less inland lakes

- TODD STRAHM

Imagine flying above the water but still being connected to the water.

Your mind is stimulated as it tries to comprehend the reality of it all. Your feet are firmly planted to a board, but the board is not on the water.

However, you can still feel every movement of the water in your feet up through the rest of your body and then into your soul. Welcome to foil surfing. For those who do not know what foiling is, you’re not alone. Even though the concept has been around for over 100 years in boating called hydro foiling and recently for any type of surfing from ocean to kite, the mechanics are still mind-boggling.

The design typically consists of a vertical shaft with a horizontal wing shaped like a stingray. At speed, the wing creates lift and once the board is out of the water, there is little resistance and sound as the foil slices below the surface and you on the board above the waves.

I have always been drawn to the water — in particular crystal-clear bodies with blue and green hues. I often fantasized of the Pacific Ocean and I longed to play in the surf after first being introduced to it as a toddler.

I grew up on a lake in Colorado and although I enjoyed the beauty and stillness of the brackish water, it didn’t affect me the same as the ocean.

My buddies and I would take surf trips to San Diego during college spring breaks. Although fun, it was not enough. Once I graduated and secured a professional sales position, I took the first opportunity to move to the West Coast.