Wakeskating on the Berrics!

Thanks to yet another fantastic post on the forums over at wakeskating.com, someone noticed some of our fellow water-shredders breaking in to the big time by being featured on the Berrics! The biggest and most-visited skate site just got a little more watery, and it's great.

Check out the original thread here, and the Berrics page itself here.

I love seeing wakeskating getting some more attention from the most legitimate skate site in the world. It shows to me that we're doing things right and wakeskating is headed in the perfect direction, a sport all its own from wakeboarding.

Countdown - 5 Questions to ask Yourself when Buying a Wakeboard or Wakeskate

Dude needs an update. Image: wwasp.com

The most common question I see posted on forums everywhere is "What board should I get?" It seems simple enough, but with the sheer amount of options out there it's a daunting task if you don't know where to begin. I'll go more in-depth in a future article for each wakeboards and wakeskates later, but I've put together a list of five things you should ask yourself before making a decision no matter which kind of board you're thinking of picking up. Think of this as kind of a 'Quick-Start' guide to buying yourself a new ride for the season, just general information. As I will always suggest though, do your research, ask questions. It makes the sport so much more fun when you absolutely love what you're standing on.

5. What's your skill level? This is a good starting point for a reason. If this is your first season your demands are a lot less than what a seasoned rider expects out of his gear. My recommendation is to pick up any board made in the last 5 years or so and save yourself a bunch of cash over getting a totally new board. You can find a great deal on used or closeout gear and while today's tech is much better than even 5 years ago, the board quality and durability will still be fantastic and you won't outgrow it skill-wise for a long time. I still occasionally hop on my 2005 Liquid Force deck because it's such a fun ride! Remember, the latest and greatest gear isn't needed to be a good rider and that at one point, those decks were pro-models too. Just because they're not the shiny new toy, doesn't mean you can't get far with them; be careful of marketing hype!

4. What's your Budget? Wakeboarding can be an extremely expensive sport. You won't be able to get a complete, high-end, 2013 setup for less than about $700 and a good wakeskate is not going to be cheap either. If you can afford that without batting an eye, then you're good to go on the latest and greatest, have a blast shopping! For some of us though, money is a limiting factor. Something I tend to do is look at closeout gear from the previous season. Call your local shops and ask or pop online to stores like Boardstop and there is usually a closeout section offering great deals on new gear leftover from the year or two before. You can save yourself hundreds but still be riding really advanced tech! The best thing to do is to give yourself a number to shop with, something you can afford. I guarantee that with enough looking, you'll be able to find the right ride for you without breaking the bank and can probably find a complete, last-season closeout for a few hundred bucks and the gear will be completely new.

3. What's Quality? This is always important when shopping for anything and while wakeboarding and wakeskating can get complicated if you let it, there are some key simple things to look for when you're buying. Browse forums like wakeboarder.com and wakeskating.com. It won't take long for you to see a pattern in the brand names that come up. Wakeboard companies like Hyperlite, Liquid Force, Ronix, and Slingshot are a pretty safe bet across the board. The same goes for wakeskating with the companies listed above, along with skate-only companies like Integrity, and Remote. If you're just starting out, pretty much any of their decks will work well for you and if you're a more experienced rider, you'll already know what you're looking for. With all of that said, do your research! There are plenty of trustworthy brands out there to find but the ones I listed are ones I find to be consistent across the line in quality (unlike O'Brien for example, who makes some great boards but also has low-end, low-budget, and low-quality boards as well that a beginner might get confused with). Also, stay away from companies that make a ton of watersports stuff. World Industries for example had wakeboards for a while but they were just hopping in to the game with cheap stuff to try and make a quick buck.

2. What's Your Pull? This is basically is going to come down to cable or boat for most people. While most boards cross-over well, there are a few extra things to look out for if you're going to be riding mostly cable. First on the list is durability. Most wakeboards and skates out there now are going to be absolutely fine to take on occasional trips to the park, but if you're going to be hitting the park a couple times a week, you'll need something with extra durability in mind. Companies these days are realizing that a lot of people are primarily shredding ramps n' rails, so keep an eye out for anything that has an added base layer as a durability feature. The tech is the same across most brands (P-Tex, a material used on snowboards) and is very effective, but most wake brands will call it something different, for example, Liquid Force's "Grind" base, or Hyperlite's "enduro base". Second thing to look for is base features. While boards will cross-over, if you really want to get in to pressing rails you will likely want a flex board with little to no shape to the bottom. Slingshot boards, for example, are completely smooth other than their removeable fins. Perfect for a flatbar session. At the same time, you may want something with a lot of bite behind the boat, so a ride with some decent molded-in fins may be more up your alley. In addition to molded fins, if you're planning to try and catch some big air behind the cable or boat, look for bases that are designed for soft landings. These will usually have some kind of a shallow 'v' design in the nose/tail to disperse the water a bit when you land.

