Hybrid Wake Magazine Issue 7 by Hybrid Wake Mag

ISSUE 07

dom lagace | el gouna | Bob soven | UK skate | king of greens

LITE YEARS

AHEAD COLLIN HARRINGTON | SLASHER COMP VEST

NEW EXCLUSIVE TECHNOLOGY

NY TROL ITE FOAM

MORE BUOYANCY LIGHTWEIGHT LESS WATER ABSORPTION BET TER IMPACT PROTECTION

RIDE LIGHTER > RIDE LONGER E XCLU SI V E N Y TROLI TE I S AVAILABLE IN T HE: R EV ENGE, C H EC K MAT E, GOOR U AND SL ASH ER COMP VE S TS

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RAPH DEROME / ‘14 RAPH

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2 3 LIQUID LEISURE, HORTON ROAD, DATCHET, BERKSHIRE, UK, SL3 9HY

1 TOM FOOSHEE KICKER

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7 DOUBLE BASE FUN BOX

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9 LONG FLAT BAR

ENTR 14 POOL GAP 13 MEDIUM KICKER ANC

15 SMALL KICKER

THE UK’S PREMIER WAKE PARK JUST GOT BETTER... NOW WITH 17 UNIT FEATURES

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4 2 LEVEL INCLINE

5 MEDIUM KICKER

10 TRANSITION RAIL

11 FLAT BOX

16 HENSHAW

17 QUARTER PIPE

6 TRANSITION BOX

12 PIPE LONG

e m o c l e W

We are Hybrid: Andrew Eddy, Editor eddy@hybridwakemag.com Richie Hiney, Creative Director richie@hybridwakemag.com Russell Cahill-Smith, Marketing russell@hybridwakemag.com Fiona Bray, Marketing fee@hybridwakemag.com Jake Lewis, Web Content Manager jake@hybridwakemag.com Sam Newton, Social Media sam@hybridwakemag.com

North Devon prepares to add itself to the growing list of UK wake parks

The Diversity of Wake Welcome to Issue 7 of Hybrid Wake Mag! Looking back over the last month of travel and adventure for this issue, it has been a varied and interesting ride. We ventured to Egypt and the El Gouna cable park (page 70) to check out one of the few spots around that have both a left and a right foot cable on the same site. From there our journey took us to Barcelona to catch a few minutes with Bob Soven (page 30) and friends as they passed through the Spanish city on a road trip that was headed to FISE. We got to shoot him at one of Barcelona’s newest parks - OCP on their first year anniversary competition. While we didn’t get much time with the busy auburn warrior of wake, but what time we did have was insightful. Meeting someone who is at the heart of progression and striving to make things better for the industry as a whole was interesting, his words were considered and full of drive for everyone involved in the sport. Our month then took a swerve into an international Action Sports golf tournament, in the form of King of Greens. This is Oakley’s worldwide golf tournament that brings together athletes from all sports such as snowboarders, kiteboarders, wakeboarders, BASE jumpers, windsurfers, skateboarders and many more. Meeting athletes from other disciplines and teeing off against a European Tour Pro were some of the highlights you will find from page 48. In contrast, the next adventure took us to Cambrigeshire and the Hannam’s Wake Hub where we caught up with some of the UK’s wakeskating finest. Sessioning their pool gap with the newly installed System 2.0. It is with developments like this that we are seeing real progression, riders stepping up their abilities and skills with a truly unique setup. Wakeskating has long sought a home in the UK and for now it seems, it has found one. Check out their setup and if you’re up for a road trip, it’s well worth the drive, take a look for yourself from page 58 onwards. We’ve not only got some more new parks this month for you, including of course the already mentioned El Gouna, but this month we feature three parks in the UK that you might not know too much about. From the latest full cable setup in the UK in the New Forest, to North Devon with their very new pair of 2.0’s, and beyond to Shropshire where we meet Rydium, the newest manufacturer of linear cables. After four years in the making, the newly released cable system is designed and manufactured domestically, a first for UK production. Who would have thought a few years ago that the UK would have it’s own wakeboard, wakeskate and cable manufacturers? Of course we’ve had boat manufacturers for many years but the evolution and development of the sport has moved into new areas, ones it seems that the UK is happy to keep up with. It’s incredible when you take a step back in time to ThinTank, 2009 and the instalment of the first System 2.0. The community knew nothing of the capabilities of this type of setup, we are still pushing the boundaries of its limits today. Fast forward four years to today, and as of right now, there are five different types of linear cable operating in this country. Professional wake parks now litter the country, popping up in areas where wake was previously under represented or unknown. Gone are the days that you would need a three hour drive to go for a ride, most people are now within easy reach of a number of different parks - more parks, more riding, more people, more events, more wake. Can’t be a bad way to start off the summer. Enjoy the issue and enjoy the weather, until next time when we will be bringing you the second instalment of the Boat Project, a Hybrid Road Trip and much, much more! See you next month!

hybridwakemag.com

Michael Chinnery, Print & Digital Publishing michael@contractpublishinguk.co.uk Contract Publishing UK (CPUK) Ltd.

contributors: COVER: Bob Soven - Hector Urzaiz

Ten Minutes- Hector Urzaiz Dom Legace - Paul Buttle King of Greens - King of Greens, Jake Lewis Three Stage Jam - Andrew Eddy El Gouna - Andrew Eddy Behind the Lens - Hector Urzaiz Tom Bowles - Ian Trundell

Disclaimer: The activities and sports described and photographed in Hybrid Wake Magazine and all associated websites are performed by trained athletes. Attempting to recreate anything featured could result in serious injury or death. Hybrid Wake is not responsible for any injuries sustained by readers or equipment failures. Ensure you are safe and fit to ride before participating. Check local rules and laws before riding. Always wear a life jacket and a helmet! Hybrid Wake Magazine is published by Hybrid Wake Ltd. Company Registered in England and Wales Company Number: 8939051 Registered Office: 5 King Square, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 3YF Magazine ISSN 2052-076X

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D O N ’ T L E A V E M E H A N G I N ’

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100% Paulonia Wood Core Dyna 2 Base V Hull (V Shaped Hull) Get mild with the all new, Blanc / Mellow. Greg Wood and Scotty Green are hard on their boards and like to have some fun, that’s no secret, so when they come up with a concept for a board, you know sh*ts about to get REAL! The Mellow has all the features you need for park and natural terrain shredding. It’s designed to hold up to all kinds of abuse, while keeping its freeride DNA .Featuring DUP’s 100% Paulownia timber core, for the most responsive flex and superior durability. Stiff lay up through the centre with Strategic Flex zones through the Tip & Tail provide for a solid tracking edge and playful performance on rails. Combine this with the V Hull for added ollie power and soft landings and you have THE Ultimate Park and Jib machine. It also comes with ABS sidewalls, quad ABS fins and the widest stance options in the entire DUP range.

Quad ABS fins ABS Rails 3 Stage Rocker Strategic Flex Zones

The Blanc / Firm has all the features you need for park, boat and air style riders. Stiff enough to hold its shape behind the boat and aggressive cuts at the cable and designed to hold up to all kinds of abuse, while keeping its feel on rails. Featuring DUP’s 100% Paulownia timber core, for the most responsive flex and superior durability. Stiff lay up through the centre with stiffer Strategic Flex zones through the Tip & Tail than the Mellow to provide for a solid tracking edge and playful performance on rails. Combine this with the V Hull for added ollie power and soft landings and you have THE Ultimate Park and Jib machine. It also comes with ABS sidewalls, quad ABS fins and the widest stance options in the entire DUP range.

