Have you ever watched pro riders fly off the wake to impossible heights or make the most insane tricks look like a walk in the park? Wish you could do it too? Chances are, with enough practice, you can!
To get to that pro level, we all have to start somewhere. In this guide for wake rookies, you’ll find where to begin; what kind of board you’ll need; and a few tips on how to avoid looking like a complete novice when you try to impress your friends. You might even fool them into thinking that you’ve been doing it for years!
The first step to becoming a legendary wakeboarder is to decide what kind of board to buy, and more importantly, to select a board perfectly suited to you; that is to say – your age, build, height, skill level, etc. Secondly, and to influence your first decision, decide how much you are going to spend.
It starts with you
When it comes to selecting the right length of board, a general guideline to follow is that heavier riders need longer boards. This may not always be the case though, and factors like width and weight also may come into play. If you buy a board that’s too big you might end up struggling to launch out of the water as well as getting up in the air for tricks, whereas a board that’s too small will pose the problem of not enough surface area to keep you on top of the water.
Longer wakeboards are typically easier to learn on – and although the extra weight means you’ll have to work harder to get it up in the air; on the water, you’ll have more control and the larger surface area will keep you on top of the water…