Surfing Turns, Rail-to-Rail Surfing

Rail-to-rail surfing on river waves refers to a surfing technique where the surfer uses full body rotation to surf the wave by maneuvering along the edges or “rails” of the surfboard. This technique is often associated with standing wave river surfing or artificial rapid wave surfing, where surfers ride waves created by the flow of a river and need to turn rail-to-rail to stay on the standing wave that is limited in width.

In traditional ocean surfing, surfers typically ride waves by positioning themselves on the face of the wave and making turns according to how the wave moves forward. However, standing river waves are different from ocean waves. The wave energy is moving in the opposite direction than in the ocean and the width of the wave is limited, which requires the surfer to maneuver rail-to-rail.

Rail-to-rail surfing on river waves involves carving turns and maneuvers along the limited size of the wave face. Surfers shift their weight from one rail (the edge of the board) to the other to initiate turns and perform tricks. By utilizing the entire rail of the surfboard, riders can maintain balance and control while navigating the dynamic river wave. This is good training for cutbacks in ocean surfing where the surfer maneuvers back into the pocket of the moving-forward wave, which contains the most energy.