6” Insert Pattern The Blanc / Mellow. Born to be Mild.

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s t n e t n o C Features 28

On The Cover Ten Minutes with Bob Soven in Barcelona. 38 Dom inic lagace World wakesurfer tells all about surf. 48 king of greens Action Sports athletes take to the golf course. 58 three stage jam Sessions at the Hannam’s, featuring their new pool gap. 70 el gouna Wakeboarding finds a place in the Egyptian desert. 78 behind the lens Award winning photographer, Hector Urzaiz.

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New parks New spots and a new manufacturer from the UK.

Regulars 18

social media What’s hot and where to look to find what you want. Board bag Here’s our pick of all the random things you might need. introducing Sheffield’s up and comer, Tom Bowles. Limelight Action from all over Europe and a battle in this month’s gallery. stockists Locate your local supplier and more. fail Eurovision returns, but has Bon Jovi got what it takes?

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Inthsis isisdue e

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ten minutes with bob soven from Page 28 hybridwakemag.com 13

Inthsis isisdue e

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oakleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s king of greens from Page 44 hybridwakemag.com 15

Inthsis isisdue e

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the three stage jam from Page 62 hybridwakemag.com 17

a i d e M l Socia r social media

facebook

hts from ou s to like and ig l h ig h u o g bringing y out for, thin k o o l o t s g feeds; thin o! things to d

fb.com/North-Devon-Wake-Park

Newly opened in North Devon, these guys have installed two System 2.0’s, with one for skate and beginners and the other for wake and more advanced riders. Check out their page for more info.

@WMSKI

The WMSKI System 2.0 is up and running, with a selection of obstacles. The new location for the park is set on another adventure site which is open to all, the only cable in the Cotswolds.

fb.com/GrassrootsTour

The tour that has taken the scene by storm over the last two seasons, the GRT has just stepped it up by offering a large kicker as a prize for the highest ranked wake park team throughout their series. Their page has all the info, it’s well worth a look.

@HybridWakeMag

Yes, that’s right - you guessed it! Our very own Twitter account, follow us for the latest posts on our site and daily updates on all things wake.

fb.com/CastorWakeCrew

After featuring an edit from these crazy Frenchies, we had a look at them a bit further and they are putting out some great content. Worth a click and a watch if you haven’t seen it yet, head here or HybridWakeMag.com.

Don’t forget to check out and like our page: @NickDaviesWake

fb.com/hybridwakemag

The UK’s homegrown World champion and larger than life character shares his life through his social channels, be prepared for plenty of travel and weird Snapchats.

subscribe to hybrid wake today and win! for just £14.99 a year delivered to your door and the chance to win this awesome o’neill duo to keep you riding all summer long, no matter what the weather!

to subscribe and have a shot at the hyperfreak 2mm l/s and the slasher comp vest email: subscribe@hybridwakemag.com here’s the deal: subscription competition is open to new and existing subscribers, winner will be drawn at random and announced in issue 8. closing date for this competition is: July 9th 2014

a i d e M l Socia next

ture in the a e f d n ts a d e in your pos e get involv k a w id r b g #hy issue by usin

Looking for a date? not that kind of date. a wake date. not that kind either, a wake event date? Turn to page 22 or if you’re online go to: hybridwakemag.com/events

Instagram

ReedWatson

Dropping a back shuv down this weir in sunny Scotland. This was a #tbt to 2012 and an adventure based at Loch Lomond.

Ten Feet High Series: Stop 1

This is the round up of Sheffield Cable Waterski’s 10 Feet High competition in May. Ten Feet High which is always well supported returns on the 21st of this month, make sure to give it a watch.

HarleyClifford

A sweet paycheck for Harley as he banks $15,000 for winning brostock this year! Not a bad result by any means.

Lior at Anthem Wake Park

Here is another edit of Lior, this time at Anthem Wakepark in Thailand. A cool, fresh looking edit by Oskar Shanin featuring the infamous double half cab from flat, 317 and a 313 to blind!

DanielGranttt

Yes that is how you spell it. Winning FISE is among the highlights from DG’s feed, there’s plenty more where they come from!

hybridwake

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Kink Rail Concoctions

BOOM! Here we have four minutes of insane rail hits in the Backyard Rail Park. Check out this ghetto rail getting abused as Caleb “Murda” Fauntleroy, Cody Walker, Austin Price, Matt Clendenin and Andre Barrios take on this concoction of different rail setups.

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LEE DEBUSE CTi® Custom image ©copyright Paul Buttle

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g a B d r Boaessential toys More

gill waterproof back pack

Mystic Ammo twin bag jaybird bluebuds x

cti custom knee brace

swimseal

Here’s our selection of treats, toys and essentials for your board bag this month. With everything you need to stay on the water from a knee brace, to a swimmer’s ear blocker in case you are ever in some dodgy waters, to a board repair kit and board shorts. Lest we forget the item that makes this feature what it is, the board bag itself, which in fact turns into two bags! Beyond that we’ve got some premium headphones for you, and a changing mat, so next time you’re getting changed in a field you’ll not have to stand in the mud, plus you’ll get to listen to some tunes through these nifty bluetooth headphones! If that’s not enough, you’ll be able to pack away your wet kit in the foldable mat, while you retrieve your dry kit from the sealable waterproof bag. Boom!

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jetty holyoke and rummer

in1case multi-tool iphone case

phix doctor epoxy repair kit

northcore changing mat

hybridwakemag.com 25

g a B d r Boaessential toys More

phix doctor epoxy repair kit 2:1 Epoxy Repair kit introduces the highest bio-content epoxy resin available anywhere. phixdoctor.net

swimseal SwimSeal ear drops are a unique product developed to prevent water related ear problems and common ear infections, such as wakeboarder’s ear. swimseal.com

ossur cti knee brace

The CTi is the only ligament knee brace that captures the tibia, locking down securely on the tibial crest. The rigid upper and lower arms combine with the hinges, condyle pads and straps to properly align the knee joint and provide an accuratelytracking exoskeletal support. ctikneebraces.co.uk

Mystic Ammo twin bag The Ammo Twin bag is designed to fool check-in agents around the world, and save us all some cash in the process. The idea being you go and check in the main section of the bag, they will say take it to oversized luggage but will give you all your tags, then you hook up with your mate holding the other half of the back, zip it back on, and take it to oversize, smile at the person checking it and wave goodbye to excess baggage charges! As for the bag itself, its super useful for organising your kit, two individual bags that zip together, multiple internal pockets and sections, so its perfect for that big trip! mysticboarding.com

gill waterproof back pack The Waterproof Backpack made from a puncture resistant waterproof fabric offers 20 litres of fully waterproof storage with an adjustable roll-top closure. Designed to keep your kit dry even when it’s sat on a wet dock or to keep your wet kit contained. gillmarine.com

jaybird bluebuds x These are the smallest Bluetooth headphones available, yet they pack anincredible 8 hours of play time, double that which has previously been possible from a product this small. Enjoy a full day of music and calls, or work out an hour a day for an entire week on a single charge. jaybirdsport.com

jetty holyoke and rummer

2-way stretch, Jetty rock dobby board short with a 21” outseam. Ultra comfortable, anti-chafe fabric and custom embelishments. jettylife.com

in1case multi-tool iphone case The in 1 for iPhone 5 combines a sleek design with functional multi tools in one case. The in 1 protects your iphone while also offering a useful tool-set and stand. in1case.com

northcore changing mat This tough, waterproof bag folds out into a flat 1m diameter changing mat you can stand on to whilst getting changed. It’s perfect for getting out of wetsuits. Just throw all the wet gear into the bag, pull up the drawstrings and it’s packed neatly away. northcore-europe.com

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ten minutes

With...

