Hybrid Wake Magazine Issue 1 by Hybrid Wake Mag

Jonty Green Chasing the cover

ontrol C ty li a u Q r te a W l Casua struction Wetsuits tested to de Hybrid on course

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Lee Debuse CTi® Custom image ©copyright Chris Garrison

05/04/2013 12:38

KNOW YOUR OFFICIAL AUTHORISED RONIX UK PRO SHOPS: FESTIVAL WAKE PARK – FLAGSHIP STORE : FESTWAKE.COM PRINCES : 01784 253201 / PRINCES-SHOP.CO.UK OFFAXIS : 01758 713407 / OFFAXIS.CO.UK SURFDOME : 0844 357 1022 / SURFDOME.COM JB SKI : 01932 579755 / JBSKI.COM LIQUID LEISURE : 01753 542500 / LLSKI.COM TALLINGTON LAKES: 01778 347000 / TALLINGTONLAKESPROSHOP.COM EDGERIDERS : 01473 232918 / EDGERIDERS.COM SHEFFIELD CABLE SKI : 01142 511717 / TENFEETHIGH.COM TRIBAL WATERSPORTS : 0845 388 7065 / TRIBALWATERSPORTS.CO.UK KING OF WATERSPORTS : 01202 763675 / KINGOFWATERSPORTS.COM ROBIN HOOD : 01924 443843 / ROHO.CO.UK LIQUID REPUBLIC : 02895 810726 / THELIQUIDREPUBLIC.COM WAKE UP DOCKLANDS : 02070 553855 / WAKEUPDOCKLANDS.COM

IT’S MORE A COLLECTIVE OF LIKE MINDS

A NOTE FROM ALL OF US If you want to find out who we are-that’s to say, the people behind the words and pictures, why not come along to one of our photo shoots. Hybrid is 180 pages of stuff for you to look at, read about and take part in. ‘Look at’ - is the main theme of everything we do. Have a glance at the content page and see what takes your fancy.

Just because something has always been done one way doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the only way. You’ll have noticed the launch edition of Hybrid is a little different. We’re not saying our way of creating a mag is better than others, just different. The entire team ‘thinks different’. It’s what makes Apple great and it seems to work for us. So expect ‘different’ to keep happening. Take this page, for instance. It would usually be called the ‘Editors Note, Editor’s Page or Word from the Editor. However, we don’t really have an editor; it’s more a collective of like minds that make the decisions on what’s in and what’s also not in the mag. We’re also, not a big publishing company so it’s all hands to the pumps most of the time.

first ‘national’ industry and rider awards. Something you can all get involved in. You’ll get the chance to vote in a number of categories and take part in the live event. So that’s just a little about us and what to expect in 2013. Looking like a busy year ahead. We’d like to thank everyone who took a punt on us and helped get this first issue into your hands. So that’s us, the Hybrid team we’re definitely in it for the ride. Are you?

Different doesn’t just apply to the mag; there’s our website loaded-up with films made by the Hybrid team, our collaborators and partners. If you like your pictures moving, it’s the place to visit.

If you’re wondering what the pint above is all about, its simple. That is how all this started – over a pint of beer.

We’ve more to come throughout the year, including a number of events. One such gathering we’re organising will be the

Say hi to the team

Jason

EDDY

RICHIE

JAKE

LISA

MEET SOME OF THE CONTRIBUTORS Chris Garrison, LDB - Louis JameS-Parker, Owen Pick & Mini - Ray Burmiston, Sam Hall - Vuvuzala, South African Government - Andrew Petrich, Wanderlust - Mark Ward - Ronn Seidenglanz

Our contact information

Office: +44 (0) 203 289 1909 Mobile: +44 (0) 7754 919 099 DDI: +44 (0) 7903 091 237 email: jason@hybridwake.com

Mobile: +44 (0) 7969 157 927 DDI: +44 (0) 1278 785 254 email: eddy@hybridwake.com

thurty3

Hybrid Wake Magazine in published by thurty3 Ltd Company Registered in England and Wales Company Number 08357587 Address: The Lister Arms, Finkle Street, Malham, BD23 4DB Magazine ISSN 2052-076X 8

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Hybrid-

Hybrid-Advert.indd 1

15-03-13 10:55

e n O e Issu

LDB TAKES TIME OUT FROM THE COLD

WINTER WONDERLAND

Near-arctic conditions and the UK winter season are, in my mind, about building strength in the lead-up to next season...

FOLLOWING THE GREEN CROSS CODE

We’re surrounded by waterways in the UK, and travelling around over the past few years has opened my eyes...

JONTY GREEN

SEARCH AND DESTROY

“Well, it’s definitely been great to travel around the world and see different walks of life. The way people live and things like that. The one thing I’ve learnt is to never take anything for granted. I mean, wakeboarding, when you do it a lot, you can get pissed off with it, but I think you have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.”

THE PERILS OF WINCHING

“I am 17, I’ve left school, I’ve learnt to drive and I now want to train with and compete against the best riders in the world. For me it’s all about competing.”

SAM HALL TAKES US ON A TRIP

EVERYONE LOVES A GADGET

HYBRID’S VERY OWN GAMER A/V TUTORIAL

PARTY SEASON PIXEL PERFECT

MEET THE SPUD

MAKING A MAGAZINE

AN OVERVIEW OF THE TOUR

MASTERING THE ART

VUVUZELA

BEHIND THE SCENES

146

HOT SPOT TOUR 41

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TRAVELLING SOUTH AFRICA

COMPOSITION 101

WETSUIT TESTING AT ITS VERY BEST

QUALITY CONTROL

JORGE GILL

Brought together for the first time to do battle in a series of Stephen Hawking-approved test five suits were put through their paces. No sign of a wakeboard, we set about putting the well-formed neoprene on trial.

VISAS AND MASTERCRAFTS

TRICK TIPS

152 166 170

TAKING LIFE IN HIS STRIDE

OWEN PICK

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“It was actually a doctor that made me wanna get back up, and it was because he told me I would never be able to walk again, so I wanted to prove him wrong.”

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MEET MARK WARD

SOUP

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“To be honest with you, I had no defined style at the time; I had ideas so it worked out well, but I don’t know if I would have the bottle to do that again.”

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WE HEAR FROM MR SIDEWAYZ HIMSELF

ROLL BACK

138

“I’m usually on the other side of the mic and camera, but hey let’s give this a go.” Ronn’s opening words to your exclusive transatlantic catch with the man who set the benchmark for wake films around the world.

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Inside

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Yes, LDB we are watching you... page 78 onwards

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Inside

The Baltic Bar from the wetsuit test wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just about the neoprene. Page 40 onwards.

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Inside

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James Harrington getting dirty on his new pro model - page 122 onwards

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PIXEL PERFECT

Nikon’s New 80-400 4.5-5.6

Nikon has just released its new 80400mm lens. With it comes a whole new scenario for those who find those obstacles inconveniently placed in those hard-to-reach spots. Designed for both still and HD video, this new addition to the Nikon lens library will defintely help add the next step to creating professional content. Providing the user with one Super ED Glass Element and four standard ED Glass Elements, Nikon ensures the user achieves the sharpest image with

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the highest clarity. This lens also boasts Nikon’s Nano Crystal Coating, which will help prevent that horrible ghosting and flaring we’re accustomed to in those bright summer days. As a standard given now, the lens comes with Nikon’s VR (Vibration Reduction). If you were to use a DX format camera, not to worry: the lens’ focal length will start at 120mm and extend all the way to a massive 400mm. Weighing in at 1570g, the lens comes with a tripod collar for those who would like to exploit the VR system and shoot with lower shutter speeds.

If you were to use this lens for any type of wake-related sport, the one thing to remember is that, due to the aperture varying between f/4.5 and f/5.6, it wouldn’t bring out the best results under low-light circumstances. If you are in the market for a powerful zoom lens that will be better in low light conditions, then you may be in the market for the shorter range, larger aperature 80-200mm 2.8 lens. This lens should be up for release early April and comes with a rough price tag of about £1,900.

Nikon’s new D7100

Great news! Nikon have released its D7100, an upgrade to do the D7000. But don’t hold out for much; it’s just the same as the D7000, which is a massive disappointment. Although they’ve added a new crop mode, which crops the sensor by 1.3x, giving your APS-C sensor a 2x crop. This means you can push your FPS up to 7. Stoked! You can finally try to keep up with those Canon 7Ds. Not only does this feature give you more frames, it also means you can extended the focal length of your lenses. Because of the 1.3x, crop mode pushes the crop to 2x. Because of this, with any lens you use, you double the focal length! So if you’re using the 70200 f/2.8, it actually becomes 140-400mm, creating a whole new ballgame for those shooting off the bank. Another upgrade to the D7100 is the new sensor. Instead of the 16mp supplied with the D7000, the D7100 boasts a 24mp sensor. You know what that means: bigger cards and bigger pictures! Although they’ve made a slight change with this sensor, they’ve removed the optical lowpass filter off the sensor to increase the

sharpness and clarity. You might think, “Why haven’t they done this before?” Well, they have in the D800(E); however, the filter is actually there to reduce moiré patterns on all the other sensors, but Nikon is adamant that the pixel density of this 24mp sensor will overcome the issues of the moiré patterns. Although don’t forget when shooting in the cropped sensor mode that the pixel count drops to 15.4mp. The autofocus system has been updated to suit the new crop mode I mentioned earlier. Instead of the 39 Auto Focus points on the D7000, the D7100 boasts 51 focus points. The placing of these points has been very well though out, especially when using the crop mode. Instead of huddling the points to the middle of the viewfinder, you’ll find them right to the edge of the frame! Making it a million times easier to focus and frame shots.

then the it can film at 50p and 60p without the need of the 1.3x crop mode. The last and most important aspect of this camera is its durability! Shooting around water all the time creates an almighty risk of water leakage or damage, BUT the D7100 has a magnesium body and a much-improved water and dust seal, which Nikon is comparing to the D300s! Best of all, the length of the D7100 life cycle is 150,000 shots. So you’ll get a fair few years out of this! With a price tag of roughly £1,000, it’s a steal. If you’re looking to upgrade your DX camera then this would be the perfect choice. The D7000 was an excellent camera, which has just been upgraded to an even better system. If you were lucky enough to purchase a D7000, then I’d advise you just to stick with it, unless that 1.3x crop mode has really got your fingers itching.

The D7100 films at 30p, 25p and 24p at full HD (1920x1080), but if you switch it to the 1.3x crop mode, you can increase it to 50i and 60i; unless you shoot at 1280x720,

hybridwake.com 19

The UK has got a lot to live up to after our mammoth 2012. Queen’s Jubilee and that small sporting occasion known as the Olympics. (Proud to say I was involved in both.) So I think this year, we should all try to think out of the box in the way we consume, the way we create, and where and with whom we choose to spend our time.

