r
Bu
ns
Next
att
Direction
M
By
?
Which
I
Words
t seems to be a sign of the times that all but a few water activities are
experiencing an increase in popularity. More and more people seem to
be making their way to our beaches, lakes and rivers which is great right?
Remember without the numbers we may experience a down turn in
viability.
What I am trying to say is without healthy progression for both
wakeboarding and wakeskating we may find the ‘corporate interest’ moves
towards more profitable areas. This is of course a bad thing, mostly because
product and development updates would slow, media interest would fade,
competitions and events would drop off the calendar and even worse it
would become harder to get out on the water for a reasonable price.
Lets not get too hasty, there is no real chance of this happening, but maybe
we should start to think more about direction? It is a fact water-boarding is
on the increase and on the move, but which direction is best?
Some would say cable parks have been most influential in recent times,
these mechanical systems are allowing riders to learn at a set pace and under
observation from a cable operator, which is great for first timers wanting
to get out on the water at an affordable price. For the more experienced
this system will provide an opportunity to session a particular obstacle more
times in a quicker concession again at an affordable price. This style of riding
system to some cable enthusiasts is the only accepted way to ride. Trust me,
there are very particular cable riders out there, for some of these guys and
girls this may be their only riding experience and in an environment solely
orientated around one particular cable park. I personally don’t see an issue
with this and enjoy riding cable systems, while it may not suit every rider
there is definitely a place for these environmentally friendly facilities.
Whilst cable parks are inevitably on the rise across the globe, what New
Zealand has been blessed with is our pristine lakes and rivers which provide
some of the most impressive back drops in the world. Our water is clear and
there are always options to avoid the wind. New Zealand is a boat riders
mecca and with relatively lax boating laws we have more options to explore
than most. We have our own homegrown purpose built wake boats such
as Skope Boats and places like Farnley Jets Ski’s who are able to assist with
those modifications required to create the prefect wakeskate ski.
There is no doubt in my mind boat riding is here to stay, what I am not so
sure about is the affordability. These days we are all starting to think more
about who’s turn it is to take the boat out and if you paid petrol money last
week do you need to pay it again? I’m not sure if I have the answers either,
it is a shame, one way or another we have all felt the petrol pinch in recent
times and the price at the pump is hurting.