Wakestock: Bringing water sports to the people

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Wakeboarding: cool or just kinda posh?

Thanks to its roots in yuppie boat culture - the rebellious little brother to the eternally uncool water skiing - and as a rich kid alternative to surfing (when there were no waves) and snowboarding (no snow), you’d be right to drop a dose of cynicism on wakeboarding.

But as the world’s fastest growing action sport, things have changed. And it’s thanks in no small part to fun events like Wakestock (July 4 - 6, in Abersoch, North Wales, and last weekend at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire), which is just as much about music (The Futureheads, Happy Mondays, Mark Ronson, Pendulum) as the sports on the lake. By being unashamed of crossover it’s stoking out a whole new generation on this latest way to slide sideways – without flying out to the coast or alps.

I spent the weekend at the first ever Blenheim Palace stop of the festival. With the wakeboard competition held on Blenheim’s beautfiul lake - via permission from the Duke himself - the setting was stunning, and a perfect reminder of wakeboarding past and future.

As riders circled the lake behind a boat, the similarities to snowboarding were obvious. The lake was dotted with rails, and ’sliders’ for competitors to freestyle on. But without the restraints of gravity, combined with the fuel guzzling speed of the boat, wakeboard tricks are more explosive - with rider’s throwing flip tricks and inverted aerials one after the other in their run.

Winner for the day was Dan Nott who took first prize and two and half thousand pounds, but Ben Hitch grabbed a lot of attention too; his aggressive riding and huge aerials straight off the starting line could’ve nabbed him the gold - if he hadn’t stacked with just a few minutes to go.

But the biggest impression of the weekend was made at the Vans Rococo Rail tour. Set up like a snowboard rail jam, three carefully constructed wood covered sliders - a huge up to gap to flat-down, flat down and straight bar - located over two pools, were given a battering by wakeboarders first, then wakeskaters.

Pulled along by a wench, the tricks attempted made your average snow rail session look a bit pansy (even if these guys had their speed covered automatically with the wench). With front boards, backside boardslides and nose slides as basics, riders stepped up with massive airs on to the sliders, transfers from one rail to another coming as standard and 900 spins off. Then there were the riders who could spin in one direction, stop, then spin the other way. It was one impressive spectacle.

I can’t say many of those watching will be trying such ballsy tricks soon, but I’m certain they’ll be inspired to hit the water. As Steph Caldwell, a South London-based, super techy snowboarder turned Animal-sponsored wakeboarder told me: “Wakeboarding is something I can do at home, a few times a week and really progress - I can enjoy the summer and don’t have to jump on a plane to France every time I want my fix.” Hear hear to that. I’m hooked.

Check out more pics from Wakestock at Flickr.