Bob Soven

Bob Soven took a road trip with Shaun Murray and Reed Hansen, from Barcelona to Montpellier and the FISE. We got chance to have a quick chat with Bob in between him judging a competition, a couple of display rides and him just arriving off a long haul flight. Against the odds, he was in good spirits, incredibly enigmatic and displayed some of the craziest creativity that you might be lucky enough to witness. on the water. He is an artist. 28 hybridwakemag.com

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Bob Soven

Bob, we’re here in Spain – what brings you to Europe and Barcelona in particular? We’re actually out here on a Fox Team trip with myself, Shaun Murray, Reed Hansen, Ian Reid (photographer), Todd Hanks our manager and Ellie Norman from Marketing over here. So we’ve got a solid presence, then it won’t be long before we leave Barcelona for Montpellier for the FISE event so we’re just making our rounds! You’ve come back to OCP for the second year. Obviously you can see the park is a bit more established. How do you think wakeboarding is doing generally - you can see growth here, but generally in America and elsewhere? It’s definitely still building momentum – every park that pops up brings riders into our sport which means another two hundred fans, two hundred riders, so I think cable the cable has been great for the sport, it still continues to grow, so as I see it, we have a bright future. Do you think the sport is now leaning towards park riding – away from boat where we were five to ten years ago or do you think that is still going to be a large part of the future? I think boat riding will always remain you know - it’s the staple of the industry. The park is crucial for diversifying ‘cos you know there’s only so much you can do on a wakeboard - so it’s great. I love riding them and both equally ‘cos I can challenge myself both ways: if you get tired of one you go to another and vice versa. I believe that people will do it for fun the same way I think I do, riding park and boat. Having lots of the same style of obstacles is great for people to learn with and good to get into the sport, but do you think it is something we should

ten minutes

There’s more than one way to hit a kicker, or not hit one 30 hybridwakemag.com

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Gap to front board tail, riding deep in the French south

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I risked breaking pretty much everything in the lower half of my body. I had a blastâ&#x20AC;? 32 hybridwakemag.com

hector

ten minutes

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hector Huge transfer at this year’s FISE in Montpellier

see at every cable park, or do you think it needs something a little different? No, it’s definitely better when you go to a cable park and there’s an obstacle you haven’t hit before. I definitely think the parks need to focus on diversifying the rails. You still want to have a skinny flat bar, a transfer box, but then you can throw an obstacle that’s unique to your park. It’s hard to re-invent the wheel, so that’s why it’s our job as the younger generation to constantly be innovative with rail designs...so we’ll see how we go. Hopefully we stay on the right path!

Yeah, I’ll be travelling a ton still – you know with all the events, contests so that is kinda at the forefront. I’ve been working with Liquid Force on something. It’s a slow project – you’re looking at the Spring of 2015, maybe Fall of 2015. That’s gonna be my big project for the winter so I’m looking forward to that. Is that like a team thing or is that more specific to yourself?

We saw you earlier edge out around a kicker and then cut back inside to catch the handle, something totally different. What was that about?

No, it’s a team thing, but just for the younger guys. Kinda keeping it like a tighter group, save using everybody. Raph Derome will be in it, Daniel Grant, Harley Clifford and myself will be the main four. It’s a pretty banger crew, so hopefully we can do stuff that’ll blow minds!

That’s just a gimmick for the show! I don’t know – not everyone can relate to 9’s and mobe 5’s, stuff like that, but you chuck the handle and get back to it - everyone’s going to enjoy that...Actually that is the first time I have done it successfully!

What’s left for you to build yet that you haven’t built? Is there anything in your mind you thought ‘I want to do that’– you obviously don’t want to give too much away, but is there anything you’ve seen and thought ‘that’s amazing’?

Awesome. What sort of projects have you got coming up – anything you can talk about that you are working on for this year?

I wish I that I just had like this play book in my head of rails, but honestly it comes to me, and then we make it happen. I think that’s the best way to do it - not to over dwell on it ‘cos then

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you are thinking of just crap, but when it just snaps to you, that’s when you have the most unique stuff. At times you wait for it to click, and then go for it. What’s your favourite setup you’ve hit so far? I built that fifty foot long incline rail, single track, eight by eight, down landing – that was the most dangerous thing that I’ve ever done on a wakeboard for sure. I risked breaking pretty much everything in the lower half of my body. I had a blast on that, just on how unique and challenging it was. It wasn’t perfect, there’s a serious risk. So, between that and bigger setups that are more fun with landing ramps, training is sweet. How was it hitting that massive incline – was it something you had time to practice or was it kind of hit and miss like ‘oh this should work’? We built it steeper than we thought and so we had to bring it down a little, but it still ended up being a four metre high drop at the end. So then the gap had to be about fifteen metres, so I hit it a couple of times and marked, or just eyballed it where I landed. Then my buddy Aaron was in

Edge out, decide to go around the kicker, throw the handle, catch the handle, ride away. Simple, right?

Bob Soven

ten

“Consequences are a lot higher when you get into that, so you gotta be well tuned”

minutes

Stretching out for the judging with Murray and Hansen

the water, swimming it, I would tell him left or right - like it wasn’t just the distance, but left and right ‘cos you had some swing on the System 2.0, yeah I’d go blind on to it. There was a couple of half on, half off. If I came up short, I’d be done! That’s pretty serious! What do you think about the landing ramps – do you think it is something we are going to see more of? Yeah, we can’t go much higher landing flat, so you have to put transition in to go up more, so I definitely see it being huge moving forward ‘cos it’s the only way we can keep pushing forward. Yeah, consequences are a lot higher when you get into that, so you gotta be well tuned! Are there any setups out there, any parks that catch your eye that makes you think that’s a park I wanna hit – let’s go there or is it something like I wanna build this at home? Yeah, I mean like, BSR have just put in a flat bar that I’m looking forward to hitting. I think it’s a long six inch wide tube – seventy feet long or something so I’m looking forward to hitting that. I mean most of the time when it comes to rails, I just think of it and build it myself.

As you’ve progressed in the scene, and growing along with your family coming through too, what do you think the next generation of riders is going to bring to the table? It’s like with every sport you know. When I was growing up nobody was doing 900’s, so like, that wasn’t necessarily a possibility yet. But then when I was 10 or 12, the first 900 was landed, so from twelve years old I was exposed to that. Whereas kids now at five years old are exposed to 1080’s and double flips, so they are around now, where the possibilities are already so much larger, they are going to push past that ‘cos that’s possible. I think that when they are exposed to that level at such a young age, that’s what makes them better, so a 900 is not hard to them. I see that being a big factor in the future, it’s the fact that they are ready to go further. I guess in your household that would probably be quite a high bar to raise already! Yeah, family of wake – seen it all!

