Wakeboarding – what is it?
This version of water skiing originated in America. There are plenty of beaches like nowhere else, especially in the state of California. Surfing, that’s where the idea of wakeboarding came from. The problem of any surfer is waiting for the right wave, sometimes you have to wait for hours for the next one, so someone’s savvy mind decided to experiment.
And here is the effect, the option of riding a skateboard behind a boat so inspired the others that it was decided to call this water sport wakeboarding. Of course, initially the surfboard was not very suitable for high-speed travel.
Too big and heavy, so the idea of a board for skating was borrowed from water skiing, but with some changes, a light skateboard was taken instead of skis.
Among the many water sports, wakeboarding is one of the youngest. Combining many combined elements from other surface entertainment, its fans are growing year by year. If you think about it, it is very similar to kitesurfing.
The principle of movement is the same in tow, but not behind the kite. A distinctive element is riding behind a boat, while the athlete holds the cable in his hands, and can release it in case of danger. In kitesurfing, the cable is attached to the swimmer’s lower back.
Types of wakeboarding and their features
There are two ways to enjoy riding the waves or simply overcoming obstacles placed along the way.
Boat wakeboarding
This is a rather expensive form of entertainment, and at the same time quite traumatic, especially if the swimmer has no experience. But in terms of the amount of adrenaline experienced during the trip, it is much more effective.
To make a trip, you will have to refuel the boat, and experience is required otherwise, the chance to break or roll over on the board is significantly increased. No one wants to be held responsible for injuries. Another disadvantage of boat wakeboarding is water pollution, because the boat runs on fuel, and its processed waste is discharged into the reservoir.
The speed of the boat is on average 32 km/h, and the movement starts quite abruptly and it is necessary to constantly adapt to the boat, and you still need to perform tricks. This is within the power of a professional raider with experience.
Therefore, winch wakeboarding or cable wakeboarding is gaining more and more popularity.
Cable wakeboarding
The principle of riding remains the same as that of the boat. The only difference is in the process. The athlete moves on the wakeboarding winch. Special equipment can be located on a quiet pond or lake. And the raider will move, overcoming the same obstacles, only on a specially installed system of winches and cables.
- There are many more advantages here:
- The opportunity for beginners to quickly master this sport;
- The age bar can vary from 12-70 years, the main thing is that health allows;
- A constant speed of movement makes it easy to cover the distance, and even simultaneously overcome obstacles, if any;
- Up to 10 people can ride at the same time using a cable, depending on the distance;
- Significant savings of your money in contrast to the cost of a boat trip;
- Preservation of ecology.
Despite all the advantages, it is not surprising that the popularity of cable wakeboarding is growing much faster than boat wakeboarding. Hence the construction of wake parks, there are now 11 of them across the country, and this is not counting the self-made equipment for wakeboarding.
Wakeboarding training
Learning always depends on the capabilities and abilities of the student, how quickly he grasps. Of course, the course itself can be mastered in a couple of days, especially if there is practice directly on the pond. Wakeboarding training is conducted in specially equipped schools located in the same wake parks.
There are experienced raiders who can demonstrate their skill by showing master classes.