M S I H C S

What went down? In recent weeks, I presented on the red carpet at the BRIT Awards, interviewing the likes of Bat for Lashes, Laura Mvula, Muse, Jessie Ware, and golden boy of the night, singersongwriter and surfer Ben Howard. Who I’m happy to say I gave some of his first-ever UK national radio play to while I depped on BBC Radio 1. Every Kingdom is a gorgeous, dreamy album filled with uplifting, emotive lyrics and driving acoustic guitar riffs. I’d thoroughly recommend it: a great roadtripping album. From the 02 on the Thames, I flew to Barcelona to support Florence & The Machine & Chase & Status. Was a raucous, amazing night in one of my favourite clubs in the worldRazzmataazz, an old converted warehouse space complete with mouldy iron beams and the odd leak. Florence is phenomenal livecompletely commanding, she pirouettes and skips around the stage confidently, almost with the self-assuredness of an old-skool rock star like David Bowie or Steve Nicks. From Spain to Greece, to DJ in Thessaloniki and Athens, an interview with MTV Greece, and a whirlwind tourist visit to the Acropolis.

PARTY SEASON 2013-

PAR TYS

IC ON PH SYM

Spring is on its way, which not only means the start of the water sports season in Europe, but the dawn of festival season.

With the current economic climate, Greece is having a tough time of it, but what struck me above anything else was young people’s sense of determination, their creative vision, and importance of letting your hair down once in a while. I hope to go back to BIOS (this multiuse arts space) this summer and put on some events there with local DJs and filmmakers. It’s a really fun, punk-rock city with an active, young population who really need tourists to go and pour their well-earned beer money into the local economy. Maybe a thought when you’re picking your holiday destination this year. Wha’ gwan? In coming weeks, I’m heading to Moscow to promote my weekly global radio show, “The Selector,” launching in Russia in March. Can’t wait to see the Kremlin and hear more about the house scene over there which is

supposed to be pretty impressive. I’ll also be adventuring to see the Northern Lights & go whale-spotting in Iceland, which I’m very excited about, but more of that next issue. Back in London, I’ll be presenting the vInspired National Awards for young volunteers that have gone that extra mile. It’s an organization that I’m really passionate about after becoming patron of Lake of Stars Festival in Malawi, Southern Africa: a festival that is run & organized entirely by unpaid volunteers, but raises essential funds for local pop-up AIDS testing clinics and mirco-loan projects. Recent headliners have included Foals, Vampire Weekend, and The Noisettes, and the festival is 10 years old in October. Anyhow, this wonderful event is run entirely by volunteers, and VInspired help organise similar volunteering projects up and down the UK to enrich local communities. Again, maybe something to think about this spring as the days start to get longer.

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Hidden Gems Kooky things to do and experience. Put in your diary now. Go on, live a little.

Feast www.wefeast.co.uk

A pop up food festival with some of London’s best chefs and ‘on-trend’ pop-up street vendors cooking in unusual venues. Think meat, burgers and lobster in Tobacoo Dock.. New dates coming soon

Bearded Kitten www.beardedkitten.com Interactive game-play masters invading festivals up and down the country. Midget wrestling, a giant baby bouncer for adults, unicorn horn craft workshops. If it’s a bit off the wall, these guys will have hosted it.

Canalival

Flash-mob-style canal flotilla boat party cum barge rave. So.much.fun. 1st June.

David Bowie @ V&A Museum

Revel in the first international retrospective of the extraordinary career of David Bowie, featuring more than 300 objects that include handwritten lyrics, original costumes, fashion, photography, film, music videos, set designs and Bowie’s own instruments.

Jams Hot new acts to keep your eye on, the next big thing coming to a festival near you soon. Download now, stay ahead of your game.

Lulu James – Closer

Tyne & Wear soul singer making post-dubstep, electronic music- super sexy with soulful vocals. She looks hot hot hot in her video.

Solange- Losing You

So cool. The edgier, bolder, hipster Knowles sister. Every girl wants to be her best friend.

Bondax

Like Disclosure? You’ll love Bondax. Super young production duo from Surrey making future garage to grind to.

Goldroom

LA producer, been doing his thing for a while, but really bubbling up because of his endless supply of sunshiney remixes (see Charli XCX, Citizens!)

Bobby Tank

80s Prince-esque, glitchy electrofunk complete with saxaphones and Casio keys.

hybridwake.com 23

MEET ThE SPUD If you’ve never heard of Call of Duty, then you’re probably Amish or have been living in a cave somewhere in northern Thailand. The series has seen a constant progression through the eras of modern online gaming and their latest instalment, Call of Duty Black Ops 2, is no exception. With huge sales at its launch it has been an instant success with gamers across the board. One of the most anticipated elements of Black Ops 2 was the Zombie feature of the game. Taking on hordes of bloodthirsty zombies, players battle their way through wave after wave of attacks. Teamwork and tactics are essential to get you through to the later levels of the zombie attack.

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This is where The Spud comes in. Hybridâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very own gamer, The Spud challenges, all COD players to a highest level contest. Post a photo on Hybridâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook page of your highest-level Zombies achievement. The highest score will win a year subscription to Hybrid!

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JONTY GREEN INSIDE THE LIFE OF WAKEBOARDING’S MOST UNIQUE CHARACTER

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Try, try and try again.. 28 hybridwake.com

Jonty, tell us about your journey to becomming a pro rider. How did it happen? Basically, I never really planned on becoming a pro wakeboarder. I saw Ben Hitch, Dan Nott, and Jack Wayne; all those guys, on TV, riding and thought it looked absolutely incredible. I started riding in Oxford behind a little jet boat; that was in 1999. In 2000, to be close to the cable at Princes, I moved in with my mate Ashley Templeman and all his family, who pretty much adopted me. Basically rode the cable ever since then. Took off from there really, met loads of people and made loads of friends. I suppose that’s kind of how it all started. So you started riding the local lakes, then moved to Princes...what’s the first step on the ladder to becoming a pro? Erm...I suppose it was competing. It’s what I gave all my attention to and concentrated on the most. Going to comps, meeting new people and stuff...All good fun, I suppose that’s how you get sponsored and things like that. Who was your first sponsor? First sponsor was No Fear back in 01. I was approached at a wakeboard comp by Karl Seyfang. A year later in 2002, another guy, Shawn Bronson, who rode for Billabong, hooked me up. I’ve been riding for Billabong ever since.

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So you moved to the cable at Princes in 2000, riding and working there. Where did wakeboarding take you after that? Basically I got to travel all over the world doing comps and all that. Wakeboarding treated me really well. I broke my leg in 2002, which was a disaster, but during those few months in a cast I managed to save up enough money to go to New Zealand. It was on that trip I met John Tully, who became a great friend, so much so we headed to Australia to see what it had to offer. After Australia, it was back to Princes, and I’ve just been living in caravans ever since, really. Wakeboarding has taken you around the world. Is there a destination that sticks in your mind? I really do love South Africa. I’ve been there three times now - it’s just really relaxed. You can do a lot more, you’ve got a lot more freedom. It’s a really cool place. Obviously the surf is great, people are awesome, and it’s cheap, which is a bonus! You had a bit of an incident over there, didn’t you? Yessss, that was my quad bike accident, as I refer to it. Basically, I’d just done a little jump going down a dirt track and for some reason, there was this car where it shouldn’t be. There were never any cars on the road, but this one time I had just landed after the jump and it came round this blind corner. He slammed on the brakes and so did I, but we were still going quite fast. Only wearing board shorts, T-shirt and shoes, I hit the car’s windscreen and bounced about 10 foot. I can only really remember rolling into the windscreen then waking up on my feet. I knew the guy driving, he was sitting there in shock, still holding the steering wheel. I went over and was like, “George, I’m all right, man,” to reassure him. He was in shock, still holding the steering wheel, staring out the windscreen. I was seriously lucky. It could have been fatal. I’m sure wakeboarding helped me out in that situation; I mean, one of my shoes went flying off. I couldn’t find it...nobody could find it anywhere! It’s not the only time you’ve been hit by a car, is it? No, haha...Cars seem to be the bane of my life, to be honest. But yeah, basically I got

More stacks than Evil Knievel, Jonty Green 30 hybridwake.com

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hit while I was with one of my buddy’s in Somerset, getting on the cider as you do. We were crossing the road...I was probably acting the fool, which was probably not a good idea. It was basically a hit and run, which wasn’t very nice, haha! But I think my reactions saved me again. I remember you jumping off a roof in Spain as well... Well, erm, yeah...I don’t really remember it, to be honest. Remember when you bruised your heel? Well, that’s happened to me a few times, haha! I always seem to bruise my heel. Lots of stupid injuries, mostly not from wakeboarding, which is a sad thing. Maybe it is a good thing. Keeps you in the water in some ways. Yeah Outside of touring, what else do you think wakeboarding has given you? Well, it’s definitely been great to travel around the world and see different walks of life. The way people live and things like that. The one thing I’ve learnt is to never take anything for granted. I mean, wakeboarding, when you do it a lot, you do get pissed off with it, but I think you have to take a step back and kind of look at the bigger picture. I believe you get back what you put in;

No faker and definitely a rocker, rock to fakie 32 hybridwake.com

you just have to remember why you do it, really. You’ve been on the scene since 1999. How has the industry has progressed? It’s absolutely crazy. When I first started in 1999, there was Ben Hitch, Jack Wayne and a couple of others; there weren’t that many good riders. Now it’s absolutely crazy. I was thinking about it the other day, actually; it’s like the four-minute mile. When you realise it’s possible, then a lot of other people will do it straight away. You would ride with friends at a cable and watch videos and stuff like that, and now you can’t go to the lake without having a camera on you. Obviously it’s a great thing so everyone can watch each other and see what others are doing, getting influenced by each other. I think that technology has accelerated the sport. What do you feel influences you both on and off the water? To be honest, influences through

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wakeboarding are the people I ride with; Ben Hitch, Dan Nott, and Marc Rossister. Also Randall Harris and Keith Lyman, who go huge with style.. Other influences are limitless. Basically. I get influenced from all kinds of things.

of therapeutic. Picking up the guitar making sounds is different. But with art, you spend a lot of time on it, and when you’ve finished, you have something to show for it. You get back what you put in.

You spend a lot of time with your guitar and drawings. How does that balance out your life? Honestly, I still struggle to sit down and draw and stuff, but when I do, it really does help me a lot. It’s kind

What do you see yourself doing moving forward? Well, I will always wakeboard, which I’m sure about. I’ll always be involved in the wakeboarding industry somehow. But life is in limbo at the moment, so I

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need to start making a plan! Got any plans for this year? Anything you want to achieve, targets or anything? Something I do struggle with is planning ahead, but hopefully designing board graphics, or something like that. It’s something I’d really like to do. I’m going to be working at the Quays again this summer for sure. As always, I want to improve my riding. I’m at a big turning point

at the moment, so I’m just hoping for something to happen, I suppose. What would be your dream for 2013? What I’d really love to do is be an artist, drawing and stuff like that. As you can tell, I really haven’t got a plan!

dad would take me wakeboarding all the time and my mum’s always had my back. She actually doesn’t like watching me wakeboard; she gets nervous and doesn’t really like watching me in case I get hurt. Thanks for bringing me into this life!

