A CGI render of Surf Snowdonia.
In the last few years, man made, surfable waves have become far more than a dream–they’re now a bonafide reality. With Wavegarden’s technology leading the charge, places like Surf Snowdownia in Wales and Austin’s NLand are set to open within the next year. Now, in an effort to reduce their environmental impact, Wavegarden just broke the news that they’ve partnered with a company called Leitner Ropeways.
Leitner makes ropeway systems–which are essentially things like chairlifts and gondola lifts–uses a system called DirectDrive. Also used in wind turbines and urban transportation, the gearless drive system will pull the submerged wavefoil along the bottom of the wave pool’s lagoon, creating the wave.
Of course, creating waves takes a tremendous amount of energy. Leitner, however, figured out a way to considerably increase the efficiency of their technology while making it quieter and eliminating the need for toxic grease. “With our DirectDrive technology, we achieved excellent results not only for our ropeway systems but we also increased considerably the efficiency and reliability of our wind turbines and urban transportation,” said Anton Seeber, CEO of Leitner. “Since our technology is extremely versatile we were looking to broaden the areas of solutions. Today, we are happy to support WAVEGARDEN in producing the longest and best man-made wave for surfing.”
Surf Snowdonia is currently under construction, and is expected to open to the public this summer. Early estimates are calling for around 75,000 visitors in the first year. Wave making technology has certainly come a long way in a short time. Remember this backyard creation?
While the UK’s Surf Snowdonia will be the first to open using the Wavegarden/Leitner system, many more are being developed, including places in the US, Australia, and the Middle East.
