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Playspot: Belgium, Ardennes, Tillf area, River Ourthe, Tron-Chique. Attention (January 2003): The weir has moved again. Both sides are now completely downwards, much more than ever before. The result is very bad: the wave is almost flattened with hardly any foam. Surfing/spinning is possible, but no vertical moves anymore. Catching the little eddy in the middle is harder than ever... Under 100 cumecs the spot is certainly not interesting anymore.

What's it like

During winter time (roughly speaking from November till the end of March) the small weir on the Ourthe (appr. 1 meter high) is in lower position and creates 2 very nice waves, each about 10 meters wide. The water is deep enough for all playboats (at least 1.5 meters).

At low water levels (75 m3/s) these waves are only slightly retentive, but perfect for surfing and spinning. At higher levels, the foam gets bigger, more powerfull and more retentive, but never sticky (can be paddled with up to 300 m3/s).

The eddy is quite small, just in the middle of the river (behing the fish path and the bridge pile, between the two waves), so if you are kicked out of the wave, you'll have to paddle hard to catch it. If you fail, you'll have to get out 50 meters below and walk up again.

Get your timing right if you wanna go there: the weirs are typically lifted by the end of March. With the weir lifted, there is no playspot anymore, but two nasty stoppers until next winter ...

How to get there

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Locals

Many people biking or jogging along the Ourthe.

Info sources

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Nearest weather station (°C):