How’s your family supported you through your journey to becoming a pro rider? They’ve been awesome. Basically, my parents have always helped me out. My

Tell us about your team trip this winter. Well, I flew to Sydney and stayed at my mate Scotty Maguire’s in Queensland for 10 days. After that we flew all the

way down the coast, road-tripped to Bonny Doon which was absolutely awesome. It’s basically a huge lake where we did a lot of boat riding and filming, finished up there, and jumped back on the road to convoy to Penrith for Boardstock. I haven’t been to many big comps recently, so made the most of it. The standard of riding there was insane. I saw Mitch Langfield land a new trick, which was pretty awesome. You don’t see that every day. He called it the straight jacket. It was like hybridwake.com 35

a wrapped trick, of sorts, like an ole or nine or something like that, hard to get your head round it. That was pretty awesome. Then we carried on to Bli Bli back at the Sunshine Coast. So lots of driving. We also stopped for a bit of surfing as well, which is always nice...All in all, had an awesome time, really! After that, came home and went snowboarding with all my mates in Bulgaria. Now I’m ready for a summer of wakeboarding! You’ve seen all the changes and developments in everything from wake parks to System 2.0 parks. What about the obstacles? I remember hitting the first rail at Thorpe, which was just a little flat bar. Now you look at some of the rails out there, it’s amazing. Some of the designs for rails are awesome! Just how much it’s changed is incredible. What about Jonty’s future? I’d really like to try and push board design, and help my team out as much as I can. I’d like to help them out with the design and the graphics. I’ve also been coaching since I started wakeboarding, I’ve seen techniques and learnt a lot throughout the years, so I think coaching is something I can do. I really need to come up with a genius plan for the future! You’ve had an interest in Kung Fu and martial arts. Could you see yourself ever pursing it? My dad used to do kendo. He competed around Europe, so I’ve read a lot of his kendo books and stuff. What’s kendo? It’s basically sword-fighting; I think it’s Japanese. It’s the guys in the big suits and the metal face-guards and stuff. Jackie Chan was a massive influence on me when I was younger. Me and my brother’s friend, Andrew Battle, had older brothers who were into Jackie Chan, so being friends with him, I started watching a lot of old-school Jackie Chan movies. What about Bruce Lee, or was Jackie Chan your boy? Well yeah, I loved Jackie Chan’s stunts, but you can’t knock Bruce Lee’s fighting, it was incredible! Jackie Chan, I loved all his stunts. Especially at the end of all the films where they show the fuck-ups and stuff, which is kind of funny! He was a massive influence; well my idol, pretty much. Doing my own stunts and things like that, climbing trees and doing stupid shit, not much has changed. Are we likely to see JG as a stuntman? Maybe that should be my plan. I think I need to work on it a bit more. I’d love to do it; I’ve talked about it so much, I really need to get out there and just do it! 36 hybridwake.com

hybridwake.com 37

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe you get back what you put inâ&#x20AC;?

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21/03/2013 18:01

Quality Control Episode 1. Wetsuit Test

Armed with an idea, a telephone and the thought of melons, our wetsuit test was born. Why? Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve just got to be that way inclined. Brought together for the first time to do battle in a series of Stephen Hawkingapproved tests, five suits were put through their paces. No sign of a wakeboard, we set about putting the well-formed neoprene on trial. Flexibility, warmth, aesthetics, seal and stress testing itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d surely be the most comprehensive analysis to be seen by the rubber-wearing world and the proving ground of WMSki.

hybridwake.com 41

18:01

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Melon Firing Melon firing, the ultimate test in flexibility. Pulled out to maximum stretch, how far can each suit launch our cantaloupes? Freedom: there’s no point in wearing a wetsuit if you can’t do anything once you’ve put it on. It was with this in mind that our first test was born.

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Honk If I’m Hot As functional items, wetsuits aren’t exactly something that you would see hipsters in east London wearing. That said, not all wetsuits were born equal. The “Honk If I’m Hot” challenge was designed to find the bestlooking wetsuit, judged by an independent panel. Judges were chosen at random from the general public, with five judges per person and the most votes of ‘hot’ winning. The judges happened to be in cars and weren’t necessarily aware of the challenge, or the fact that they were only to inspect the actual wetsuit, not the wearer. These are but details, and the “Honk If I’m Hot” challenge was proven by its result. Inconclusive.

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Body Drag Test The main and possibly most important test of all was the temperature test. The main purpose of a wetsuit is to keep you warm, so as part one of a two-part exercise, the body drag test was designed with temperature in mind. Body drag: one full length of the cable. The only real way to find out the deserved winner was to get accurate temperature readings from some of the bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vital organs. Luckily, Johnny Carne was experienced and on hand to take care of proceedings.

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Cold Water Beer Challenge Part two of the temperature testing was to be set out at the WMSki Baltic Bar, where the testers were waited on while we waited for them. The aim was simple: to find out which suit kept you warmest the longest, we sat and waited to find out who was able to stay in the longest. With a Royal Marine in the mix, it was going to be hard to tell if it was the suits or the minds that were going to give up first. With an increasing amount of beer being consumed and delivered, there were no losers, just no more beer.

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Wetsumo Dash Wetsuits are designed to seal around your body, locking in vital heat to keep you going at your best for longest. Good seams and zips can make a massive difference in keeping you warm. A leaky seam is never much fun: cold water in, warm water out. So to test the integrity of the seams and materials used in the construction of the suits, the five testers took on the Wetsumo Dash. Filling the suits for 5 minutes each whilst having wrists and ankles sealed, it was quickly going to show the good from the bad.

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Diagnosis

After seeing two men eat the same burger together in a Lady and the Tramp kind of way, numerous inappropriate probings with a thermometer, airborne melons, and grown man take another manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wetsuit washout to the face; we were too scarred to make any kind of decisions as to who had actually succeeded in the challenges. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s difficult to go too far wrong in buying a wetsuit these days, especially if you are buying from one of the well-known brands. You do get what you pay for, and the suits higher up in the price ranges of all the respective ranges will offer more technology in the construction and materials of the suit. This will keep you warmer and more comfortable, whether on the water or waiting around in a queue at the cable or your next boat set.

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Industry Syn

- Sesitec System 2.0 - Sesitec Full Size Cables - UNIT Obstacles - Industry Obstacles - Wake Park Consultation - La k e Design and Excavation - E v e n t Creation & Management - V i s ual Media and Marketing -

Industry Syndicate Ad Nov'12.indd 1

23/11/2012 11:31

SEARCH AND DESTROY Returning to UK soil after chasing the sun for a few months in a sunnier corner of the globe, Scotty Broome is back and chomping at the bit

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It might be best to give your ride the once-over before emarking on a winch mission

My motivation is at a high. I’ve recently spent a couple of months back in Australia my place of birth shooting a team video and hitting some competitions, but I’m back in the UK now, welcomed by the coldest spring since Elvis was alive.

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Weather was not going to get in the way of a good time riding, and you work with what you’ve got. So much water, so much potential, so much to conquer it’s impossible to resist. We’re surrounded by waterways in the UK, and travelling around over the

past few years has opened my eyes to the possibilities beyond parks and boat lakes. But it’s not like every puddle you’ll see will turn itself into the perfect spot. However, with some creative thinking, a winch, a couple of mates and a good attitude, you can make most waterways into your very own spot.

Winching. It’s like anything: the more you do it, the more you learn about it and the things that make it successful. It’s about turning an average session with a couple of hits into a great session where new stuff goes down and you’ve made the most out if it. Here are a few things to keep in mind when embarking on a winching mission.

Transport. When heading out on any winching session, you always have to think about the amount of gear you’re going to need to do it, and how to get it there. You’ll need, at least, a winch, a couple of boards, wetsuits, tools, mates; and the list goes on. So you’re gonna need something that will carry you and all your

shit to the spot you’ve picked. You’re also likely to find some natural hazards and parking wardens to deal with at the other end, so choose wisely. Don’t be afraid to call on a mate to borrow their van to make an awesome winching session happen… But make sure it’s not going to blow a hose when you do. hybridwake.com 57

Crew. Like anything wake, it’s always best to have people around you that know what they are doing. A reliable crew will make the best spot even better. A driver that can not only operate the winch but understands how it feels to be on the other end is essential. It’s also important to have some motivation to actually achieve a good session; sometimes that means driving around a lot and checking spots. It’ll often be early mornings and long days, but it’ll make all the difference in the end.

Equipment. The first and most important piece of equipment is the winch. Lots of things can go so right and so wrong with winches. You might have borrowed one and have no idea how to drive it, or what kind of mechanical state it’s in. Having your own winch makes the world of difference: knowing how to fit it in your car, how it works and what it is capable of will help you a lot along the way. You’re obviously going to need your board and a wetsuit. Do remember that you’re probably going to have to walk through some interesting terrain and deal with a few hazards. 58 1 hybridwake.com

There is always something, somewhere nearby that you could be hitting with a winch - a London lock 1 hybridwake.com 59

Winch, board, space for a few mates and you are cruising

“Be polite. It only takes one person to call the police. “

It’s a good idea to use an old board, as you will run into all kinds of surfaces and underwater obstructions that could damage it. Some old shoes, extra tie-down straps, some basic gardening tools, skate wax, a camera and someone to operate it are all things that will help you on your winch adventure.

a fall. Sometimes you’ll stumble across a spot and it will be perfect, good to go, but more often than not, it’s best to get out, walk around and explore what is possible there before you hit it. Be sure to check out the takeoff and landing zones, somewhere to secure the winch, any hazards, and of course, stuff to jib, slide and launch off.

The spot. Any little bit of water can be made into something to session, but without putting time into researching the locations, landing zones and hazards, you are setting yourself up for

The public. When you are out and about, you will come across members of the public. It’s useful to be prepared to engage in conversation and sometimes negotiate with them. Interaction is

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the only solution to dealing with the public. You will often have to explain to people what you are doing; the majority of the time, they will just be stoked to see you do it again. Be polite; it only takes one person to call the police. Besides, it’s nice having a random help you out with the line. Useful other bits. Homemade rails, bits of scrap plastic and bits of wood are a great way of turning the limited into the limitless. I find looking at more urban sports like skating and BMX will broaden your horizons on cool stuff you could do with your wakeboard and a winch. Be patient and give it time. Every location will get better with each hit. As you get more used to the setting, even more will be possible. Be careful, don’t do anything you’re not capable of and you will have a great time.