1. What do YOU like? This is the most important question to ask yourself. You're going to drop a bunch of money on some new gear, you better like every last detail about it from the ride, to the durability, down to even the graphic. The good thing is, there are tons of choices for wakeboarders and skaters these days. Not only do the major companies such as Liquid Force and Hyperlitee have tons of options in their lines, but smaller companies like Humanoid, Remote, Integrity, and CTRL offer plenty of extra options that will make you smile every time you look down at your feet.

Shredtunes - The Limousines

In ShredTunes posts I'm going to introduce you to a new song that gets me stoked to ride and talk a little about the band that sings it. It might be old, it might be new, just depends on how I'm feeling that week. Fair warning: my music can sometimes get pretty out there, but hopefully you find something new that you dig.

What if I told you there was a song that's catchy as hell and the music video has bikini zombies? Right, figured you'd be stoked. After hearing it featured in the wake film "Defy", I immediately hit iTunes to get myself a copy. Fair warning, you're going to get this stuck in your head.

See? Now you'll be singing that chorus all day. The rest of the album this is on didn't really do much for me. It's not bad, but I just couldn't really get in to it. In any case, check them out, you might dig 'em!

Survival Guide - Free For All 2013

Visit The Official Liquid Force Free for All Page!

This summer, Liquid Force will be touring the country and spreading some stoke. Going for a few years now, the Free For All is a nation-wide cable park tour giving riders the chance to hit their local cable park for the low, low price of $0.00. Not only is riding at your cable park completely for free a great time, there's a lot of great Liquid Force stuff to check out. Demos, giveaways, company reps to answer questions; heck, they'll even feed you and have some free Monster Energy to keep you fueled for the day.

I know this sounds like a commercial for them, but I wouldn't be writing about it here if it wasn't something I recommend you go and check out. I've gone to past events at McCormick's cable in Tampa and it's always been a blast. I do have a few tips though for those of you who've never been to help you have the best time during your free day.

1. Get There Early - I can't stress this enough. The cable gets absolutely packed very quickly. If you want to get a decent amount of riding in, show up a little early and get yourself set to go as soon as the cable opens.

2. Be Patient - The line will be long, hopefully your cable enacts a '5 lap' rule to keep things moving. Don't worry, you'll get your turn. Remember it may actually be good to give yourself a rest in between runs so you can shred all day, just make the most of the runs you do get.

3. Be Social - We're a wake community for a reason. Bring some friends, chat it up with other riders. Find someone to play WAKE with, make some new friends. These events are awesome for this reason. While Liquid Force is a huge company, these events can feel very grassroots because of the people there.

4. Don't be a Complete Beginner*- I'm not saying this to be a jerk, I just want to make sure you have fun wakeboarding for the first time. Unless you have a LOT of patience, it really doesn't make sense to come out to an event like this if you've never wakeboarded before (honestly though, if you're reading this you probably have done it at lease a few times). I only suggest this because of how long the line is going to be and every time you fall, you'll have to wait again.

*Check your local cable first though and see if they have some kind of a beginner line. If that's the case, you will probably be better off and can learn how to ride within the day.

Tech Talk - The Future of Wake Design?

Image: MakerBot

Devices like the one above have the opportunity to change the world. Granted, they're a little ways off from where they need to be in order to do so, but great leaps are being made every day to get there. With each generation of machine, we're getting closer and closer to an unbelievable future. If you're still not quite sure what that is, it's a Makerbot Replicator, a 3D printer that is available for purchase by anyone willing to drop the cash. This device, and others like it print actual three-dimensional models using plastics. While this technology has implications for all kinds of applications, it could be an invaluable asset to wake-gear designers of the future if they're willing to adapt the technology once it matures.

Gear Design

Imagine this scenario. During an R&D session with the team, the riders give their designer some feedback on the new gear they're trying out that day, maybe a new binding tech similar the Hyperlite System. The riders want the binding frame tweaked a bit, it seems too firm and doesn't quite get them the range of motion needed to poke grabs the right way.Once everyone's off of the water the designer hits his laptop, makes the necessary tweaks in the CAD design and over-night a brand new custom pair of bindings are ready for the team to give a go the very next morning. Pretty cool right? It would help advance our gear in incredible ways, designers could do in a season what might take them 2-3 years of research and redesign in today's workflow. All because they can instantly prototype anything their minds create and develop the product exactly as the riders want it within hours of receiving the input.

Let's get even crazier. Imagine the same strategy is applied to an entire board. Granted, you'd need a much bigger printer, but the principle is still the same. The gear designer of the future could potentially have a mobile workshop in a trailer, making it easy to spend a week camping out at a cable park with the team. The first day out our designer passes out some boards he already made and are ready for testing. After a few hours, the riders can give feedback including anything from changing molded-in fins, the concave design, to even the flex pattern. Printing machines of the future can, in theory, print multiple materials, so all of this could be done on-site in hours. Let's take the flex pattern as an example. Maybe the designer wants to try and reduce the amount of flex in the tip/tail based on rider feedback. Well one way to handle it is to reduce the amount of flex core material the extends in to the ends of the board and replacing that with a stiffer material the next time he prints. After a few hours of letting the machine work its magic, a brand-spanking new and slightly stiffer board will be ready for the team to try.

