Surf's Up On Lake Minnetonka
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The temperature outside Tuesday afternoon was about 50 degrees, and the water temperature on Lake Minnetonka was about 10 degrees colder.
It was pretty much a perfect day for wake surfing.
"This is my first wake surf of the season," said Alex Brost. "This will be my first time riding the new board. I'm very, very excited for this one."
In California, it's not unusual to see surfers waxing their boards in March. In Minnesota, if you want to surf in March, you've got the lake to yourself.
"Most of ocean surfing you are paddling around and waiting for a wave," Brost said. "Wake surfing is basically all stand-up time, which is a lot more fun."
Brost has surfed all over the world, so when he came back to Minnesota after studying college abroad, he decided he wanted to bring surfing here.
Brost invented his own board and started his own company, Idol Surfboards, to make it happen.
"It's an extra short, slightly wider surfboard designed to be as maneuverable as possible in the pocket of the wake behind the boat," Brost said.
And in the middle of March, catching waves isn't a problem. The water temperature is about 40 degrees, which makes wetsuits, gloves and boots essential.
"The trick is riding the pocket of the wave and once you feel comfortable, just throwing the rope in and riding the wave," surfer Alex Norman said.
Of course, it helps when you have a boat like a 2016 Centurion RI 237.
Nate Deschene, of River Valley Power and Sports, uses the wake-shaping boat to manufacture surf.
"It's pretty friendly as far as going out on an active day and being able to surf no problem," Deschene said.
While Brost, Norman and Deschene were the first to surf Lake Minnetonka this year, but they won't be the last.
"Just get on a board and ride," Norman said. "It's the most fun I've ever had. I've found a love in surfing that I've never found anywhere else in my life."