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Backside 5 tail jib on the pipe at OCP, Barcelona 36 hybridwakemag.com

Bob ten Soven

minutes

“Learn new stuff on your wakeboard, that’s the funnest thing.” Want to tell us about WakeBrothers? Yeah, that was a four month experience – aired twelve episodes and I think it was good for the sport to get some mainstream recognition. I wasn’t too upset when it didn’t go a second season – I was ready to get back to my “job”, travel and wakeboard, focus on my riding and getting people into the sport. I found it was good to do, but not good to do forever. Did you feel it was quite intrusive? Yeah, totally it consumed my life – twelve hours a day, six days a week for three months, so you lose your mind pretty fast! No doubt – certainly the scene has been exposed to the general public. Have you had people come up to you in the street and say ‘Hey, you’re that WakeBrother’? Yeah, there’s definitely been that side of it – I mean the red hair sticks out so I am pretty recognisable when it comes to that, but yeah there is definitely some mainstream recognition that came from that so it’s good for that.

What do you think is next for you – how would you like to see your next five years pan out? I mean, honestly, just keep pushing the sport and, more importantly, growing it. Getting more people into it so that the next generation has a bigger platform to show themselves from. I think that’s the biggest push – growing the sport, pushing it. I think we have a good base right now – everyone’s on the same page which is unified, like in the industry we all know where we want to push it, so that’s good. Any parting quotes or anything you want to share with us? Learn new stuff on your wakeboard, that’s the funnest thing. It doesn’t have to be the hardest thing, it just has to be new.

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Wakesurfing with:

Dominic Lagace

One of the biggest names in the wakesurf world travels to the UK to do some coaching, while continuing to spread the good word about this rapidly growing sport.

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Dom coaching at LDB Wakeschool 40 hybridwakemag.com

Wakesurfing with:

Dominic Lagace

Dom, what brings you to England? What brings me to England? I came here with one of my friends who’s really into wakesurfing and I have been coaching her for the last five years. She lives here in the UK and she just wanted to push the sport – that’s why I came here to coach her and at the same time try to bring new people to wakesurfing while trying to start and develop the sport in the UK. So how long have you been coaching wakesurfing? I have been riding for about ten years, but I have a wake school back in Canada called HI-5 where I used to coach wakeboarding. Since I started wakesurfing more and more people have started wakesurfing and I have been coaching since then. Is your time completely dedicated to that or do you still have any wakeboarding going on? Right now my school is pretty much 95% wakesurfing now. We used to only do wakeboarding and now it has changed all around, now it’s mostly wakesurfing. So what brought you into wakesurfing originally? I don’t know – I was a wakeboarder and I used to travel lots and I first started surfing in the ocean. One day, a rep came to S3 Board Shop and said ‘There’s a new sport and a new board type, it’s called wakesurfing’. We didn’t know anything about it - how to set up the boat, we didn’t

know the speed. There were no videos on the internet or anything. We just decided to try it. In the beginning it wasn’t working very well as we didn’t have the proper setup, but we figured it out. After a few weeks, we let go of the rope. The feeling was so good and we had so much fun! It was then that we decided to do it more and more. One day it really became its own sport and we were a bunch of riders who really wanted to push it. I was already doing it – I just decided to push it more and more and so I started doing competitions and things like that, and it went great for me! Obviously you have seen it grow from the very beginning, but how do you think it is going to grow over the next ten years? Yeah, it’s growing every year, everywhere. Like here in England. So far it’s still brand new to many people. If you go to Canada, the USA, France, Switzerland or Russia it’s pretty big in all those countries. There are a lot of contests – there are not enough weekends for me to do all of them! Every year there are World Championships and it’s getting pretty big. Now the boat companies consider the sport when they build their boats. They try to create the best surf wake for wakesurfing. A lot of board companies now make boards especially for wakesurfers. With a lot of people getting involved with it – it’s growing a lot, and fast. I don’t think it’s going to stop anytime soon – it’s a sport for everybody: from four year old kids, to seventy year old grandpas all can do it! It’s good for families because if you buy your boat just for your son to wakeboard, you need a lot of money, but if you buy your boat for the whole family; your daughter, your wife, yourself - it’s a lot better value for money. It just brings the whole family together and that is what families are looking for – an activity to be doing together. It’s certainly great for that – lots of fun for sure. What do you think is going to be the most influential part of the growth of it – do you think it’s the boats, the boards or is it just the fact that people need to get out and try it? The growth is going to come for different reasons. It’s so much fun in getting people together and there’s no injury. You can try so many things and you are never going to get hurt. Most people have to work on Monday. They hybridwakemag.com 41

Wakesurfing with:

Dominic Lagace

Yep, that’s insane. Dom showing us the true progression of surf, backside bigspin

can go all day and have fun with their friends, but they are still going to work on Monday! That’s one of the main reasons a lot of wakeboarders switch, because of injury and stuff like that – it’s a low impact sport and the feeling is just so good! It is just so good when you let go of the rope and you feel the wave pushing you, you feel FREE! It’s so good, and now more and more people are pushing it. There are so many tricks we can do now. People don’t even think we can do half of it – now there’s a challenge as there are so many tricks. What’s the latest developments – where has the progression been? Is it in the types of tricks being landed? What sort of things are going down? Ten years ago I didn’t even know a 360 was possible! Now we do 1080 and more. We do similar tricks as skateboarding and ocean surfing - I am sure it’s not done. We have the flips coming out. It hasn’t got out yet in a contest, but I did one last year on a practice day. I’m sure this year again, but it will bring be a new world opening for new tricks. 42 hybridwakemag.com

We will have more possibilities and more people gonna want to try. You said you landed a flip? Yes! Last year I landed it! Wow!! That’s pretty solid – nice! So the flip and variations are probably more the freestyle element of the sport, but what about the bigger waves and surfing all the way back and being able to link turns – is that something that is going to be growing do you think? It depends on the wave, but the boat companies are working on creating a bigger wave, and a different system to help out with wakesurfing. Right now in wakesurfing there are two styles of riding.with two different type of boards – one more like surfing in the ocean and one more like a skimboard on the beach. The skim style is more for skateboard tricks, all kinds of shuvits and spins, then the surf style which is all the tricks that they do in the ocean. They do some big aerials, air 360, reverses etc. They do all the tricks you can see in the ocean.

