You think you’re core? Whine when your local break is too crowded? Try driving 15 hours plus through the badlands of Utah, while trying to pass endless 18 wheel monsters swerving all over the road and a pee break every four or five hours (if you’re lucky)! All this just to get to your favorite surf spot. As it turns out a lot more people surf in Colorado then you’d think.

In the last couple of months Katin surf trunks or boardshorts (if you prefer) have shipped out to cities like Boulder, Denver, Durango, Grand Junction, Golden, Littleton, Parker and Snowmass to name a few. See a trend…yes, all cities in Colorado! The last time I looked at a map, Colorado was still landlocked.

I was on the phone a few weeks ago with a customer who had ordered a couple of pairs of boardshorts, he was apologizing for the bad phone connection which was due to a ragging blizzard outside. O.K., so I’m on the phone with a guy in Colorado (not strange), who’s phone sounds like a bad fast food load speaker due to a blizzard (kinda strange), who needs me to expedite boardshorts to Colorado (a 10 on the strange meter). I’m thinking, this guy most have “some” Jacuzzi party planned this weekend, but as it turned out he was taking a trip to Tavarua to go surfing.

So, now I have this mental picture of this surfboard lined garage in “somewhere” Colorado while neighbors drive by in the snow and think “transplant”.

But, this isn’t so strange after all, I have a best friend who lives in Colorado, by way of San Clemente. Gone are the days of walking down to 204’s to surf whenever, now it’s more like pushing snow off the entry so people can get in and out of the house. I used to think that he was the only guy in Evergreen who owns a surfboard, but now I’ll bet I’m wrong!

This isn’t a new thing either, two surfers, Hawaiian surf legend Joey Cabell and former U.S. Navy frogman Buzzy Bent opened up a small steakhouse in Aspen, Colorado on July 4th 1961. That small steakhouse was the first Charthouse restaurant with many more to follow.

As I started talking with more and more customers from Colorado, it turns out a lot of people in Colorado surf and the stories are funny. Well, maybe “funny” isn’t the right word, but “dedicated” comes to mind when hearing some of the Colorado “hell run” stories. We’re even thinking of setting up a Colorado “ride share” section on the Katin Surf Forums!

What is a “hell run”? There’s different flavors of a hell run, but it usually goes something like this; you get your surfing buddies together and drive to the coast and surf for a few days, then drive all the way back. That simple! What isn’t simple are the different variations of a hell run. Mostly you drive straight through only stopping for gas, food and well… However, there are versions where you stop and sleep somewhere along the way.

The runs mostly take place over extended Holiday weekends or just a plain week, but I’ve heard about the 2 day weekend hell runs too. Yes, you leave work midday on Friday drive, drive, drive and hit the coast in the early morning hours and if you’re lucky you can sleep for a few hours before the sun rises. Surf all day Saturday, stay at a friends house Saturday night. Surf Sunday morning and then your off on the road again by noon to return home about 3′ish Monday morning (if your on the right of the Rockies). And you thought you had it bad because you live in the valley!

I’ve had the pleasure of making many reverse “hell runs” into Colorado to see friends and family over the years and all I can say is the road is a wonderful and strange place!

So the next time you pull up to your favorite surf spot and see a Colorado license plate, don’t vibe them for not being a local, buy them lunch instead. They came a loooooong way and have earned the right to be out in the water more then you.