KANANASKIS - Multi-time river surfing champs showed why they wear the shred crowns in Saturday's (Aug. 24) 2019 River Surf Championships on Kananaskis River in Kananaskis Country.
Canmore's Angela Knox became three-time women's champ and Calgary's Tristan Gaudet hit a four-peat in the men's division when they crushed the mountain wave near Canoe Meadows.
Woman’s finalist Angela Knox competes in the 2019 River Surf Championships in #Kananaskis. #Riversurfing #Canmore #Banff pic.twitter.com/JWR83cnTxr
— Jordan Small (@jordiesmall) August 24, 2019
"I've spent a lot of time in the water and I'm tenacious," said Knox. "I just really love it. It's changed my relationship with the rivers around here and all my other outdoor activities have gone to the wayside and so I just feel I'm fairly passionate about it.
"I'd love to see more women in the water overall and pushing our edge together ... but it's still growing, it's such a new sport."
Surfers dive into the fast current at the man-made wave and are judged on entry into the wave, flow, style, and tricks.
"For me, it's personal progression so I just try to push myself all the time," said Gaudet. "When I linked a bunch of 360s together, I thought maybe that pushed me over the edge (to victory). I know Edison (Castillo) has amazing power so I was a little worried there."
Men’s finalist Edison Castillo competes in the River Surf Championships in #Kananaskis. #riversurfing #canmore #banff pic.twitter.com/CmyqfS14Oq
— Jordan Small (@jordiesmall) August 24, 2019
Finishing in second and third for the men were Calgary's Castillo and Aaron Black, respectively.
Finishing second for the women was Banff's Liz Chaffey.
For more, check out the Aug. 29 edition of the Rocky Mountain Outlook.