Rail grabs and smiles all round for the Canadian hybridwakemag.com 43

Wow that is crazy! What sort of size boards are the two different styles of boards? What sizes are people looking at if they are looking at doing one or the other? Different for everybody – a bigger, slower board is better for beginners. it depends a little bit on your background. If you have been skateboarding and all that I would suggest you go towards skim style, but if the guy is a surfer in the ocean I would suggest they go towards the surf-style board because it’s more similar. You have to feel your board. You know, it’s up to you which one you choose. Go out there – try both of them and after choose the one you wanna ride – just do it! Are you seeing new pockets of wakesurfers popping up with your travels and coaching? Like you say, it’s not that big in the U.K., but we had our first Nationals last year so it starting to be noticed, but do you see other countries outside of America and Canada really latching onto it? Yeah, wakesurfing is huge in the places I mentioned earlier. It’s starting up in Spain now and it’s already a decent community in Germany. I just came to the UK two weeks ago and we brought a bunch of people into the sport in the week and now there are more and more people who want to do it. They want to organize one day of wakesurfing every week with LDB Wakeschool, so you can see people want to do it. Great to see – anything new behind a boat is good to see. Tell us a bit more about your background in the sport. Obviously, from ten years ago you started out, what’s been the journey outside your school?

I am from Canada and used to snowboard and all that. I started wakeboarding more than ten years ago. I started my wake school and a few years later after wakesurfing came in, it came into my life. I was already travelling a lot – I haven’t seen winter for more than fifteen years! At the beginning I was going to school and working at night. All summer I would travel and when I finished school, I started to travel all winter. I suppose doing the water sports, they became part of my travel. I travelled for surfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding and when I finally started, wakesurfing! I go and spend the Winter somewhere south - go and wakesurf more and more, or surfing. I still do that when I can too. I just spent six months in Mexico surfing every day, and now all summer I’m wakesurfing, coaching people and entering contests to try and promote the sport everywhere in the world. Last year I went to Indonesia and Thailand. Thailand for wakesurfing and Indonesia for surfing. I’m just trying to make it grow - show the people what we can do, and try to make the people like the sport. When do you think you will be next over here? Have you got some dates lined up so people can come and see you in England again? Probably next year – my summer this year is already fully booked. This weekend I am going to Switzerland for a contest. After that I am going back to Russia to do some more clinics there and of course, another contest. Then for the rest of the summer I will be in the U.S. and Canada for contests, clinics and all of that.

“You have to feel your board. You know, it’s up to you which one you choose. Go out there – try both of them, and after you choose the one you wanna ride – just do it!” 44 hybridwakemag.com

One of Domâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pupils, Alena Pishchulina pops some air hybridwakemag.com 45

Direct and close coaching make wakesurfing easy to learn

Wakesurfing with:

Dominic Lagace

What are the biggest competitions out there? Who is hosting them where are they coming from? The biggest competition is the World Wakesurf Championship (I finished 2nd in 2013). It’s held every year, at the end of September. It is one of the biggest contests of the year - last year it was in Las Vegas. It brings people from Europe, Canada, USA, Argentina, lots of different countries. People have to go to certain contests to qualify for the Worlds and when you qualify they invite you to go to the contest. You meet a lot of good riders from all around the world. Is there an independent federation?

Yeah, it’s more the boat companies, they are starting to push the sport a lot – Tige are doing a tour of five contests, The Endless Wave Tour. Boat companies want to push the sport and board manufacturers like Liquid Force. I have my own pro model board with them, the Doum Skim. That’s great! A solid introduction to yourself and to the sport which many people over here do not have much knowledge of. It’s a great sport and good to know it is beginning to make a bit more appearance in the world. Do you think it’s still appealing to regular surfers? I think that for a surfer in the ocean, if they want to work on some tricks, for example air reverse, they go behind the boat and try air reverse, air reverse and like they do it for an hour, for a day and then they go in the ocean and they can do it – it is just the different size of the waves. It’s a consistent wave isn’t it? Yes. You can practice and practice and you can have your coach right there in the boat, filming you, telling you what to do. Josh Kerr is one of the top surfers on the World Tour - he practices behind his Tigé. He goes out behind his boat and practices some tricks, then he goes to the ocean and repeats the same tricks.

There is a Wakesurf Federation (the CWSA)

Interesting stuff. Good to see it reaching beyond wakeboarders and into the wider world! Thanks for your time Dom, any parting words?

How have you seen the support change in terms of support for the riders and people like yourself in the sport?

Do it for fun or to compete, but always wear a life jacket! Now go try wakesurfing!

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Boosting out the wave with this shuv to indy hybridwakemag.com 47

Action Sports athletes from all over the World compete for the King Of Greens crown

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Snowboarder Sparrow Knox and freeskier Sven Kueenle make a different type of bunker shot hybridwakemag.com 49

On the 20th of May, athletes from all corners of action sports crossed clubs on the stunning Windlesham Golf course, for the Oakley King of Greens. At the end of a gruelling 18 holes and a nailbiting playoff, Scottish Olympic pipe rider Ben Kilner beat Tahitian big wave surfer Alain Riou with a one shot lead. At first sight it seems simple with golf: the one with the lowest handicap is the best player, needs the lowest amount of hits and wins. Makes sense. To have a more interesting scoring system the organisers chose the Stableford-System for the King of

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Greens. The player with the highest gross score wins. The less hits one needs on a hole the more points he gains (e.g. 2 hits below Par = 4 points). From two points above par on a player gets 0 points, but not all the hits will be taken into account. The Advantage of this system is that with a very badly played hole the player still has a chance to win. The player with the lowest handicap still has the best requirements to win, however doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get too far ahead of the other players or a badly played hole can be made up again. On a course unknown to all the players, this was the fairest and most exciting option.

Scotty Broome takes some time to tune up for the 18 ahead

Rafa welcomes the players to the course

Our team for the day: Sorsa, Broome, Eddy, Knox

Rafa and Scotty talk surfing

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;The international golf tournament for action sports athletesâ&#x20AC;?

Tom Knox on the range with his brother Sparrow looking on

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Scotty Broome drops one in for the camera

The typical English weather held off until the last hole on this great day, to give way for some nice golfing. In addition to playing a professional 18 holes tournament, competitors would have to play a surprise “Beat the Pro” contest on hole 14, against PGA European Tour golf pro Rafa Cabrera-Bello (ESP). Rafa would only be beaten by two action sports stars: Norwegian snowboard champion Gjermund Braaten and Belgian Cedric Dumont (and a certain magazine editor). The winner of the event qualified to play at Wentworth Golf Club in a Pro/Am event. For a perfect finish, Ben Kilner managed to win the Pro/Am of the BMW PGA Championship alongside Rafa CabreraBello the next day!

Once again King of Greens (presented by Nixon who put up a spectacular first prize) was as a great day for both golf and action sports, proving that the skills of the world’s most daring athletes are not limited to the mountains, waves and skies of their arenas. This year’s King of Greens was not only about the individual fame, but the battle of the disciplines was on! It was to find out if it’s the surfers, the skiers, the wakeboarders, the snowboarders or any other action sport that makes§ the best golfers. With only Scotty Broome to fly the flag for the wakeboarding community, we were underrepresented and had no hope of making the top spot with a minimum of two athletes needed to make the team. We tried to cajole Sam Light into the idea of being a wakeboarder for the day but his

European Pro, Rafa Cabrera-Bello tees off at Windlesham

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roots were firm. We joined Scotty in his plight to keep the flag flying for wake and ensure that he kept his shots on target throughout the round. Also in the group was snowboarding legend Heikki Sorsa, and UK skate master Tom Knox. While the course provided some real challenges, it was clear that wake could stand tall in an event like this, and with so many Pros playing the sport, we hope that next year we will be a better represented to give the sport the standing it deserves within the Action Sports forum. The best two scores of the participating athletes of each action sports were counted together and earned Team Snowboard with it’s two top scorers, the King of Greens winner Ben Kilner and 4th placed Konsti Schad sharing the victory. Together with their snowboard team mates Gjermund Bråten, Heikki Sorsa, Jamie Nicholls and Sparrow Knox they took home the Team Battle title for the best golfing action sport, making their peers super proud and the rest looking for revenge next year.

