You shredding a perfect wave and you crushing a tall kayak wave with a good pile.
HELP FINISH THE PERFECT WAVE IN KANANAKSIS!
The Alberta River Surfing Association (ARSA) and Alberta Whitewater Association (AWA) are at the final installation stage of the Kananaskis Whitewater adjustable wave. The adjustable wave structure will be finished fabrication in 2026. We have $600k in donated services, materials, labour, and cash. We have applied for a $600k matching Alberta Government grant with the Community Facility Enhancement Program that will allow us to install the wave structure. This project has been strongly supported by the Alberta government via a 2022 CFEP grant for $150k. We have over 66 letters of support from governments, not for profits, businesses, and individuals. Our best chance to win the grant and build the wave is to have more matching funds. To support the project, you can:
DONATE FUNDS.
Individuals or Businesses
Donate to the Alberta Whitewater Association via the Alberta Government Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation (SPAR) Donation Fund Program. Use these selections.
Program Type = Whitewater
Activity type = Facility development
For a tax receipt, select “Do you require an official donation receipt?” = Yes
If you donate, send a message to president@albertariversurfing.com with the donation details.
Businesses only
Instead of donating funds now, Businesses can provide a letter of commitment stating they will provide a specific amount of funds to the Kananaskis Whitewater Adjustable Wave Project.
Send letter on your letterhead to president@albertariversurfing.com
Wave examples - Surf, kayak, body board
All videos are from the BoiseWhitewaterPark instagram.
Kayak video
Surf video
Surf and body board video
where can I find more project details?
There are more details on this page, in the links on this page, and in the Overview of Kananaskis adjustable wave project.
What is the grant?
When will the wave open?
The fall following the award of the large CFEP grant. The wave opening requires the CFEP grant. The large CFEP grant is applied for in June and awarded in January. The ARSA will apply for the large CFEP grant every year until ARSA is awarded the grant. If ARSA wins the CFEP grant in January 2027 then the wave will be installed and opened in Fall 2027. If the CFEP grant is awarded in Jan 2028 then the wave will be installed and opened in Fall 2028.
What is the project stage?
We are fundraising for the final stage of adjustable wave installation and commissioning. Engineering complete and the structure is being fabricated. Almost all pre-installation work is complete. Some permits have been approved and some are in process. There will be additional tweaks before installation.
See the "Overview of Kananaskis adjustable wave project" for more information. Below are some project document excerpts.
Project drawings
Project modelling
Waves generating economic impacts
What type of waves will be made?
A wide range of waves types will be made. The adjustable wave plans are the result of an 18 month research project by ARSA, AWA, Surf Anywhere, the University of Ottawa, and MITACS. An adjustable wave will provide excellent surf waves and kayak waves all year including during high flows. Below are some of the waves created during modelling, the waves in the model are 1m wide.
What is the design of the adjustable surf wave?
The adjustable wave consists of the following components.
Berms: Narrow the river to make a wave channel. Berms are made from boulders
Wave channel: Shapes the flow of water over the wave. Wave channel is made from pre cast concrete sections that will be fitted together onsite.
Adjustable kickers: Bolt onto the bottom of the wave channel to make different wave shapes. These will be adjusted by the wave teams to make different wave shapes.
Adjustable walls. Bolt onto the side of the wave channel to control paddle on access to wave and wave shape. These will be adjusted by the wave teams to make different wave shapes.
Headwater control: Manual adjustable berm openings in headwater berm to control flow through the wave channel. These will be adjusted by the wave teams to make different wave shapes.
Tailwater control: Manual adjustable berm openings in tailwater berm to control tailwater elevation and wave height. These will be adjusted by the wave teams to make different wave shapes.
Key design documents are:
06-01 Kan adjustable wave river engineering report Dec 16 2022.pdf.
Will be updated with concrete structure.
06-02 Kan adjustable wave aquatic environmental assessment Jan 12 2023.pdf.
Will be updated with concrete structure.
06-03 Kan adjustable wave structural and fabrication drawings May 13 2026.pdf.
06-04 Kan adjustable wave geotechnical review Aug 29 2023.pdf
Is there research behind the adjustable wave design?
Yes, the ARSA and AWA completed 18 months of research into adjustable river wave design with Surf Anywhere, University of Ottawa, and MITACS. Wave designs are also informed by design reviews of over 30+ adjustable waves round the world. You can find results of the research here.
Published research papers.
Is there other funding?
Yes! The adjustable wave installation project has lots of confirmed funding and is applying for the large CFEP grant. Details of costs, donations, and revenues are in the "Overview of Kananaskis adjustable wave project".
Donations
Donated materials, services, and labour: $561,660
Cash: $30,000
Some cash donations are being confirmed
Total donations: $591,660
Revenue
CFEP grant: $588,360
Community cash fundraising: $30,000
Some cash donations are being confirmed
Total revenue: $618,360
Cash costs
Install of structure in river: $372,000
Boulders: Donated
Boulder delivery: $52,000
Engineering and environmental support for install: $90,870
Project management, commissioning planning, operations planning: $46,000
Subtotal: $560,870
Contingency (5% of cash cost): $28,044
Subtotal + Contingency: $588,914
Tax 5%: $29,446
Total cash cost: $618,360
Is there other support for the project?
Yes, the project has broad support from government, organizations, and individuals. The project has 66 letters of support including local and provincial governments, not for profits, businesses, and individual Albertans. Some letters of support are in the "Overview of Kananaskis adjustable wave project".
What is the return on investment?
The “Economic impact report for Kananaskis adjustable wave” shows a conservative return on investment of about 2.3 years. A draft 2026 “Economic impact analysis of the 10th street whitewater park” from the City of Calgary by an independent economist firm shows a $2.3M to $8.7M in total annual economic contribution for adjustable river waves in downtown Calgary. The Kananaskis Whitewater adjustable wave is based on:
Accessing some of the $60 billion USD annual market for global wave tourism.
The wave generating a conservative $575k a year in new economic activity only possible because of the high quality wave:
$375K annually from new wave user spending
$200k annually from new international events
Wave usage at 30% capacity.
Return the value of the CFEP grant of $585K.
Kananaskis Whitewater currently generates $33M annually in economic activity (AWA, 2024).
Return on investment below is based on economic impacts exceeding the large CFEP grant.
Is there an environmental benefit?
Yes, the waves and whitewater park create a deep attachment to and appreciation of river ecosystem health. The users and spectators develop the connection through prolonged, positive exposure, and the waves are excellent locations for environment education. The whitewater park has been operating since 1984 including in-river construction projects every 5 years with no negative environmental impacts. All whitewater park features include fish passages and the whitewater park is 1.4km downstream of the TransAlta Barrier dam that is a complete barrier to fish passage.
Where is the project location?
The project is located in Kananaskis Whitewater in Kananaskis, Alberta.
Who are the ARSA and AWA?
The Alberta River Surfing Association (ARSA) and Alberta Whitewater Association (AWA) are Alberta registered not for profit societies. The ARSA was founded in 2005. The AWA was founded in 1972.
What organizations have supported the project?
These are some of the organizations have financially supported the project or provided donations of services.