You can take your tricks from the wake ot the cable to a drop or weir, stalefish basckside 180 hybridwake.com 61

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Casual Water Wyboston Golf Course

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1. Mystic snapback hat 2. Mystic t-shirt 3. Ecco Biom Hybrid (ecco.com) 4. Ping G25 3-Wood 5. Ping G25â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Ping Latitude stand bag with enhanced ergonomics featuring two new sliding shoulder pads with adjustable straps for optimal balance, leg retention for tight leg retraction and a strap slider for backpack-style fit

6. Cushe surf slipper, kick canvas (cushe.com) 7. StrdyWings hoddy (strdywngs.com) 8. Slingshot Shretown 9. Vampire Bionic

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5 8

1. Ping Ladies Serene trolley bag in purple and charcoal 2. Full set of Serene irons and drivers 9

3. Breathe fitted cap 4. Breathe zip hoodie 5. Wake-Wear prototype wake jacket look out for this in 2013 (wake-wear.co.uk)

6. Ping G25 5-Wood 7. Mystic Brand hoodie 8. Breathe snapback cap 9. Ecco Tour Hybrid golf shoe in tan leather

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10 7

1. Alpinestars Proper Fleece (www.alpinestars.com) 2. Converse All Day backpack (www.blackleaf.com) 3. Converse tip off cap army green from (www.blackleaf.com)

9. Converse Back to It BackpackWhite and black stripy backpack, red detailing 10. Wake-Wear beanie

4. O’Shea hoodie 5. Alpinestars ‘The Arrival’ board shorts 6. Neff zip hoodie 7. Breathe Hype hi-top boots 8. Cushe Flipper, neon yellow sole sandal

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3 2

7 5

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1. Mystic Amplify shirt 2. Converse canvas belt 3. Breathe Rubix black sleeved hoddie 4. Rubix engineered board short

5. Ping G25 Driver 6. Ecco Tour Hybrid golf shoe in black leather 7. Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;shea print t-shirt 8. Ping Serene 7 iron

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1. Mystic Indian bikini 2.Mystic Story Board shorts 3. Alpinestars Fade Classic Trucker Black hat, with green and blue spectrum panel (www.alpinestars.com) 4. Mystic Secret bikini 5. Roxy Rosie Flat Ultra blue denim shorts www. roxy.com

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1 4

5 2

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1. Neff snapback cap 2. Neff jacket 3.Ping Serene putter 4. Reebok Classics in pink and white

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5. Ping Anser 2 Scottsdale putters are named for the ‘true roll’ they provide as the result of Ping’s innovative new variable-depth-groove technology

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Winter Wonderland Getting ready for the coming season, LDB is fresh off the plane from Orlando where some time in the sun has kept him away from the winter chills

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The season doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to stop when it gets cold, or start when it gets warm, indy nose bone

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Christmas was fast approaching and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d just finished what felt like my busiest season, and another British winter was heading my way. OK, so wind, rain and snow were bearing down, and the only thing to do was start planning for next season. Winter, for me, is usually an easy planning task and consists of wakeboarding, wakeboarding and,

well, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve guessed it, a little more wakeboarding for good measure. However, I think because the past season had been so crazy-busy, I wanted to try and mix it up a little. Near-arctic conditions and the UK winter season are, in my mind, about building strength in the lead-up to next season. However, I think my subconscious wanted to mix it up this

year. Getting strong for next year was still at the top of my agenda, but it seemed to be a good time to be different! Mixing it up felt like the right approach, and one thing I knew for sure: surfing had to feature. Sometimes things are just meant to happen. Aleana, a friend from the lake, has a place in Bali, and towards the end of the season, invited Georgie (my hybridwake.com 81

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more to winter than frozen water and snow - slob 180 82 1 hybridwake.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153;...living at one of the local temples, we visited some of the most remote islands in the world...â&#x20AC;?

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Stew Mackie’s new ride at Chain of Wakes, Orlando

girlfriend) and I out to visit. Flights booked, next stop Indonesia Aleana’s house was breathtaking, just outside a town called Jimbiran, overlooking the beach. We were able to look out over the ocean at sunrise and check what the swell was saying We couldn’t ask for more. Indo’s been on my bucket list for some time. I’d heard so many great things about the islands, the people, the culture and the world-class surf spots. We had the world’s best surf conditions to hit up for two week. It was a dream come true. Hours of paddling out through the surf, or just setting yourself up for the next set was physically exhausting. Turns out I was right - what a great way to start the strength building. The mix-it-up approach felt like the right thing to do. Beyond the surfing, we did and saw some amazing stuff: went on a safari, saw wild monkeys living at one of

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the local temples and visited some of the most remote islands in the world. Thanks to Aleana, we met awesome people and fell in love with Bali. We’ll definitely be back. Indo was much more than we could have imagined, a trip of a lifetime. Surfing over, time for some muchdeserved wakeboarding. Talking with Stew Mackie, out at Chain of Wakes, we came up with the idea for an LDB wake school trip stateside. I now had a three week plan. Week one: with my boys Louis, Max, Ricky and Connor getting some well-needed shred time. Weeks two and three, the wake campers arrive for a two-week LDB wake school and progression session. A couple of phone calls and emails later, I had a great crew signed up for a two-week stomp stateside. Winter was panning out quite well. Louis had just taken delivery of his new

G25. OWC and McCormick’s cables were both really close, and I had a bag of new kit to play with, so it was game on for week one. Supposedly it was winter in Florida. The weather was great for us, the sun was out, 22 and rising, the lakes and cable were empty, which meant more flat water time for us! You can’t beat quality time riding in the U.S. before the season starts back in the UK. I felt gooood. A great week spent with the boys came to an end. It was over to Winter Haven and meet up with Stew. As if heading out to the States wasn’t enough, Stew had just taken delivery of his new X-Star. The LDB campers had a treat waiting for them. We’d rented Mad Mike’s house for the campers just across the lake from Stew’s place. The setup was awesome: a huge house overlooking the lake and all the extras: Jacuzzi, shuffle board, bongzilla and a bar.

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Mike wasn’t supposed to be there, but his tour with Lady Gaga had been cancelled, so he’d decided to stick around and be the host. Quite possibly the best host in the world, legend! Two weeks, warm water and endless runs of glass; the riders progressed in leaps and bounds, new tricks being thrown down left, right and centre. What a great mix of people: different ages, riding abilities and personalities created an awesome vibe. Away from the water, mountain biking was a must and added to the fitness programme. It was great getting off the beaten track. After all the wake and mountain madness, we had no choice but to sample quite a few of the local dining spots. In short, everyone went home with some excess baggage. Huge thanks to the Floyd family, Stew, Megan and Mike for making our U.S. expedition so memorable. Bring on next winter………… #concentrationface, Melon off axis 180 86 hybridwake.com

Th ra lat yo th en th wi Ba tak tag th clu loo ho no on go to yo go th co ba ra

Guaranteed to grab the attention of all your lakeside friends. Breathe Boardwear has two bold, bright and down-right awesome helmet

designs for 2013. Which one will you choose? Only £49.95

The Mystic board bag range offers you all the latest gadgets to make your summer travels that little bit more enjoyable! Trick the check-in desk with the Golf Bag Pro and take advantage of the ‘free clubs’ loop hole no ones going to know you’ve really got your board in there. It even comes complete with vacuum bags! Complete Mystic wake range available at Tantrum Wake.

.com

We couldn’t resist showing you the new 2013 Hyperlite Marek. Available in two constructions, this Rusty pro model is built for those riders seeking an explosive, fast and wake-thirsty board. The abrupt continuous rocker, 9 degree angled fins and Enduro base means this board will blow your socks off…and maybe even your boardshorts if you’re not careful! Starting at £359

Free Delivery On All Orders

Designed by Mike Ennen, boardsports enthusiast and artistic mastermind. The Mystic Artist vest is wearable art that you can take a beating in! Made from lightweight neoprene and offering an anatomical fit, this is definitely a 2013 essential! RRP £89.95

10% OFF with

www.tantrumwake.com The ladies super shorty is a great new shape designed to offer girls the perfect summer suit. Available in Mint and Pink. RRP £119

With coupon code: summer HYBRID1 fast approaching, the snapback hat is a must! From the bright, eye-catching designs to the subtle mesh back, we’ve got a range of headwear online starting at just £12.95.

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Vuvuzela South Africa really does have something to blow its own trumpet about. The home of Dylan Mitchell it is a wake paradise.

Victoria & Albert Waterfront, Cape Town Western Cape

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Joe’s Butchery, Alexandra, Johannesburg Gauteng

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Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal,

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Umhlanga Pier, North Coast KwaZulu-Natal,

Catching a few, Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape ‹

A solid destination for wake, but with a lot more to offer. If you’ve spent any time on our website www.hybridwake.com, you’ll have seen the breathtaking short film by Jose, featuring Dylan in South Africa. We hope that the short film has inspired you to add South Africa (SA) to your bucket list. SA is one of those countries that make you realise how truly awesome riding can be. But like LDB said, sometimes “it’s good to mix-itup,” and in SA you can. Surf, FlowRide, skate, eat well, and party on the beach. Don’t take my word for it have a read of Scotty Broome’s interview.

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If you’re thinking of buying a travellers English-to-SA dictionary, don’t bother the country has 11 official languages, as well as an equally diverse population, so for the most part, your English will get you to most places, as well as into and out of trouble. It’s a big old country with a mix of cable and boat, which is a good thing. It’s at this point that in the of fairness, most would drop in a list of every school and park in the country because they sold them a bunch of advertising space! That’s not for us. So here is a short list of the Cable and Boat spots the Hybrid team think are worth a visit. Blue Rock Boardalign Bourne2Ride Garden Route Stoke City Vaal River Warmbaths

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45 minutes from Cape Town Durban Cape Town Swartvlei, near Knysna Midrand, northern J’burg Various locations Bela Bela, just north of Johannesburg

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On top of Table Mountain, Cape Town Western Cape A Place To Stay, Serenity Forest Lodge, Mpumalanga ‹

Balloon Safari, Magaliesberg, North West Province

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Good times don’t stop rolling if you’re not at the park or behind a boat. The music and club scene has taken off, and it’s been said a number of times that South Africa has the biggest house scene in the world. There are a lot of young DJs and producers in the country so expect to hear something new.

Durban Skyline, KwaZulu-Natal

Skyline, Johannesburg, Gauteng

Umhlanga, North Coast, KwaZulu-Natal

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Music is a central to SA, and you can head to places like Mama Africa and Dockside in Cape Town (which is huge) or if you want to chill with the locals, there are any number of Shebeen (pronounced ‘sha bean’): the South African name for a local bar. These local bars are simple with a person standing behind prison-like bars and handing over frosty bottles of drink. You’ll find music played from speakers that have seen better days but it’s all good ENJOY!

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Rosebank is another great place to party, and if by the end of the week, you just need to kick back after a hard days stomping new tricks you’ll find chilled

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Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, Western Cape Province ‹

Ratanga Junction Theme Park vibes at Liquidchefs Cofi and Mibar. Cape Town, We could wax lyrical all day about SA. Western Cape Province My advice to you: take a week or two off, buy a plane ticket - there as little Table Mountain, as £540 return (that’s less than a new Cape Town, board and bindings) - and stomp it in Africa. If you’re thinking to yourself, ‘OK, so I can get there, but then what?’ Simple answer we’ve found per-night stay in good hostels for as little as £9, and then, well, the sky is the limit.

‹

The nightlife in Johannesburg’s club and lounge scene is growing, with places like Taboo, Cocoon and Icon and Sway banging out the tunes. Then there’s the Baron, Newscafe and HQ if you’d rather go for a chilled vibe.

LDB Wake School is one of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier wake schools, set in the London/south area. Come down to JB Ski and book a set on the all new Axis wake boat and receive professional coaching from pro rider and one of the British wakeboard team coaches, Lee Debuse. Your riding will improve no matter what level you are.