Being Australian Scotty felt at home in the sand

Liam Phillips, Olympic BMX, second from left

The Freeskiers had to suffer being beaten by only three point, with a strong team performance, scored by bronze crown winner PK Hunder and Tobi Tritscher , who came 7th in the individual ranking, and the moral support of Sven Kueenle. The Freeskiers proved once again their skills on the green and straightened out their ambitions for next year’s revenge. Team Skateboard came in 3rd , with the scores of Javier Sarmiento (5th) and Erik J Pettersson (8th) , supported by their team mates Alain Goikoetxea (this year’s net score winner) and Tom Knox. The skateboarders managed to block out the surfers from the podium, which made Alain Riou , big wave surfer and King of Greens 2014 runner up, to announce that he will come back next year not only to attack the King of Greens throne but to take home the Team Battle title for surfing! Seems like the recruiting for the King of Greens 2015 is already on!

Surfer Alain Riou who narrowly missed a win

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Tom Knox goes for the cup as Heikki plays caddy

Heikki taps one in on the Pro challenge hole

Sam Light representing for kiteboarding

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king of greens

Ben Kilner sinks the winning putt in the play-off

Results Oakley KING of GREENS 2014 The international golf tournament for action sports athletes MAY 20, 2014, London, Windlesham Golf Club

The overall podium with their putter trophies

Team Snowboard celebrate their win

Oakley KING of GREENS Ranking (Gross Score, Stableford) Ranking Name

Ben

Nationality

Kilner

GBR

Sport

Snowboard

Gross Points

23 Play Off: 5 Strokes

Alain

Riou

FRA

Surf

23 Play Off: 6 Strokes

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Hunder

NOR

Freeski

Konstantin

Schad

GER

Snowboard

Javier

Sarmiento

ESP

Skateboard

Cedric

Dumont

BEL

BASEjump

Tobi

Tritscher

AUT

Freeski

Erik J

Pettersson

SWE

Skateboard

Alain

Goikoetxea

ESP

Skateboard

Gjermund

Br책ten

NOR

Snowboard

Tim

Boal

FRA

Surf

Scotty

Broome

AUS

Wakeboard

Liam

Phillips

GBR

BMX

Sven

Kueenle

GER

Freeski

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The Three Stage Jam

SKATING

FINDS A

HOME

Simon Powell gives us his account of the Three Stage Jam and why there is now plenty of hope for the UK skate scene. You just might not expect to find it on the outskirts of a sleepy Cambridgeshire village, but good things lie in wait at the Hannamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wake hub.

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For the past couple of years the guys down at Hannam’s Wake Hub have been pushing the UK wake scene hard, with one of the most unique rail setups and the only permanent pool gap in the country. Last year I managed to make a couple of the 3 Stage Jam wakeskate events, which are pretty much the perfect event, because the sense of competition is replaced by a focus on improving everyone’s standard of riding and just giving people the chance to do something different with a bunch of guys who all share the same passion for wakeskating. “I feel like Jesus carrying the cross” James Harrington

Moving onto this year, I was pretty happy to hear that the pool was being made bigger, with the winch replaced by a System 2.0 and a rail set up than can be hit from both sides. The emphasis of the 3 Stage Jam has always been on providing 3 ways of riding: jetski, cable and winch, and so to keep the winch element a new rail park has been made at the side of the lake for use with the new ‘Roach’ winch by the Custom Winch Company. I arrived on Friday evening just in time to see the boys making the finishing touches, so we set up camp and waited for everyone else to arrive in the morning. Saturday saw about 20 riders turn up with a good mix of old and new faces. After all the form-filling and name signing was done, we moved up to the rail park for a quick

The Hub does exactly what it says on the tin

“Saturday saw about 20 riders turn up, with a good mix of old and new faces.” warm up. Unfortunately bad weather was a reoccurring theme for the weekend and only a few people were able to ride before the wind came in, forcing us to spend the rest of the day on the pool gap.

Steve Webster takes on the incline , back board

There was a huge improvement from the last stop, with everyone landing tricks in a couple of hits that they spent the best part of a day landing last time. With the System 2.0 allowing quicker turnover times and providing a higher, more consistent pull, even those riders new to the gap were able to stick it pretty quickly. Soon we were seeing newcomer Tommy Booth and all-round legend Paul Holden getting comfortable with the set-up and getting it dialed. Also new to the 3 Stage Jam, Chris Carroll warmed up quickly, showing that he can hold his own on the pool as well as a cable. After a fair amount of time on the gap, we changed over groups and I finally got a chance to ride. Having a group of mates to session with makes it a lot more fun and means that the riding gets pushed a lot harder, encouraging everyone to try bigger

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Mini front boards the incline on the winch setup

The Three Stage Jam

Conor Floyd drops a front shuv up the gap

Plenty of faces, familiar and new, the future is bright for UK skating

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No-comply 180, Si Powell 62 hybridwakemag.com

The Three Stage Jam

Tommy Booth with a backside shuv up the wedge

“I have to give a shout out for creativity to Adam May for dialing in a no-comply on the wedge, up the gap” tricks and ultimately results in more bangers. I have to give a shout out for creativity to Adam May for dialing a no-comply on the wedge back up the gap and also to Mini and Liam Smith for showing their usual consistency and style. When all was done for the day we headed down to the local pub for some food before heading back to the campsite for a pretty messy night, with Terry forcing two bottles of Jaegermeister upon everyone which can’t have lasted more than 10 minutes. Nobody’s quite sure what happened after that but it’s safe to say it didn’t end well. The next morning everyone stumbled back over to the lake for some pulls on the winch park, which consists of a flatbar, just below knee high and an incline pipe rail. Both are ollie-on so it’s pretty legit and means that some nice lines can go down using the two. Kai Holden and Steve Webster took charge here showing that they’ve learned more than a couple of new things since last year, with Kai linking the two rails nicely and Steve throwing some nice 270 shuvs off the incline. One of the highlights of the weekend for me was seeing one of the Hub’s locals, George get up on the winch for the first time. At only 10 years old he’s taking it all in and is super happy when he’s out on the water, and will definitely be one to watch out for in the future. Most of the afternoon was spent on

the pool gap again, with plenty more tricks thrown down. Few people get to see Callum Warren ride, but I know him well and he’s got some serious consistency whenever he rides. The setup helped to bring out the skateboarder in him with some floaty 3 shuvs and bigspins down the gap. The second day allowed everyone to get a lot more comfortable with the setup and use it to its full potential. Currently they have a flat-down rail, which can be hit from the side like a hubba, and a nice little rooftop. Both are ollie-on both ways, with an extra bit of height when coming up from the bottom to make it that bit more scary to come up that way. Future plans include adding a legit wallride on the right side to add extra options and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be impossible to exhaust the setup with so many ways to ride it. Since the weather prevented us riding jetski or on the full rail park, we all took a quick evening set on the ‘pond’, with two kickers and a flat box. Again Kai showed what he’s learned with a super nice shuv off the kicker, Adam May stomped a couple of nice lines, and Mini showed off a trick list that included a number of biggerspins and flip tricks. After a bit of time to think, all the riders got to vote for who they thought rode best, which is one of the great things hybridwakemag.com 63

