Help us built a Perfect Adjustable Wave at the Kananaskis!
Your donation is 50% matched by the Alberta Government up to $1000.
If you would like to donate more, or would prefer a tax reciept you can also donate via the Alberta Sport Donation Fund -> Whitewater -> Facility Development
We are building perfect surf and kayak waves in Kananaskis Whitewater the Lower Kananaskis River. Alberta has one good surf wave and a few beginner / intermediate kayak waves but no great waves. This project by the Alberta River Surfing Association (ARSA) and Alberta Whitewater Association (AWA) will create amazing waves all year by:
- Building an adjustable wave in that will shape perfect surf waves and perfect kayak waves.
How can I help?
You can:
- Donate to this fundraiser or the future fundraisers by LKRUA, ARSA, and other not for profits.
- Send a message of support about why you think ARSA should receive the $600k Alberta government grant to complete the adjustable Kan wave and the importance of a good wave to you. Messages can be short or long. Send the messages to president@albertariversurfing.com and admin@albertawhitewater.ca and we will send them to the Alberta government.
What does my donation do?
Your donation:
- Helps pays for installation of the structure and will cause a surge of whitewater recreation facilities across Alberta.
- Shows support for the project and helps ARSA win a large Community Facility Enhancement Program grant (large CFEP) that will allow us to complete the project.
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 2026 then the wave will be installed and opened in Fall 2026. If the CFEP grant is awarded in Jan 2027 then the wave will be installed and opened in Fall 2027.
Why is the fundraiser $5000?
The AWA is raising funds for the installation of the adjustable wave structure along with other organizations that will use the wave like ARSA and the Lower Kananaskis River Users Association. Each fundraiser is set at $5k to maximize the matching from Crowdfunding Alberta. Crowdfunding Alberta matches $5k from each campaign per year.
Can I donate more that $1000?
Yes, larger donations are done differently and can receive a tax receipt. Please contact Mike Holroyd admin@albertawhitewater.cafor more information. Donations are limited to $1000 on this platform because that is the max that Crowdfunding Alberta will match from one person.
Do I get a tax receipt?
No, donations through Crowdfunding Alberta do not receive a tax receipt, but you do make a larger impact with the matching funds.
What is the project stage?
We are fundraising for the final stage of adjustable wave installation and commissioning. Almost all pre-installation work is complete. Engineering is 95% complete and the structure is being fabricated in Fall 2025. 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
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. AWA & ARSA are commited to 50/50 split of glassy surf wave and a more kayak specific feature. 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.
- 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 July 11 2025.pdf.
- Will be updated as fabrication proceeds in summer / fall 2025.
- 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.
- Wave research overview
- Kayak wave research report
- Articles on wave design
- Published research papers.
- Asiaban, Puria; Rennie, Colin D.; Egsgard, Neil. 2021. “Sensitivity Analysis of Adjustable River Surf Waves in the Absence of Channel Drop” Water 13, no. 9: 1287. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13091287
- Asiaban, Puria; Rennie, Colin D.; Egsgard, Neil. 2022. Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Flow-Structure of River Surf Waves.
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
- Revenue
- CFEP grant: $584,114
- Community fundraising: $30,000
- Total revenue: $614,114
- Cash costs
- Install of structure in river: $390,600
- Boulders: Donated
- Boulder delivery: $37,800
- Engineering and environmental support for install: $95,414
- Project management, commissioning planning, operations planning: $48,300
- Contingency (6.8% of cash cost): $42,000
- Total cash cost: $614,114
Is there other support for the project?
Yes, the project has broad support from government, organizations, and individuals. The project has historical letters of support back to 2020 and current letters from 2025. 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. This return 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).