Book with Lee on St Annâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lake in the times below: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

All levels welcome. To book call: 01932 579 750 or 07833362733 email: Lee@ldbwakeschool.co.uk web: www.LDBwakeschool.co.uk facebook: LDBwakeschool

All Day Open - 2:30 2:00 - Close All Day 2:00 - Close 3:00 - Close

l l i G e g r o J

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jorge gill has been on the scene for some time now, rising steadily through the ranks

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First contact

He’s got some solid sponsors on board and a bag of hammers that even the most professional carpenters would be proud of. Jorge has never been much of a conversationalist. But he knows what is what…even if he won’t tell you so. Hi Jorge, how’s life treating you? Hi Eddy, yeah, things are going really well at the moment. I have just resigned with sponsors as well as sorting my U.S. visa out. Getting a visa to the U.S. is quite a mission and a long process. What was the deal with that? You could call it overstaying my welcome! I headed over to the U.S. a couple of times last year for pre-season training. However, without realising it, I’d spent 4-5 months stateside, which was a little longer than the U.S. border agency would really have liked

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- in short, U.S. immigration politely suggested that next time I head their way, a visa would be a good option. Getting a visa was a long process and took months of paperwork, form filling and money. It’s all sorted now, so I’m looking forward to going back. It’s a 5-year visa, which I think can be extended for another 5, so hopefully this will be it for the hassles; at least for a good while, anyway. What is your goal while you are in the U.S.? What would you like to achieve there and how are you going to do it?

I am 17, I’ve left school, learnt to drive, and I now want to train with and compete against the best boat riders in the world. For me, it’s all about competing. Junior Pro Men at The King of Wake series is where I want to be, but I’m going to have to work hard for it. I’m going to be spending many hours down at O-Town and COW. With a U.S. visa, does this mean we won’t be seeing much of you on the UK scene this year? Now I have the visa, I will be spending a lot of time in America, but I’m still aiming to do well in the English comps, like Wakestock, the GB Nationals, Europeans and World Championships in South Korea. I’m looking forward to riding at the World Games in Colombia.

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“Lots of riders go over to train or freeride, but not many compete in the pro divisions”

What would be your main goal? Well, it would be nice to make a few U.S. finals, maybe even a few podiums, which would hopefully get me noticed on the boat scene over there. We are seeing more and more of our UK talent heading over to America. How do you think this will influence the UK? Lots of riders go over to train or freeride, but not that many compete in the pro divisions. I guess if a rider can do well on the U.S. pro competition

scene and make a podium or two, it could inspire others to have a crack at it, which I think would be good for UK wakeboarding. With the Nationals taking a big step up this year, is the Open Men’s title something that you are gunning for? Maybe. It’s always nice to say you’re the National Champion. I’ve been lucky enough to win 4 titles in the Junior divisions so far, but never in Open, so it’s something I would like to do. I am sure the likes of Sam Carne

and Dan Nott will have something to say about that though - but my main goal is doing well in America. What do you think is the most influential progression in the sport for 2013? On boat it’s the wakes. They are getting bigger and bigger. I recently rode the 2013 MasterCraft X-Star for the first time in the UK with standard ballast, with a few people sitting in, and the wake was huge. I am looking forward to riding a fully loaded one. We are already starting to see double flips being landed off them, so things are looking good for the future of boat. Do you think competition riding is more important to you than freeriding, or do you see it as more of a means to an end? hybridwake.com 103

Melon half cab

“Some say I am too quiet, I prefer ‘calm and collected’” No, not a means to an end. I have nothing against freeriding, but I prefer to compete. I like learning new tricks, working on runs and tactics for comps. I see it as sport, but drilling runs does get boring and sometimes gets into your head, so a bit of freeriding helps bring the enjoyment back.

have produced some of the best riders in Europe and the world on both boat and cable, including wakeskating, but it’s quite hard for the younger riders to get coverage over here and it can get political. I think the most important attribute for a modern rider to have is modesty. I don’t like posers.

Tell us more about the mind of Jorge Gill. What is your opinion on the movement of UK wakeboarding at the moment and what do you think are the most important attributes for the modern rider? Wakeboarding is quite a small sport, especially in the UK, mainly because of the weather and the cost (boat). We

From your early beginnings, you have never been afraid of taking on wakes, and never shy on the board, even if your words are sometimes a little slower to come. Do you feel more comfortable expressing yourself through your sports and if so, why, and how would you like to be seen as a rider?

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No, not afraid of the wakes. The bigger the better. I have never met a boat rider who doesn’t love big wakes, but I am not the type to be bending your ear about what trick I’ve just landed off one. I have Instagram and an athlete page, and I do post what I’m up to, but I am not a Facebook show-off. Some say I am too quiet. I prefer ‘calm and collected’.

www.wakeboardtower.co.uk +44 (0)8456 588 197

Wanderlust LIFE THROUGH THE EYES OF REED WATSON. A WAKESKATER DEVOTED TO HIS ART AND WHAT LIES BEHIND IT

Last year was a great year for wakeskating. Having a legitimate contest series in America, the Wakeskate Tour is a great platform for riders from all over to compete together and showcase the sport at the highest level. More and more riders are truly pushing the sport with trick innovations, with Dieter Humpsch’s kickflip to board slide being at the very forefront of that charge. It is developments like this that have helped to take wakeskating to the next level. With recognition from other industries, like skateboarding (Dieter had two edits posted to one of the most popular skate sites - The Berrics), it is a sign of the times that people are watching and wakeskating is finally reaching a 106 hybridwake.com

point where it is getting the attention it deserves. It is amazing to see how the progression of the sport takes each and every rider by storm. As soon as one rider starts to land a trick or new variation, it is not long before everyone is landing them. Like with the double flip in wakeboarding, the kickflip on suddenly became the trick to do, with Andrew Pastura and Ben Horan both landing variations towards the end of last year on the Wakeskate Tour. It will only filter down from there, through all the different there through all the different levels of riding, and eventually it could become the norm. As with any up-and-coming sport, wakeskating has had to prove itself in many ways. Not only to the larger

companies within the sport, but also to outside entities that will invest in the sport to help it develop further still. It is similar to the growth of wakeboarding in the earlier days, yes, that does mean before ‘Wake Brothers” and it must continue to provide worthy content and valid riding standards to the communities around it. Thankfully, with more and more backyard pool gaps, cables, two tower systems and winches appearing wherever you look, wakeskating certainly has the means to progress, as do all the riders involved in it. Remote were on the growth train last year, bringing back the ‘team tour’ trip, taking pro riders around America to meet and help bring on local talent at

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more than a magazine. www.hybridwake.com

various parks and lakes. It’s commitments such as a nationwide tour and increasing attention from outside of wakeskating that make it a very exciting time for the sport. It’s not that anybody wants to see wakeskating turn into a highly commercial entity that gets exploited and diluted; we more want to see it have the tools and means to grow and develop. Wakeskating is now sitting in a great position to grow even further with more availability to ride, more ways to ride and more people to ride with. It will take a catastrophic disaster to stop wakeskating’s charge in the coming years, and with no threat of it ever being put forward for the Olympics, in the near future, at least it stands a chance of remaining true to itself and the people involved in it. We look forward to what this year will bring. If it’s going to be anything like last year, we are in for a great one. Ollie north down a gap requires some concentration, as you can tell

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Soldiering On Owen Pick suffered an horrific injury whilst serving his country in foreign lands. After being told he would never walk again, he took on his next mission

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Determination pays off - backside nose

Most of us take for granted what we have until it’s gone. It’s strange to think that one minute, everything’s going well, and then the next it can all change. This is the story of Owen Pick, an exfront-line soldier in the British Army. He served for 4 years, and then the unexpected happened... Hey Owen, how’s it going man? What are you up to currently? Hey man, I am currently in Canada for the winter doing my snowboard instructors course, but missing the water and my wakeboard a lot, can’t wait to get home for the summer again. Awesome - so, did you know about wakeboarding before joining the army? How did you find out about wakeboarding? No, not before I joined. I was too armyfocused. After my injury, I got asked if I wanted to go waterskiing, so I went. While I was there, I saw a wakeboarder on the water, so asked what it was. And starting from when I saw the guy do

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a 360, I fell in love with the sport and wanted to do it from that point on. We see you got the bug! So what was your role in the army? I was in No 1 Royal Anglian Regiment, and my role was Light Machine Gunner on the front line, which meant I could put down a Heaney rate of fire, but was also very mobile as well. How long were you in the army? I was in the army for four years. I joined when I was 16, and then deployed to Afghanistan when I was 18. Then served another two years as an injured solider. If it’s okay with you...can you tell us how it happened? So it was actually our day off, so we could get some rest, sleep and eat some half-decent food. So we all woke up thinking that’s what it would be. We

could hear gunshots in the distance, which was not uncommon, so thought nothing of it. Then we all got the order to grab our gear because we had a platoon pinned down and they needed our help. Our orders were to go out, draw some fire from the boys to give them a chance to deal with the situation they had going on. We did this quickly, and not long after leaving the base, we were under contact (being shot at). We were then also pinned down in a ditch, because we couldn’t see from where we were being shot at. It makes it hard to move positions, because we can’t put fire on the enemy to cover our movements. A few hours went by. We had pinpointed where the shots were coming from, and got the order to assault and clear the building. I was in the team that was chosen to carry out the assault. We crawled up under fire, and once we got to the building, we all got against the wall, waiting for a gap in the shots to start the assault. The two girls and three lads went in, and there was a lot of shooting going on. I then

Mini enjoying his new ride with this switch big spin

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just wanted to be back on my feet.â&#x20AC;? - back lip

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“...he told me I would never be able to walk again...”

went in and as I stepped through the door, I just remember a huge explosion and a white flash. Then I woke up two days later in Birmingham Hospital in the UK. The boys then told me (three months later when they got back from the tour) that I was blown 10ft in the air and 15ft away from the explosion. Pretty scary stuff hearing them tell me

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the story of what happened. What gave you the motivation to get back up on your feet and get to where you are now? It was actually a doctor that made me wanna get back up, and it was because he told me I would never be able to walk again, so I wanted to prove him wrong. Once I had done that, I then

wanted to make a point by not only walking but doing extreme sports as well. When I first got on a wakeboard, I had a seat, and I wasn’t allowed to wear my leg because it couldn’t get wet, but I wanted so badly to stand up and ride just like everybody else. That was a huge motivation for me.

What was the hardest thing for you going through the rehabilitation? Ummmm the hardest thing was everything took a long time. I just wanted to be back on my feet. But you have to take baby steps. It’s hard for your body to adjust to this new thing, and it is a bit distressing some days. I had my down days and still do, but I

have learned to just surround myself with good people and push through the bad days, or they will get on top of you and eventually squash you. If you could give some words of inspiration, what would they be? Especially to someone that might be going through a similar situation.

