Tofitians You Should Know: Meet Krissy Montgomery

It’s seemingly endless forests reaching right to the beach, not to mention the refreshing water temperature of 9-15 °C (48-59 °F).  And when you look closely at the wetsuit-clad figures riding our waves, you’ll see a number of female surfers of all ages in Tofino, including Krissy Montgomery.

Krissy started making the 2.5 hour cross-island drive from her hometown of Nanaimo to Tofino for surf week-ends when she was in in high school.  This was where she taught herself to “pop up” on a longboard (and it also happened to be where the boys were).   After her first year of college, Krissy packed up for a summer in Tofino with some girlfriends, and it wasn’t too long before the ocean’s waves spoke more to her than did a return to school. Fourteen years later, she is the owner-operator of Surf Sister Surf School – you may have seen her last year on tv, teaching Rick Mercer to surf – and the co-founder of the annual Queen of the Peak Surf Championships, the only all-female surf competition on Canada’s west coast.  This year, the championships are on through October 14th.

Krissy has conceived a collection of unique services and events to attract and welcome female surfers to Queen of the Peak.  This includes childcare, dog-sitting and massages for competitors, all offered right on the beach, plus an evening of spa-ing, jewelry and art at the Wickaninnish Inn before the competition, and an awards evening at Shelter Restaurant.  There’s even a new “Princess Of the Peak” category, where Krissy reports the youngest registered grommet is six years old (no excuses for anyone to not surf!)

This year’s event proceeds will be donated to Keep a Breast Canada, of “I Heart Boobies!” fame, educating a younger generation about breast cancer prevention.  This cause is close to Krissy’s heart, especially during this month dedicated to breast cancer awareness, as she continues her life of working, surfing, golfing (another favourite pastime) and travelling with girlfriends.   This week-end, get out to North Chesterman Beach or Cox Bay (location to be confirmed Saturday morning) for the third annual Queen of the Peak and join in the celebration!  You’ll find Krissy behind the megaphone, sharing her sharp-witted humour with spectators and beachgoers, making this week-end a memorable time for everyone on the beach, in the water – and in the massage tent!