Callum Warren takes on the drop with this chunky frontside shuv 64 hybridwakemag.com

The Three Stage Jam

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Terry Hannam, going for a 360 shuv down the gap Adam May back boards as Owen Pick prepares to join in

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The Three Stage Jam

Keeping things technical, front board to front lip, James Harrington Si Powell stomps a clean kickflip down the dirt drop about the format, since no one is riding to tick any boxes with the judges and instead the best riders are voted for by their peers. With the results in, it was Mini who took the top spot, I was well happy to take second, and Adam May in third. Additional prizes were given to Kai for most improved rider and biggest crash, with a pretty hard sack on the rail. That marked the official end of the Jam, but with the weekend being a bank holiday, a few beat-up people stuck around to ride Monday for some extra time on the winch park and gap, showing massive progression from the start of the weekend. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to finish by thanking everyone involved for an insane weekend. Firstly to all the riders and to the guys behind the scenes at the Hub. There are too many to name names but they all know who they are. Big thanks also have to go to the companies involved: Hannamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wake Hub, Aesthetic wakeskates, System 2.0, Industry Wake Parks and the Custom Winch Company. Also to the sponsors Parkin & Lisle roofing contractors, Selsius limited and Supremebeing clothing.

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The Three Stage Jam

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since nobody is riding to tick any boxes with the judges and instead the best riders are voted for by their peers. With the results in, it was Mini who took the top spot.â&#x20AC;?

Overall winner, James Harrington - backside 180 68 hybridwakemag.com

WIN AN INDUSTRY KICKER FOR YOUR HOME PARK!

Each riders ranking points for the Grasst Roots Tour also count towards your home wake park At the end of the tour, the park with the most points wins a brand new kicker! Kicker can not be sold by the winning wake park, but can be swapped for same value obstacle.

ROOKIE TO OPEN CATEGORIES //NORTH

20th Sep - Blackpool Wake Park 21st Sep - Salford Wake Park 18th Oct - Foxlake Adventures 25th Oct - Liverpool Wake Park 1st Nov - Glasfryn Wake Parc

//MIDLANDS & EAST

11th May - Just Wake / GRT Opening Event 14th June - Hannams Wake Hub 28th June - Wake Lake @ Chasewater 2nd Aug - Ten80 @ West Midlands Waterski 6th Sep - Just Wake

//LONDON & SOUTH

7th June - JB Ski 29th June - Quayside Wake & Ski 27th Sep - South Coast H20 28th Sep - Hove Lagoon Wake Park

//SOUTH WEST

5th July - WM Ski 16th Aug - North Devon Wake Park 13th Sep - Kernow Wake Park Final Stop TBC

//IRELAND

14th June - Wake Dock 4th Oct - Ballyhass Wake Park TBC - Wake Dock

Richie Hiney, nuclear glide

Egyptian hookahs

The infamous Peanuts Karaoke bar

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Plenty of other sports on hand

Chilled lunch at Moods

Egypt gets the Rixen treatment with two cables and a fully fledged resort to back it up with, add in the sun and great food, you’ve got El Gouna liders is a word that we might not have used for some time in wakeboarding terms but the Egyptian resort of El Gouna is resurrecting this old chestnut with the coining of their new wake park. Sliders is set in the resort development an hours flight from the main transit connection of Cairo near Hurghada, which is about a 20 minute taxi ride from the resort. You might not have heard about El Gouna, that’s because it didn’t exist a little over 20 years ago.

that has grown to such a size that it has its own university, hospital, golf courses and all the amenities you might expect from a destination heralding itself as a watersports mecca. The resort has been carved out of the arid desert sand pit that surrounds the Red Sea and is bounded by the unimaginatively named Red Sea Mountains. With twenty man made lagoons in the resort, all connected by canals, it really is a watery paradise in the sun.

The 25,000 capacity resort has grown from the sand on the edge of the Red Sea. A privately owned development, El Gouna is a self contained settlement

El Gouna has long been very popular as a kiteboarding and windsurfing destination and now seeks to expand its water based activities with the

addition of not one, but two full size Rixen cables, and two Little Bro training cables. They’re apparently “Olympic Standard”. While we’re not quite sure what that is, it sounds good. Underneath the main cables are a selection of Rixen obstacles, fun box, kickers of varying sizes, a dragon rail, manual box, incline and a banked c-box - a fair selection and one that will surely grow as the park develops. Sliders opened up only a few months ago and is already very popular with the locals, giving the local kiters somewhere to train for obstacle riding and air tricks when there is no wind. Off the water, Sliders has an outside bar as well as a restaurant in the main hybridwakemag.com 71

Richie Hiney charges on the left foot cable, indy tantrum

Early morning glass at El Gouna

clubhouse building. The surprise comes when you order some food. Amazingly their food is awesome, setting a benchmark for travel destinations and cable parks alike. It’s very rare, especially abroad, that you will find food that is palatable let alone decent. The local specialities of hummus, tahini, tabbouleh and other great dips go down all too easily with the fresh flat breads that come out thick and fast. Away from the cable the resort offers many other attractions on the water, in the desert and in the town. If you’re looking to experience pyramids and pharaohs you will be out of luck, but if you’re after desert beach buggy adventures, diving, kitesurfing or snorkelling then you’re in the right place. There are a number of different trips available to explore the nearby Red Sea Mountains, with the option 72 hybridwakemag.com

of a sunset trip, which in the desert is probably the one you’ll want to go for. The sun beats down on El Gouna 365 so be prepared to pack the sun screen if you are heading out on a trip, especially in the summer. There are natural reefs a short distance from the resort, but a few hours out into the sea will provide a much better experience - something that we didn’t have time for on our trip but were assured there are many schools of wild dolphins and a beautiful natural reef. On the coastal side of the resort there are a number of kite schools that will happily rent or teach you the ways of the wind, all in the Red Sea which is, of course, pretty warm all year round. If you’re looking elsewhere for your kicks off the water, you won’t be left wanting much with the Steigenberger Golf Course a quick tuk-tuk ride away which has a lot to offer amateurs and

The standard of the facilities are pretty high all round, Steigenberger Golf Course hybridwakemag.com 73

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Jeroen van Gent from Sliders boosts a huge start off the the dock shade hybridwakemag.com 75

“Any bad singing is punished with a bombardment of unshelled nuts and jeering…” enthusiasts alike. Maybe golf isn’t your bag, well, how about go-karting? Yep, they’ve got a track. And guess what? That’s a short tuk-tuk ride away too.

one marina to the next, rows and rows of luxury tubs bobbing around, with the odd Malibu Wakesetter knocking about in there too for good measure.

The great thing about El Gouna is that everything is very accessible and easy to get to - you flag down a tuk-tuk, jump in and it’s never more than a fiver (Egyptian pounds) which is less than 50p per person. As it is all part of one resort, there are many deals for visitors that can accommodate you eating in a number of restaurants around the resort on an all-inclusive style deal. Different packages are available depending on your budget of course.

