Softdogsurf x Alaïa Bay

You’ve probably heard about the wave pools popping up in the world since the opening of Kelly’s Surf Ranch in 2018. It’s every surfer’s dream, so we went!
Get to know everything about our experience during our two surf sessions in the wavepool of Alaïa Bay.

“Alaïa Bay is the first Wavegarden Cove in continental Europe and possibly the most spectacular location for a surf session.” In the heart of the Swiss Alps and next to the famous Matterhorn, you can find this wavepool. Surrounded by snow-topped mountains, you surf world-class waves in the most unique setting.

We at Softdog like some trips. From surf to snow and skate, we like adventure. And to keep the adrenaline running. So, when were offered to try out this wavepool, our excitement level was through the woof.

This felt like the ultimate father/son trip to do, that’s why I took my surf, skate, and snowboard enthusiastic son Seth with me. 

Stop 1 – snowboarding in Zermatt.
Our first stop was at the Zermatt wintersports area. We spend the day snowboarding the white powdered slopes and showed off at the fun park, with a mesmorisable view of the gigantic Matterhorn in the back.

The second day we were on the road to Sion, headed to Alaïa Bay. A bit nervous but very stoked, we arrived at the surf park.

First impression
We were overwhelmed! Although I’ve surfed some artificial waves before, I was a bit critical, all expectations were met, and beyond. Let’s dive into how it went down.

The wave
The pool itself is pretty shallow. The wave is a short steep wave, making it hard to take-off and easy to nosedive. that’s when we understood why they asked if we preferred a helmet, haha.

The great thing about this wavepool is that it's suitable for every surfer. There are many settings, from Waikiki beginner sessions, Intermediate Malibu mode, to advanced, expert, pro and beast mode, generating +2 meter high barreling waves. First, me and my son Seth surfed the Malibu-session.

Malibu mode
This setting is for intermediate surfers and a bit harder compared to the Waikiki mode. Malibu mode gave us some very nice waves, easy to ride down-the-lines. The last settings of the waves could only be surfed by soft tops. Luckily, we brought the Alpha performance softboards with us, the Soft dogs where eager to get wet! We had the best time.

Expert mode
After that, I got to surf the expert session. During one session, we got 15 waves! After selecting the sessions and the different levels (1-4), we’ve got to surf 5 waves on each level. From level 1 to level three, it got more difficult each time. The last sessions were tubing-time, absolutely terrifying. But when I finally made it to the tube, it was all worth it.

Once we got the hang of it, it was a 100% incredible and satisfying wave. Just let me go for another four sessions and I for sure will nail every barrel 😉.

After sleeping cozy in the car at the parking of the wavepool, we have spent half a day at Pertus, the UNESCO heritage skatepark in Luxembourg.

There wouldn’t have been a better father-son trip for us.

Are you ready to surf the wavepool?