OK, so I’m not sure if I can be inspiring, haha, but for me, I just pushed myself. There are times when I get annoyed and frustrated, but you can’t give up then, that’s when you have to push even harder. The phrase we all know: “If you fall, get back up.” The way I see it is, if you fall, then get back up faster than you fell. Brush off and do it

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Living without limitation - Owen at Festival Wake Park

again. If you want something, don’t let someone tell you diﬀerent. Injured or not, if you want it bad enough, it will happen. You mentioned running a competition this year. Can you tell us a bit more about it? Well, I have had this idea to run a competition to raise money for Help The Heroes, because they have done so much for me. I feel I need to give something back to all the other boys who are still coming back injured, and also those who are injured and still going through rehab. How long have you been riding now? I have been riding now about 7 months, but I gave myself a goal at the start of my riding and said I want to get 3rd at a comp before the season was ﬁnished. At the Grass Roots Tour Stop at Club Wake I managed my goal but better I got 2nd, I was stoked! That’s sweet, you haven’t even been 118 hybridwake.com

riding long and getting on the podium - nice work dude. How often do you ride? When I can every day if I can get there and I have the money, I will be on the water. I try to ride all day as well, because I take longer to learn things and get the feeling for stuﬀ, so I need as much time on the board as I can get to be able to progress.

try to get a 1st or maybe more, and just improve my riding as much as possible.

Are there any limitations whilst you wakeboard? No real limitations more diﬃculties to overcome.

Anything else you would like to add? Just thank you for this opportunity, and I hope to see everyone on the water this season, it’s gonna be sick.

Would you say your prosthetic leg holds you back in any way? And if so, how do you get around it? I wouldn’t say it holds me back, I just take a little longer to learn how I have to do things. I just ﬁnd a way to do it, so it just means I spend longer learning something until I get it.

Thanks very much, Owen, for your time. It has been a real eye-opener, and we hope this gives people inspiration for when they might need it, be it an injury or just some uplifting spirit.

What are your plans for this year? My plans are to keep competing and

Where would you like to see yourself in a few years? I would love to see myself competing still. Competing and also maybe coaching guys who have similar injuries to me would be cool, and getting them interested in the sport.

Mini Gafro named after his elder brother, gafro (ie. ginger afro) mini has found his own path. and that path is wakeskating

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James Harrington, also known as ‘Mini’ has been pushing all the right buttons over the last year, bringing him his own well-deserved pro model with Aesthetic Wakeskates. Mini has been killing it; with a bunch of flip tricks and big spins, we can only see him going on to big things. We catch up with him to see what he thinks of his new pro model and generally find out more about him. Hey Mini...how’s tricks? Yoooo, tricks are good, gonna try and get a few more bangers this year. Got the 360 flip at the end of last year, so want to get that down, and some other flips. Sweet man, I meant in general, but we can roll with that, haha...so, what have you been getting up to over the winter? Haha, my bad...umm. So, this winter I have smashed out all four seasons of Prison Break, bossing FIFA, been hitting the gym and trampolining loads. Working on a few things, and went snowboarding for a week, which was sick. Sounds like you had a pretty good winter! So you must be stoked about your new pro model. Was it a surprise? Yeah, super good. It’s a dream thinking about it when you first start riding and you wish could have your own, but it was never a realistic goal. Now I have one, it’s crazy. I am super grateful to Aesthetic Wakeskates for granting me one. We love the design, it’s like you’re on Cartoon Network. Did you have much say in the design? Cheers! Yea it’s a pretty funny one. Anything I wanted, really, I could have. I worked with Sim Bradley on it and I thought a little ginger kid with a big afro would be pretty sick, and it turned out so cool! Cheers Sim! It looks like an epic shape. Do you like how it rides? Yeah, it’s sick! I changed it up from the general shape from last year with Aesthetic. It has a new base and walls to it. Making the board a lot stronger and faster on the rails and water and the shape of the board is sick. I find it really helps with flip tricks! You will probably be able to ollie a foot higher with this board! What got you into the world of wakeskating? I used to wakeboard and got some all-right tricks going, but got kinda bored of going upside down. I also used to skateboard loads, so as soon as I tried wakeskating, I learnt a lot of tricks really quick. I loved it so much. I do still like a little shred strapping in, though. We heard rumours that you jumped on a wakeboard and busted out some 900s. Is this true? Haha, yeah, this is true, at the WMSki kicker comp. Some sick riders were there, and I decided to jump on a board and smashed three different 9s (don’t really know how)! I ended up winning the comp and got a crate of beers. I was pumped! We like to throw in some random ones. What’s your most embarrassing moment ever? Damn. I’ve got some bad ones and some that can’t be shared. Umm…maybe at the Boat Show last year. I went out for a few

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“I decided to jump on a board and smashed three different 9s...! I don’t really know how”

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beers the night before I had to ride, and maybe got a bit too crazy. I passed out in CK’s hotel room toilet butt naked. That wasn’t too good. Cheers for the toilet for the night, CK! Haha, proper lad points for that one! Have you been involved in any other sports? Yeah, I used to play ice hockey when I was younger, and rugby, field hockey, surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding, I love sports! What are your plans for this year? Any vacations to see the sun? Haa! Yeah, man. May be going out to Germany for a bit with Terry Hannam…shred some cables. Then I’m out in Turkey at Hip-Notics with Alex Newman, Ollie Moore and Sophie Cordery. Some other English shredders are also there, I think, which will be sick. Then just trying to get some filming and some good photos for the mags. Shred some comps and stuff, and I really want to get out to America! Sounds good, bro, you’ll have to keep us updated. Where do you see wakeskating going in the next few years? Yeah, for sure. Umm, getting crazy. Getting some more skateboard tricks going down, flipping onto rails and stuff. Loads of winching ridiculous spots and getting as big as possible. Getting wakeskating a bit more recognized would be sick. Favourite pull? Cable, winch or boat? Cable for sure. Just rode that from the start, but System 2.0 is so sick. I will learn so many new tricks on that, but they are the future. Didn’t really like the boat. I found it so hard, so I only rode it once and haven’t gone back. Winching is super fun. I have only done it a few times, but want to get into that to hit some sick spots! Where can your fans follow what you’re up to? Haa, um, hit me up. I’ve got Facebook (James Harrington Wakeskater), Twitter and Instagram, where you can check my photos (jamesharrington). Who’s your best wake buddy and why? I got a few. Matt Greenwood and Mikey Dread…love shredding with them at my home spot, WMSki. I have been away with them a few times. Also Ollie Moore - I love riding and hanging out with him, as we always push each other and get a good shred on, oh, and Will Bradley and Terry Hannam too. They are super fun to ride with…always playing little games of skate or trying random tricks. For anyone thinking about trying wakeskating for the first time, what advice can you give them? Bend your knees loads! When I first started, I tried loads of tricks as they don’t hurt as much as when you try wakeboard tricks. I would say go out, kick the board around and see if things will work. Don’t get too angry if it’s not working out. It can be frustrating. Just have fun with it! Is there anything else you’d like to add? Yes…Big shout out to all the support from my sponsors: Aesthetic Wakeskates, Teva, Ion, WMSki, Hannams Hub. Shout out to the Wolf Pack, haa!

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TIME FOR A CHAT, I THINK?

MEET MARK Fourteen days at Xtreme Gene, and you talk with a lot of proriders about, well, anything and everything. During one Desparados-fuelled night in Cordoba, I asked the question; How should a rider choose a board? The answer came back: Choose a graphic you like and then learn to ride it. Eight months later, in the lead-up to the launch issue of Hybrid wake mag, those words bounce around in my head.

Soup

However, now I’m thinking: the graphics, who’s dreaming them up? Meet Mark Ward. He’s a graphic artist who’s produced work for Stussy, Burton, Blueprint, Red Bull, Nike, Adidas, and is soon to collaborate with DC. Time for a chat, I think!

Mark, our chat came about because someone said to me that people choose a graphic, then learn to ride their board? I must admit when I was a kid, I’d buy the deck for the graphics. As you mature, you start to associate with a particular brand style. Brands tap into that: someone who skates a Zero deck would be different from someone who skates a Plan B. You’ve created graphic art for Burton and other well-known brands. How did you make that happen? Doing work for Burton I hadn’t found my voice, illustration-wise, but I guess the whole situation, the way I managed to do what I do umm goes back to my first year at Uni (Central Saint Martins). I’ve always been into skating and drawing since my school days, really so the natural progression from school was art school and then uni.

“how the hell do I get to do work for these guys?” I’d always had a thing about skate culture and Stussy was, at the time, one of my favorite brands. In 2001, I headed to Uni in London, and just around the corner, in Covent Garden, down the road from my campus was a Stussy store. I was thinking to myself, “how the hell do I get to do work for these guys?” So, umm, I was a bit blasé about it, went into the store and told them their posters were really tired and I’d design them some new ones for free. They kinda brushed me aside. So I thought:, OK, cool and came back the next day, said exactly the same thing. I think they realised I wasn’t going away, so they gave me the boss’ number. After hassling the boss for a good while, he phoned me back and said, “you better be good because you sound well cocky” – I thought I was being super polite!

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That’s the way to do it if you believe in something. Push and push and people will listen. To be honest with you, I had no defined style at the time; I had ideas, so it worked out well, but I don’t know if I would have the bottle to do that again I had nothing to lose at the time. Now things are a little different. Fortunately, I started freelancing for Stussy, and it progressed from there.

Yeah, this summer, I’ve got an exhibition in Shoreditch, so that’ll be good. I won’t give away too much. I’m sure we can talk about it at a later date. All I’ll say is it’s going to be a parade of colour. Next month, I’m in a show called “Pick me up”, which is a big illustration festival in Somerset House. I’m being represented by a gallery called Beach. Next year, I’ll be collaborating with DC in Paris.

I was full of creative ideas and there was nowhere to use them. Uni was coming to an end and there was a little pressure on me to get a respectable job. I was lucky enough to win a student D&AD award, which helped me get a job in the advertising industry, working for Ogilvy. I hated it. I was full of creative ideas and there was nowhere to use them. After three months of doing creative for stuff like Barbie, I realised I wasn’t going to rock the world. For my sole, at least this was a dead-end. By 2004, I’d given up my job at Ogilvy and was crapping myself I needed to get a job. Lucky for me, Stussy gave me a job to design for them full time. I was lovin it - this was the job I wanted since the age of about 14, designing skate Tees and stuff. I worked with the Stussy team for about three years, but made the decision to leave, partly because I needed a magic number on a piece of paper so I could buy a house. The house was one reason, but artistically I needed to get out and do my own thing. I’d bumped into some amazing people whilst at Stussy, so when I left I almost immediately started working with Nike and Burton. In that first year, I designed the graphics for a park board called “the Blunt”. So, Mark, you mentioned at the beginning of our chat when you first left Uni you didn’t really have a style. How has that changed? Everything I’m in to seemed to originate in the U.S.: graffiti, skating, cartoons. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become heavily influenced by California and the culture. Right now I’m heavily into the San Fran “summer of love” scene from the 60s. You could say I’m into a bit of a hippy trip right now, but mixing that with current culture. I feel like I’ve been very fortunate to do what I do. You’ve got to say, fuck it, and do what you want to do. So what does the near future hold for you?

