KB - THE RIVER SURFING PIONEER

Kevin "KB" Brown possesses an infectious passion for surfing that runs deep in his veins. He is the epitome of a "soul surfer" doing it for the pure love and stoke - and building a community of river surfers around him in his home spot, Missoula, Montana whilst exploring other spots around the US.

 KB surfing in Wyoming by Joaquin Trevelline 

We salute any surfers willing to go beyond the normal call of duty and head off on missions into the unknown is search of unique waves. The Rocky Mountains must be one of the most sublime and unique surf spots in the world - but river surfing is not without its dangers.

The video below shows the intensity and power of the rivers as they line up as surfing spots.

Wild River Surfing With Kevin KB Brown

ISURUS ambassador and river surfing pioneer KB Brown is constantly traveling and surfing at a variety of locations throughout the Rocky Mountains. He is still showing us new ways to approach surfing and the way we look at waves.

In this video he surfs waves made by nature and by man. Everything from irrigation structures to massive stone ledges formed naturally. The world of river surfing is constantly evolving and KB continues to bring us new perspectives of what can be accomplished in the mountains and rivers.

KB on ISURUS wetsuit durability

KB has been riding ISURUS wetsuits for over 6 years and after literally thousands of surfs, he is still wearing some of his original wetsuits now. In this video he explains some of the finer points of their construction and why he loves them: 

You can view our full suit wetsuit range here: 

KB Interview

We wanted more background on the pioneering legend of river surfing, and Joaquin Trevelline caught up with KB for some more in-depth exploration into his philosophy, hopes for the future, and love of ISURUS wetsuits. 

We've broken the wide-ranging discussion down into a few segments:

Part One: Surf The Earth

How important surfing is to KB: how it connects him to the earth, following a cycle of water through the seasons and how it builds communities and friendships:

Part Two: Stewardship Through Surfing

KB believes that surfing develops environmental advocacy and man made waves in urban environments have the potential to reach more people. How his knowledge of waves through his kayaking led to the discovery of more surfable river waves, and having the wave in town (Brennan's) inspired him to explore.

Part Three: Development of River Surfing

KB's thoughts on the future of river surfing and how he transitioned from ocean surfing to skating to snowboarding and kayaking - and this led to the progression of river surfing with some inspiration from Hawaii. 

Part Four: The Spark

KB describes that first time he decided to give it a go - like all surfing pioneers from Jeff Clark at Mavericks to Lance Knight in the Mentawaii's, that leap into the unknown marks a critical progression for all who follow.


KB goes into some detail about the ISURUS suit he's been wearing this spring - the single density zipfree 3mm Shield wetsuit:

 

RIVER SURFING IN AN ISURUS 5mm

KB has been surfing in our 5mm Evade for many years, and here are some shots of him taking full advantage of their flexibility and warmth in winter's past:

 

Images and background courtesy of Joaquin Trevelline 

See KB's profile here

Link to Strongwater Surf Shop