Image: MakerBot

What About Now?
Well, 3D printing is a very long way off from the possibilities I mentioned above. But we're getting there. MakerBot for example, is releasing the "Replicator 2", their most precise printer ever.  People are doing some pretty impressive things with the new technology. From making simple small models with no moving parts to even wind-up toys requiring multiple, somewhat precise, mechanical pieces that move; a lot of things are possible now. Someone, controversially, is even trying to make the first entirely 3D printed firearm with existing technology. The next big steps are making bigger, faster printers and increasing the material types that can be used. Nothing right now is strong enough to hold up to the extreme stresses wakeboarders and wakeskaters put their gear through so a lot of development would need to be done there. But once those things happen (I'm a believer of "when" and not "if" with this technology), and if designers are willing to keep up with the new methods, it could change wakeboarding forever.

ShredTunes - Japandroids

In ShredTunes posts I'm going to introduce you to a new song that gets me stoked to ride and talk a little about the band that sings it. It might be old, it might be new, just depends on how I'm feeling that week. Fair warning: my music can sometimes get pretty out there, but hopefully you find something new that you dig.

Right now I want to introduce you to Japandroids. If you haven't heard of them, check them out. If you do know of them, you definitely know this song.



Loud, fast, and catchy as hell, The House That Heaven Built is a good anthem to get me pumped to learn something new and push myself for a day at the cable. I particularly am hooked on the second part of the chorus "....and if they try to slow you down, tell 'em all to go to hell!" This is a contender for my song choice if I ever get a video part put together. The rest of their Celebration Rock album is great too. The whole thing is worth a listen if you dig their sound.

System 2.0 Can Change the Sport (If we Use it Right)

Image: wakeboardingmag.com

Everyone who talks wake with me knows that I'm a huge fan of the System 2.0. One of my life goals is to own a backyard setup someday for anytime shredding. The advantages are obvious; no fuel (just plug and play!), easy setup, simple operation, and cheaper than a high-end wake boat. Your own personal cable park almost anywhere you want to put it.

But I want to talk about a different aspect. Something that can change the face of wakeboarding and wakeskating and make them skyrocket in popularity. We just need to make sure that things are done right. This is how I think 2.0's can help make the world of wakeskating and wakeboarding become a great spectator sport.

How it Should be Done
Contests are good. I think we can all agree. Nothing like the spirit of competition to help progress the sport. One thing we need to remember though is that not only are the riders are responsible to up their game, but also contest organizers are as well. They need to make sure they do it right. I'm a firm believer that using the System 2.0 correctly will help the masses understand the sport. For so long wakeboarding has been a long-distance spectator sport. You pick a spot on shore and hopefully someone does a trick in front of you as the boat drives by. Even as a huge fan, being a spectator at a boat competition sucks unless you thought to bring your binoculars.

Now, with two-tower technology, we have the ability to minimize that distance between the riders and the crowds, and that's great. They need to be close, think "have a section that's a splash zone" close. To the uninitiated viewing wakeboarding and wakeskating for the first time, they'll finally be able to tell one trick from another. A hard thing to do long-distance, where everything looks like the same trick to the untrained eye. That nose-press will mean more, a grabbed spin will show more style, and that heelflip won't look like a kickflip.

This is something that wakeskating does correctly now with winch contests. Everyone can get up-close to the stair/rail set and really see what goes down. If we can carry this feel over to bigger contests for both wakeboarding and wakeskating, then there's no reason it couldn't turn in to a solid spectator sport.

What's Happening Now
With all of that said, I do have to say that these kinds of contests are popping up more often, but sometimes they're done right, but other times they leave a lot to be desired. The right way to do it is exactly like this:

     Image: system2wakeparks.us

A swimming pool with bleachers on either side, a variety of obstacles, and the close-up action required to get people's attention.

Here's an example of what not to do. The (somewhat) recent Wake Open in Tampa. I was excited to see all of the marketing hype around the event and it was definitely a Red Bull-level experience, but the execution was abysmal. I even had access to the media dock that most people didn't get and had a hard time seeing what was going on. The setup looked something like this:

                                Image: Red Bull USA

WHAT IS THAT? This should have been held along one shore with people lined all the way down, and boats along the other side. Not way out in the middle of a body of water. It was a Red Bull event so plenty of people showed, but I have to wonder how many people actually went home excited for wakeboarding; digging for more information on the web when they got home, signing up for forums and learning more about the sport. This is not a knock on Red Bull overall, they've done excellent 2.0 comps (and arguably are the ones who kicked the whole thing off) and continue to support the movement. I can also see where they may have had some challenges with the venue, blocking waterways, and the number of people that were expected to show up; but we need to make sure that high-profile events like this are done correctly. Lets get them closer, lets get pro rider's faces recognized so people new to the sport have someone to cheer for. Lets blow wakeboarding and wakeskating up to a level they've never been by using this new technology in the best possible way.