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The first of our rollback series, we talk with Ronn Siedenglanz

Rollback

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Ronn, how did you start Sidewayz and producing wake films? When I was a young kid, my Dad raced boats, he was really good at building stuff and developed his race boat out in our garage. I remember it was a flat bottom race boat, crazy fast. Its name “Sideways” because, well, it would go, like, a hundred miles an hour down the lake but, when he took his foot of the gas, it’d turn sideways. So when I got older and started my production company, Sidewayz just seemed right.

Evening Ronn. Hey Jason, good to chat again. I’m usual on the other side of the camera, but hey lets give this a go.

Ronn’s films include, but not limited to Transgression, High Wake Drifter, Wake the Beast and 12 Honkies, all created under his production company name, Sidewayz. We caught up with Ronn in California and talked about how it all started. Ronn at the lake waiting for a tow behind Sideways!! Go fast, Go Big ‹ Go barefoot

Ronn’s dad opening up ‹ Sideways

Ronn doing his thing on an ARRIFLEX 16s

Ronn Siedenglanz, pioneer of the wake film and considered by most as the guy who set a very high benchmark.

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I got accepted into art school on the merit of my photography in about 1991 I started making wakeboarding films in about 93 Anyway back in art school I liked the photography but I hated the fact that after school I’d have to go home and study stuff about Mona Lisa or other things I didn’t really care about.

I didn’t do so well at school or college. Just didn’t enjoy learning about stuff that didn’t seem to matter Although for as long as I can remember, I loved photography. I ended leaving college and getting my first job in Hollywood in a film laboratory where they processed all the film for all of the major shows at the time.

My brother was two years younger than me. We’d pull each other around the harbour standing on a boogie board. I waterskied about the same time and loved it, although only got to do it a few times a year. As a kid it was my favourite thing to do, just to be on the water.

I’ve been around boats and the water for a long time its funny, I know I have some pictures of the boat, but could find them before this chat. I’ll dig them out and get them to you. You could say I was sort of wakeboarding about then as well. Well, sort; of, Me and my brother were standing up on boogie boards at about age ten.

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Ronn doing his thing on Transgression

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We made, “How to Ride a Wakeboard”, I didn’t make Gravity Sucks; that was G Bradley. They brought me a bunch of footage and I made “Wake the Beast”

So we’d done one film together, that’s all Brooks had approached Herb over at HO about doing a film with them. Herb, at the time, didn’t want anything to do with us. So Brooks talked to Tony Finn about shooting a wake film.Tony being a marketing guy could see that a film would be a great thing to do. So the first time I ever saw wakeboarding was when Brooks came back with the footage we were going to use for our first film, “How to ride a wakeboard” he said “here’s some Wakeboarding footage.” The first people I saw were Scott Byerly and Gator when they were riding their Wake Tech Flight 69s. So that was kinda my introduction to wakeboarding.

As I said, I really did love editing, and so I just started editing everything, my friends skateboarding, concerts or well just everything, I loved it. It was about this time I met Brooks, he’d shot Pennywise, the punk band, and didn’t know how to edit, so I did it for him and we soon became friends.

So I decided to just get a job, and ended up working in Hollywood for the firm that worked on stuff like: The Simpsons, Melrose Place, Party of Five. Most of the TV shows in Hollywood ran through the place. It was during this time that I learnt how to use all the latest editing equipment.

So I was at art School for about a year and a half, but its during that time I had access to editing equipment. I learnt how to edit at the art school just doing it off my own back I loved editing. For me, it was either read the books in art school ,or learn how to develop my newfound passion for editing in the real word.

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I always wanted wakeboarding to grow enough as a sport to support me as a filmmaker, in a way that I could really afford to do what I wanted to do. I think sponsorships crept up a little bit more and then a little bit more when the companies started to see the value in the films. Films became like riders’resumes. Not only did film improve rider profiles but the brands

Then Brooks and I made High Wake Drifters. You know we thought we had done something amazing. At the time, Brooks was in film school. He’d borrow a school camera or my camera, head out to Florida, stay with the guys, film some stuff and then come back. We would then somehow put together a video. Which I think when you compare us to Fall Line Films who just had so much money behind them and, well we had no money just determination to get it done.

that film is little embarrassing for me to watch. I think I was younger, a little more immature filmmaker, you know. I look at it now and go Oh my gosh why did I put some of that stuff in there?

Vandall (Randall Harris) and the crew. Transgression was artistically beautiful to watch. If you don’t have a copy of it, put this mag down ,hit google, and get a copy NOW

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Paul knew how important film was and how it could change things for the team, and wanted the stereotype taken off them. So I felt like Paul was a good guy I wanted help.

Stuff got done, they took it serious you know. At the time Paul Obrien and Hyperlite, were fighting the general view that people had of them as ski jocks. When Paul got Scott to sign for Hyperlite that was really the turning point for them. Paul said to Scott “Help us shed this jock image”.

Transgression was the film that is closest to my heart. I wasn’t trying to prove anything I was able just to show wakeboarding and its beauty and just life. I tried to be a pure as I could. I didn’t want any kinda bullshit in it. I loved making All or nothing. I loved working with that group of guys because it was a small and a tight group. Paul O’Brien would be on the phone to the guys: “Ronns coming to town let’s get it done” – get ready.

Ronn, you’d started to produce films and become recognised for your style and determination. What sticks in your mind from back then?

could communicate how they wanted the world to view their values.

How things have changed. All you need today is a D5 or D7, and you’re as advanced as most filmmakers. Back in the day, it was a different story. Check out Ronn and the kit he had to hump around.

So, if you’re reading this and haven’t seen Ronn’s films, you really should get to it. If you want information on how to get hold of any of them drop me a mail Jason@hybridwake.com

Ronn thanks for chatting I know that we’ll be chatting again.

After we’d made the film, I remember Paul coming over and hugging me. That says it all, really.

The films had such an impact on the industry, riders and brands. Fans, wakeboarders and, well, anyone who wanted to get into wakeboarding anywhere in the world could see what the riders were throwing down. Films could now inspire a new generation of riders.

Making the film, I remember spending a lot of time with Shaun Murry six weeks at a time staying at his house we wanted to get some great stuff from him. Then it was over to Parks, who wanted to be number one, so it was about making it happen, always working to get the best on sections. Films became so much more than just sections for the riders. This became even more apparent when we headed over to Japan, where getting of the bus, the guys got mobbed the guys were mobbed by the fans.

Shooting wakeboarding seems pretty easy, right? Kicking back on the bank, riding shotgun in your buddy’s boat. Brew in one hand, DSLR in the other, killing it. Pretty much living the dream. Well, you would be if you were the only photographer to step foot on your local cable, but to tell the truth, you’ll be one of about 1000 people shooting that one roof top, slider, kicker...you name it, the shot’s been done. So the question is, how can you make sure your shot is more aesthetically pleasing than the last chump to ﬁre a few frames at that kicker? Composition. What is composition? Well, composition is arranging the way objects, subjects and various other things are laid out within the frame. These create an image that will attract a viewer. Not only is it used to attract the viewer, it also keeps them interested in what is happening in the shot. There are a few ‘rules’ to follow to gain great composition. For example, say if you were looking to shoot a subject hitting a massive fun box. You’ve already concluded the two important aspects of the image: the rider and the obstacle. But how do you achieve the composition needed to produce a killer shot? Use a system called the Rules of Thirds. You split your frame into 9 equal segments, and you frame the subject so he should appear either on the lines or where they intersect each other. For example, in this shot here, we have the obstacle and rider all in shot. I’ve framed my shot so that the obstacle trails out of the shot and the rider appears on the top right of the frame, exposing exactly where the lines intersect each other, thus creating a perfect Rules of Thirds shot. Even if you are shooting something as simple as a portrait, you still want to follow the same rules. As you can see in this image, not only is the important part of the photo where the lines intersect, but the subject’s torso is also following the lines up to that intersection, therefore creating a powerful Rule of Thirds.

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Once you’ve sussed out how to use the Rule of Thirds, it’s time to throw in some more of these composition ‘rules’. The next rule, which will help you achieve the most eye-pleasing shot, is the rule of Power Lines. This is something that you’ll find easiest when shooting rails. Power Lines are lines in the photo that draw the attention of the viewer to its subject: the stronger the power lines, the stronger the image. As you can see, using the power lines rule when photographing rails is the easiest way to achieve a photo that will attract the viewer to its subject. The best thing about rails is that your subject will more than likely be in contact with that rail throughout their given trick, so your subject will always intersect the power line created by the rail, therefore bringing your viewer’s eye to the subject. The one aspect that will make your shot much better than anyone else’s is your point of view. If you’re shooting at the dock, then your point of view is just the same as everyone else’s, which is boring. You want to get a viewpoint different from what everyone else sees. One way of achieving this is by scouting the bank to see if you can find an alternative shooting point. Try and use objects around you to make your shot more interesting. Another way to make your shot more interesting is by shooting your subject with an interesting background, although being able to choose your background isn’t usually something you’ll be in control of, unless your subject is riding boat, or even better, riding using a winch. But the choice of background is usually the reason for most shoots. Always looking for a decent location is probably the most important part of any of these rules. The one rule you should always remember: rules are there to be broken. So experiment with them. They are only there as a guideline to help us catch that money shot.

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Chasing The Cover Nightmare on winch street With Jonty Green

Not impressed

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Behind the Scenes

Nothing is certain in this world, and everything can change from one minute to the next. We experienced this many times whilst shooting for the first cover of Hybrid. It was a long journey of failed spots, broken winches and freezing waters. Our decision on the cover had been made simple by having Jonty Green as our featured interview of Issue 1. Jonty had a spot picked out that he was super keen to hit, as he had lived for a couple of years overlooking it. A series of drainage pools, separated by brick and dirt; his idea was to create a small kicker on the one side and gap from one pool to another. The walls are 6-8 feet tall depending on water levels, with a solid 15-foot gap before the water returns, albeit shallow until the gradient of the bank takes over and the pools deepen out to around waist-deep.

