Surfing Storm Waves at 6,225’

INCLINE VILLAGE, CA — During the last storm of 2024, a small but dedicated group of Tahoe surfers spent the day surfing frigid waves near Incline Village. The group, mostly born and raised in North Lake Tahoe, are some of only a few surfers who surf storm-generated waves on the lake.
“There’s very few people who want to be out there,” says Westan Lubin, one of several Truckee locals who was out a couple weeks ago. “It’s an awesome experience whenever you can surf the lake because everyone that’s out there is just super excited — and you have to be excited, like be super amped, or else you’re freezing.”
The conditions for surfing the lake are rare, and are an inherently intense time to be out on the lake.
“It rarely blows hard enough,” says Sebastian Hall, a born-and-raised Truckee local also out during the last storm. “We’re looking for like 25 to 30 knots of wind for a number of hours to allow the lake to generate enough power to surf, and that doesn’t really happen that often.”
The weather parameters that make the lake surfable mean surfers are braving some truly wintery conditions to be out.
“The first time I was out there I thought my lungs were going to freeze and crack off,” says Ollie Fralick, another Truckee local who was out at Incline on December 29. “On a sunny day it’s okay, but the last time we surfed it was pelting snow on us, like coming in sideways at us, and that was a whole different element. It made it a lot harder to see the waves coming at you.”

“When it’s big and you’re moving a lot, you’re actually building up a sweat,” says Hall. “But it is freezing cold. Not a piece of skin is showing but our face,” referencing the wetsuit hoods, booties, and gloves that are a requirement on the lake.
“Our mouths go numb, so we start slurring our words. It’s pretty funny,” says Hall. “But the breaking point sneaks up on you and then you’re out.”
In addition to the stormy weather, “the cold water mixed with the high altitude makes for a really high heart rate that I was not prepared for the first time I went out,” says Fralick. Fralick also noted how different it felt to surf freshwater, in which surfers are less bouyant than in salt water.
At 6,225′, surfing on Lake Tahoe can truly be called surfing in the mountains.
Despite the challenges however, when the waves are good, they’re good, and the scene is much more welcoming than in other parts of California, where localism and scarcity can drive vicious competition for waves.
“Because the surf scene on the lake is novelty-based, everyone’s just excited they’re surfing on a lake,” says Sebastian Hall, a born-and-raised Truckee local who was out during the last storm. “Because the conditions are super tough, everyone’s just happy someone else is out there.”
“It’s a super cool thing that not a lot of people do, so it’s really special for me and the few people who do it in Tahoe,” says Lubin. “Our group has made all these nicknames for the spots, and we kind of bring that mindset to it in a funny way. It’s just a good time out there.”
For surfers interested in trying out the novelty surfing, be warned: between waiting for the right weather and hitting the window right, surfing the lake is unpredictable and requires being tuned in for most of the day. But you won’t get any of the localism you might expect elsewhere.
“It’s for everyone, you know. If you’re willing to try it, go ahead!” says Hall. “It’s not everyone’s thing, so if you’re out there, it’s impressive. I think everyone can have respect for that.”

Anna Kristina Moseidjord is a reporter for the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Sierra Sun.

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