How much would you pay for the experience of a lifetime?
A hot new rumor is circling the surf industry mill and it directly involves you. I have had three recent chats with people in the know and semi-know who have let it leak, strategically I assume, that Surf Ranch, Kelly Slater’s dreamy central California artificial wave, is going to be available to rent in the very near future.
Whoa!
And you’ve rented bouncy houses, Chuck E. Cheese party rooms, karaoke studios and the local Shriner’s Hall for your various birthdays and graduations but just imagine how popular you’ll be when you rent Surf Ranch?
Now, details are slim as to when Surf Ranch will actually become available but my sources tell me that it is most certainly in the cards though a price has not been settled upon yet. We can help here. How much would you pay, honestly, for you and a crew of your best pals for one whole day? $30,000? $90,000?
It really is a conundrum. Of course there are the hard costs of operating which, between salaries, energy, food/drink would run thousands of dollars a day but above and beyond what is a good price point? Of course capitalism declares that it is worth whatever anyone is willing to pay but that can’t go on the brochure, can it. There has to be a starting point. But what?
While you’re both thinking and examining your bank accounts let me give you some advice. If your idea is to get your fifty best friends together and have them cough up $1000 each then throw it in the trash unless forty-two of your best friends don’t surf and are paying for the ambiance. The absolute maximum amount of surfers that can have fun-ish over the course of a day is ten and that’s assuming one of them gets hurt.
Also, you should consider the relative skill of your friends, depending how proud you are and you should tell all of your friends not to safety surf because the best part about Surf Ranch is picking off other’s scraps.
But there you have it. A brave new potential wedding venue.
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what’s the over/under on that, 180 days?
If you knew the right people, you could rent it out last year. 50k a day with a max of 10 guys.
there must be dozens of guys champing at the bit
if you set it up at a Chinese water park on a hot day, I would pay 90k just watch. Raimana and his ski will be busy.
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Oh nice. Then all they gotta do is sell the story. I’d think a crew of corporate bros would pay decently for a “bonding” day on the company tab.
I’d toss a few shackles for sure.
More like three quarters… unfortunately I’m 44 and taken.
I’m afraid I still don’t want to go there, or to any artificial wave.
Sorry.
It depends on who’s realistically going to want to surf this thing. If you can lure a van full of tech bros intent on blowin’ some hot series B VC money on a playdate, well, you can price pretty fuckin’ aggressive. But that assumes that this thing is fun for a crew of average surfers, which is not a thing we really know, I think. That sweet, sweet non-endemic, cash-rich audience, some of them can surf pretty well, but lots of ’em can’t.
The obvious audience to me is rich dads with a pack of groms. They will definitely have fun and likely be willing to pay. But not as much as your series B bros.
Me, personally, it’s gotta cost me less than a trip somewhere beautiful and tropical. Because I’m going to pay for warm water waves first.
how far is Palo Alto to Lemoore? can you drink on those Google commuter buses?
cupertino to lemoore is three hours. so i hope you can drink!
I … I … I think …
for a complete, genuine and totally complete surfing experience at Ok Corrall Ranch … ops!… sorry! … KS Surf Ranch, we need …
Locals!!!
Brave, bald, bearded, “full”, willing to do everything to protect their sacred place and their ancient local customs!
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Hey…
Is not this what WSL does with Pipe?
Rent…?
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Is the guy who screams like a jackass at you from the jetski included?
darren handley?
Screaming like one and actually being one shouldn’t be confused.
thats it good point, i’m having my wedding there !
need to find a wife and friends….. anything out at Lemore ?
I’d pay to make them leave.
10-20 waves? Get that many before breakfast
Once i watched and listened to yours and Nicks reviews it just confirmed the fact that we all know. Its the ocean we all love.
The study of a peak, a crowd, a tide, a wind. When it all comes together, thats 90% of the pure stoke.
Not somebody on a megaphone counting down and a guy on a jetski yelling at you when your on the wave.
Just like the WSL, why are we so obsessed with trying to get a non-surfer audience to our dinner table?
Sadly in 5 years a shit ton of people will have a wavepool barrel shot as their avatar.
Cause they will just be like a roller-coaster shot sold by theme parks.
May Jack Vedder could be on the ski following you, bellowing the beige acoustic-metal.
For real!! I will pay an extra 1000 to not have some fat fuck on a jetski yelling at me telling me what to do. That guy needs to go home and fuck his wife in the face!!
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90K !!
If i was a filthy investment wanker, i mean banker, and you were my mate Chas, would you rather me shout you to:
A) Day at the Pool with 9 friends.
B) 10 days to the Maldives + new Pyzel Ghost n a happy ending massage chucked in for 9 friends.
What would make you ohmygawd with joy most when i told you?
Cause for 90K i could do that for 9 mates.
I get the hype, but its just a good bloody wave at the end of the day.
The whole east coast of oz was lit up by them a week ago.
You’ve been there, im your banker mate, what would you hug me harder for, A or B ?
B please
By the look of your picture, we both like the same type of women, so your invited Tom.
#makinbacon
epic need a surf trip!!
The Surf Ranch is indeed available for daily rental. A friend of mine just rented it recently, bankers/surfers, with deep pockets, 6 guys for the day, $100k for the day. Have jet ski video filming every ride, he said it was totally sick. But a very hefty pricetag. I don’t know how or who he contacted to facilitate the transaction, but they are certainly willing to rent it if you have the dough. They have too, that setup costs a fortune to maintain/operate, they need to make the capital on the side just to keep it afloat.
I would settle for the happy ending.
Cheap AND easy to please.
Are you in the market for a best friend?
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I don’t think these rumors have anything to do with individuals renting the Surf Ranch. Odds are that the WSL is extending an olive branch, albeit thorned with a hefty price tag, to the “teams” behind team riders for practice tub time. The Surf Ranch WCT event is approaching quickly. Tub time before the event will be difficult to secure with the start of the season. The WSL wants to see which companies are still seriously in this game. Market research.
Commercial teams and/or NATIONS with the Olympics in mind ?
Speaking of Olympics, the USA just won Gold in Men’s Curling! Now everyone will see two Olympic sports as accessible, achievable and winnable. Curling……and Surfing! Oh the humanity!
I’d guess it’s both. Money is good, wherever it comes from.
No respectable “investment banker ” and his like minded fuckwit posse of 10 will drop 30K-90K on a session that nets them a dozen waves per diem at best, better order up some hookers and gin, an ounce of coke… there’s your business model.. Kelly should have moved the operation closer to Van Nuys… for the Australian readers, that’s the porn capital of the US, along with Chatsworth… kinda spoils the joke if you have to explain it, but whatever
lemur has a hot tub.
10$
Full day, meals included, as many waves as I can get until I get tired or e-coli? …2k