Pre-fab kicker

With the spot scoped out and a clear idea of how it could be tackled, it was time to find the necessary ingredients to make it work. Some plastic, some wood, some power tools and a bit of effort and we were on…or so we thought. LWP had kindly donated an old kicker for us to do with what we desired, and so the first task was to recover it and dismantle it. Towing a kicker with a rescue boat in freezing temperatures was no mean feat, yet nothing to actually retrieving the plastic that was so well-attached to the frame of the kicker that it would probably survive a nuclear holocaust. With some brute force and perseverance, the plastic was ours. Next up was the framework to launch Jonty over the wall. Having limited resources to hand on a Tuesday evening, we managed to acquire enough wood to make the frame. Add in to the mix a few mates The deadly wall climb

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and some time spent discussing how we would be able to transport the framework and plastic to a highly visible spot, it was challenging but achievable. Cut to 5:30am and the spot was a go. Hurling tools, a huge sheet of plastic, the winch and people over a spiked fence on a busy main road, it was more like a scene from a squattersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rights movement than a wakeboard shoot, but nevertheless, we were in and things were looking good. Staking in the kicker and mounting the plastic all went ahead with no real issues, and it was very quickly time to try it out. Line out, winch warmed up, and Jonty in his boots and ready to go... The winch revs up and Jonty starts heading towards the booter with nowhere near enough speed. He still takes an edge at it and tries to make it over. He just clears the wall Try again

and lands in the shallows amongst bricks and dirt. Not put off by a slow pull and believing that the winch would this time rev out as it should, he had another dig. Same result. We had been let down but not defeated. Returning our borrowed winch and retreating to the pub for a chat with Jonty and a regroup on what our next plans were to be, with empty memory cards, something had to be worked out. After some discussion, it was decided that we would call it off and return in a few days when the weather was warmer and take it on once again. Take two: one serviced winch and another bright and early start, and we were looking good for achieving our goal. A relatively easy entry second time round, and once again, the thought of victory was in our minds. Winch mounted, Cold winters night

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Behind the Scenes

Jonty ready to take on his nemesis

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Behind the Scenes

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Coxesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Lock gate

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Behind the Scenes Behind the Scenes

line out, engine warm and revving, green light. Jonty takes a big edge into the kicker, one meter from wall… the line snaps, catapulting Jonty onto the kicker at full speed and into the air upside down. Not cool. The Gods were with us and Jonty: he cleared danger zone and came up laughing. “Let’s try that again”...we did...BANG, same result. End game. We had nearly killed our rider a few times, so once more it was back to the drawing board. With some scouting and research, we found a sweet lock that was within a reasonable distance. After checking out the drop and run out section, it was no dice once again. More searching...it takes a lot to find suitable spots to hit with a winch especially a dodgy one. Some spots are too big, too small, too much water, not enough water, no features, too crowded, the list goes on. After some time, we discovered a canal lock that fitted the bill. Now with nothing to The river folk disturb the line to cause a snag or break, we were sure things were going to come together. Once again, line issues were at hand to ruin our plans. Jonty, as always, was keen to try and make the most of the problem; tried to hit our selected feature while travelling at less than 10mph. Seeing another nasty stack and another failed attempt to get the shot, another battle had been lost and a third day would be needed to make it happen. Not willing to put anyone else in danger, and not waste more time, we needed a new winch. In a lucky twist of fate, Red Bull had just commissioned a new rig from The Wench winches…it was time to commandeer their delivery. The winch was delivered next day, and things were finally taking shape. Within 10 minutes of our final return to Coxes’ Lock, we had the shot, front board on the lock arm of the weir. We hope you agree it was worth it. Jonty getting to grips with the lock gate

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Something Different Hybrid Fashion Shoot Wyboston Golf Course

The crew

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Behind the the Scenes Scenes Behind

Planning photo shoots in the UK can be a difficult thing. First, because you have to deal with the weather only ever being guaranteed to be changeable at best. The second major issue is that you have to deal with wakeboarders, a notoriously unreliable and hedonistic group as a whole. With that in mind, Hybrid took on the challenge of creating a photo shoot where not only were there more than a couple of riders involved, there were a whole bunch of them. Add to that an outdoor shoot in what is turning out to be the coldest spring in 50 years. Throw into the mix a completely different type of shoot than any of the riders had ever experienced before, and you have yourself the Hybrid Fashion day. Meeting in the boardroom Bring together brands and riders from all over to a golf course near Milton Keynes, Wyboston Lakes, and you have yourself a merry little mix of golf and wakeboard. Showcasing brands to the public, it was our aim to show you some of the brands you know and some of the ones you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. After simply answering a Facebook post, those involved had little or no idea what they were to expect from a day out with the Hybrid crew. Rain, wind, snow and freezing temperatures greeted us as we arrived at Wyboston...not your ideal weather conditions for a day in the elements. This Quick warm-up

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Decisions, decisions...

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Behind the the Scenes Scenes Behind

Brogues on deck

Bunker play

Quadruple-decker

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was expected, nonetheless, and we were well aware of the animal we were dealing with. Our whole concept around the shoot stood with being different and being British ie. it’s cold, grey and rainy quite a bit here. We don’t live in sunnier climes where blue skies and no clouds are expected. It’s not a treat. It’s about being British and getting on with it, taking the weather in your stride and making the most of each opportunity. We luckily didn’t need any of the pep talk to keep people outside as the weather broke, and the liquid and frozen sunshine stopped before we started. Seeing a group of riders away from the lake and in unfamiliar territory for some (a golf course) was amusing in Maxi taxi

On the road again

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Behind the Scenes Behind the Scenes

“Don’t worry, you won’t get wet”

itself. We were obviously not there for a sales meeting, like some of the people we were sharing the course with. Some of the members probably felt more uncomfortable than the models when they caught a glimpse of girls in bikinis chipping out pf bunkers or skateboarders rolling through the first tee. With a day on the course, it’s hard to say that it was anything but fun; tiring maybe, but the upshot of it all was that we did get to see some of the new 2013 apparel, try

out some killer golf clubs and shoes, cruise around in golf buggies all day, see some of the boys ollieing over kayaks and SUPs in a battle of who didn’t want to get wet while on the boards, and more. One thing is for sure; we will be taking our alternative fashion and apparel showcases to different locations and unique venues throughout the year. If you want in, keep an eye on the Hybrid Facebook page and we will keep you informed.

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STOP 2: MAY 4TH

Liquid Wake Park The Henshaw Another of the most progressive obstacles on the tour, with so many ways to hit this monster, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surely going to provide us with some entertaining crashes and a whole lot of sick riding. With multiple transfer options, the Henshaw will surely be one of the standout obstacles of the tour.

Stop 3: June 1st WMSki

T coun to b t

Kickers Moving away from just rail-based obstacles, the kickers at WMSki are perfectly set for some big spins. We have seen lots of 9s go down off these bad boys, will we see a 10 at the Hot Spot? Or the infamous double flip?

With th shou With

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STOP 1: APRIL 20TH Just Wake the quarter pipe Kicking off the tour in style at Just Wake in Tattershall, the Hot Spot’s first stop will be a best line competition, including the formidable quarter pipe used in last year’s Harbour Reach. The other varied obstacles in the run will ensure that riders are using all their skills to challenge for the Hot Spot victory.

Stop 4: June 29th Festival Wake Park Air Tricks

The Hybrid Hot Spot series is going to be an all-round, allcountry festival of wake. The format for the jam sessions is going to be progressive and encouraging riders of all abilities to push themselves on obstacles they know, and some they don’t.

This stop will be focused solely on air tricks. We will be nominating the motor tower at the highest cable in the country to be our Hot Spot in Basvegas. Riding cable is not just about trying to be a ‘rail rider’ it also has the massive benefit of tension ie. you can fly all on your own, too.

With the inclusion of more varied spots and obstacles, the entire tour should prove to be a challenge for even the most seasoned riders. With industry support throughout the tour, riders will be able to come and shred in the Hot Spot and at the same time, test out some new gear, winner.

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6 Stop 6: August 10th Box End Park C-Rail Another unique rail for the tour, the C-rail is a challenging rail to take on for most riders, and will definitely deliver some interesting stacks. At the same time, getting this rail right is one of the most satisfying and visually pleasing rails to watch on the tour.

Stop 7: August 24th JB Ski Bishopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Move One of the oldest rails in the UK and still one of the most fun. With options to ollie into the dip, spin off the top, flip off the top...the list goes on. The obstacle formerly known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the Spriteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is a winner and a favourite in the hearts of many older riders who have known this rail since its birth.

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Stop 5: July 20th Liverpool Wake Park Best Line This highly anticipated stop will be at the home of System 2.0 in the UK, Industry Wakeparksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; very own spot is sure to deliver something very special. The crew at Industry will be developing something special for the fifth stop of the tour - watch this space!

Stop 8: September 28th Hannamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wake Hub Pool Gap The final stop of the tour...big things are coming out of HWH this year, and we are going to see the park develop yet further, with the addition of a pool gap as a venue for the Hot Spot final! We will be inviting successful riders from the series to compete head-to-head on this new setup in Cambridge! Every rider that attends a Hot Spot will qualify, with the top riders from each spot being selected to go head-to-head for the tour final.

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Trick Tips Toeside Backside 180 James Harrington

Then, as you land, prepare to take the impact by bending your knees. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t land with straight legs! Try to keep your shoulders over the board, and ride away on your heel edge, nice and steezy!

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As you can feel yourself coming around to complete the 180, you want to be ready for the landing, keeping the handle in tight to your body, so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get pulled out the front.

When you have got the handle by your butt, reach behind your back with your back hand. Once you can feel the handle in your other hand, pull hard with the new hand. This will bring it in towards your body, helping with the rotation.

When you are about to hit the start of the kicker, come off your edge and flatten off so the board is flat as you hit the kicker. Otherwise, when you hit the kicker, you will slip out and end up doing a front flip without your deck.

After flattening off your edge and approaching the top of the kicker, pull the handle in tight towards your butt. That way, when you go to pass the handle, it will be easy to grab. Now drop your back hand off the handle, ready for the handle pass.

Approach the kicker with two hands on the handle, or with just your front hand on whichever feels more comfortable. Either approach will work, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just personal preference as to which one you will prefer and find easier.

As you are edging into the kicker on your toeside edge, make sure you keep the handle low and tucked into your leading hip while keeping your chest up.

Watch this trick on your smartphone

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Trick Tips Frontside 540

Tommy Goatman

Approach the kicker with two hands on the handle. To avoid having too much tension on the line, make sure youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not going too fast. Try to hold a straight line all the way into the kicker, and avoid flatening off too early.

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As you push off the lip of the kicker, pull the handle hard with both hands across your body towards your back hip.

Let go of the handle with your front hand and twist it down and pull it into the small of your back. Make sure that you keep the handle close to your waist throughout the trick.

Reach around for the handle and pass it into your other hand. As soon as you pass it over, keep pulling to maintain the spin.

Now push your front hip up to the handle and bend your knees ready to land. Edge away from the trick on your toes to prevent you from slipping out.

After you have spun 360, bring the handle back across your front to make the final pass and complete the full rotation.

Watch this trick on your smartphone

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Trick Tips Roll to Revert Tom Haley

Take a smooth and progressive edge away from the wake, ensuring that you flatten off with the handle nice and tight to your lead hip. Keep your elbows tucked in a little to help control the handle through the trick.

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As you begin your edge, make sure you are building your edge progressively; donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t try and get on the gas too early. A progressive edge will help you maintain line tension and give you the right release off the wake for the back roll.

Initiate the trick just like you would for a regular back roll, really concentrating on holding the edge all the way through the top of the wake and into the air.

Keep two hands on the handle for longer than you think - until you can spot your landing, you should have both hands on to make sure you control your body position in the air.

As always, it is really important to suck up the landing with your knees and edge away from the trick on your toes, just like the basic heelside 180.

When you have spotted the landing, take your lead hand off and move the handle across your body and towards you back butt cheek: this will will rotate you 180 and put you in position to land on your switch toe edge.

Watch this trick on your smartphone

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Freeze Frame - Ben Hitch

Getting corked with this wrapped tail grab 540 hybridwake.com 177

Fail

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21/03/2013 19:14