Hotel Charley 3: The Lost World visits M Wave

By Jesse Coombs

Hi Everyone,

On our Hotel Charley 3: The Lost World tour through Colorado we had the opportunity to spend some time with Alex Hotlze in Montrose, CO. We had a few extra hours the day after the Telluride show and called Alex for a tour of the local goods. He suggested M Wave and we knew we were in for a good time. What we didn’t know was that we were in for quite the adventure when the spot is park and play. We met Alex and Kyle at the local library and headed off to the wave. We heard the road was bad, and it was. But that was only the beginning. The road was ridiculously slick with 6′ of mud that acted more like dish soap. Alex told us that earlier the road fell away on a precarious corner of the road while a truck full of kayakers was driving through. The truck rolled onto its top crushing the kayaks and truck. We took it very easy on this stretch!

When we got there Alex and Kyle warned us not to step outside. They said the mud was thick and sticky. I ignored them. I mean how bad could it be? Well, check out the mud sandals to see just how sticky it is. Crazy! The mud got so bad we ultimately started walking like Frankenstein trying to keep our shoes from getting sucked off our feet. Ben decided to go barefoot, and that was comical. He said for a kid who didn’t like finger painting, this was not his ideal walking conditions.

We got dressed and got in the unbelievable cold water. Kyle said the water comes from the bottom of two dams and under a mountain on its way to M Wave. The water temp was definitely in the low 40’s. And if that was not enough, the entire town of Montrose had sun except for this area. Oh wait, there is more. Right after we got in the water a driving rain started. We just had to laugh. We all wore as much clothes as possible, pogies and a head cap. And we were still freezing.

But the feature made it all better. This thing is fast and sweet. Sometimes it had a huge face, other times it had a sweet pile. The eddies were fast and pulled you right back into the wave, especially the river right eddy. Alex spends a lot of time on this wave, and it shows. He is a great guy and does a great job out there on M Wave! It was fun to cheer him. Ben and I had great fun and some good rides and laughed at how much a park and play spot could be a true adventure. The van, our gear and our selves were absolutely COVERED in this mud that had a mind of its own.

When we drove back the rain made the road even worse, but the AWD ClearH2Ofilms van pulled right through like a champ! We went straight to the car wash and spent over $5 at the car wash holding the nozzle of the power washer inches from the mud that refused to give in without a huge fight.

This whole event was actually really fun, and I suggest it to anyone who wants a fast and furious wave with plenty of action on and off the river.

Best

Jesse