Flights to Egypt are relatively cheap and a return should leave you some change from £500, including your connections, it’s not going to break the bank to get to El Gouna. The hotels are varied and they are reasonably priced with all the standard trimmings available to those wanting more from their stay, or there’s the smaller budget options that are still more than adequate for the dedicated wake traveller.

After spending time in the resort, and not always on the water, we discovered some other parts of the resort such as the canal taxis that cruise around the lagoons taking you to other corners of the resort that you might not normally see as the network of housing and waterways are so vast. There are beach clubs, bars, SUP rentals, boat rental, it’s all there – everything you might expect from any beach resort. What you might not be ready for is the enormous amount of luxury yachts lining the marinas all over the place. It’s staggering to see them lit up at night when you go from 76 hybridwakemag.com

Outside of the Malibu Beach Club (the restaurant at the wake park) there are plenty of other great places to eat in the resort ranging from an incredible Indian restaurant called Tandoor. Other spots include Seventh Star which is the only bakery in the resort and serves great deserts, Moods; a mixed cuisine restaurant that overlooks the beach, similar to another favourite spot called Morgan’s Beach Bar. After hours, if you’re looking for some light refreshments there are plenty of bars covering the marinas around El Gouna. There are plenty of fliers dotted about the place informing you of pool parties and events everywhere.

Another find was a bar called Peanuts which, for good reason, has large bowls of monkey nuts on each table. The peanuts are used to ward off bad karaoke singers which the bar has a reputation for! Any bad singing is punished with a bombardment of unshelled nuts and jeering…although we didn’t actually see it in action, even when our very own Richie Hiney belted out a rosy cheeked Bon Jovi classic. El Gouna is a great fun place to visit. The local people are all very welcoming and, given the containment of the community, it is a safe place to spend your time in the sun. If you’re looking to have a go at a variety of different water sports and fancy something a little bit different, this is the place for you.

If you’d like to find out where we went on our trip, you can find a full intinerary, links and contact details for all the spots we visited by going to: www.HybridWakeMag.com/El-Gouna

A view from the far end of the park

Our hotel for the trip

Millionaires row

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Behind the Lens

Héctor Urzáiz

Photographic talent from Spain features in this month’s Behind the Lens in the form of Hector Urzaiz, an emerging photographer with a heart full of passion

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Behind the Lens

How and when did you decide to dedicate to start taking photos?

Have day jobs, if so, what are they?

At first, like many things, it started out as a hobby. I used to work building elevators and photography was not in my mind to take it up professionally, a few people said I was good but I didn’t really pay much attention to them but the day came and now I don’t build elevators, I take pictures! Gradually I’ve been learning little by little, but still I’m still a newbie, but otherwise I’m very happy where I am and I hope to continue doing this for a long.

Currently I work in photography every way that I can, I wish I could live like that, but here in Spain, this type of photography is difficult to make a full time living from. So, other work comes in the form of working for Jägemeister as an entertainer at parties, which allows me to pay my bills in the most difficult months, plus it’s a fun job.

What was the connection to Action Sports, wakeboard specifically? At first I started taking pictures of skateboarding, then came the day when I went to take some pictures for Iñaki Anitua at Doublewake Cable Park in the Forum. I must thank the many people there as it was from there that I got started taking pictures of wakeboarding. Then I first went to the FISE along with Luis Montana, someone who helped me a lot at the beginning, and there I started a little my career in wakeboarding, which for me right now, in my humble opinion has become; for me at least, a way of life. 80 hybridwakemag.com

What other sports do you cover? A mix of wakeboard and skateboard mainly, sometimes I get out to do some snowboarding shoots, especially when it’s cold and you can’t get in the water. This year my goal is to go to Thailand or the Philippines and continue taking pictures during the winter. What is the most difficult element of photography for you? For me there is something specific that is the hardest part, just trying to be very critical of my work and try to do my best, as I said before, I’m still a novice and so I have much to learn.

Are you based in one place or do you get to travel a lot? Where I live I am lucky enough to have several cable parks and also a few good winch spots to shoot. Of course, I would love to travel throughout Spain and the rest of the world looking for new spots and photographing my journey. This year I’d like to start my travels, visiting the USA is high on the list but also Northern Europe and hopefully Thailand and The Philippines too! What do you think is your style of photography? For me to focus on one style seems a bit silly, as there are so many riders with different styles, which you have to adapt to each situation, in every moment, trying to create more variety in a style without stalling. It’s a good way to improve every day. What do you think are the most important qualities editing a photo? When the time comes to edit, for me the most important is the definition, the power to appreciate every detail of the picture, it is

the most beautiful aspect of any photo. Being able to see without having to work hard until the last drop of water in the air seems very attractive in a picture. Also, taking advantage of natural light, then the editing becomes much easier. I try not to alter them too much, it is clear that when you take the photo and see it on the screen of the camera if you have captured it well. It’s exciting when you’ve got the shot, I always look forward to the moment you finally get to your computer, and only then you get to put your personal stamp on it without having to go overboard on the photo effects, for me that is most important. Of course, you don’t not always succeed… hahahaha! With so many photographers out there, how do you think you can stand out from the crowd? I’ve never tried to highlight myself, I try to do what I love in the field that I like, but if there’s something that I’ve always known, it is that you can not be in a hurry. Go step by step, I try to learn everything I can. On the other hand, if you want people to see your photos, what you have to do is go and try to photograph the best riders. hybridwakemag.com 81

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What part of wakeboarding would you like to spend more time capturing? For me the fun part of it is certainly winch, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something so spectacular and interesting for the people to see and to photograph. It does depend on the rider and the spot - and having a winch - but I think it is unique and offers something different to the usual cable park or lake setting.

What is the most difficult thing to capture, especially in wakeboarding? For me perhaps the most difficult part of photography is when you want to do a night wake session. You will only be guided by the noise of the rider, they will appear from nowhere and be gone in less than a second. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of fun but so difficult to get it right when you have so little light and no reference for yourself or the rider in the dark! What has been your most interesting project so far? Really for me all the sessions I have done have always been just as fun and therefore just as interesting. Perhaps for me personally my

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Behind the Lens

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James Windsor on the wall box at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s FISE hybridwakemag.com 85

Behind the Lens

Fellow Spaniard Tommy Espada pops a big kickflip

“If you work hard, your time will come.” favourite sessions have been winching with Enric Dosta, who, for me is one of the best wake skaters in our country (and Europe) and an awesome person. Also Ruben Manzano, he and Enric always winch together hitting street spots around Barcelona, and certainly we’ve got some of my best photos together. Do you have any desire to work with larger brands outside of Spain? Of course I would like to work with big brands in the international wakeboard community, but I’m not ambitious in that way. I do not consider this a job, it is something that I have fun with and if one day I’m more up there, the thanks will be to all my friends and riders because without them I would not be doing this right now. How do you think the Spanish scene has developed in the last couple of years? Wakeboarding has been practiced in our country for many years, perhaps not as much as in other European countries, but it seems our time has now come. There are so many cable parks opening right now, and on a National level the riders have progressed so much. It is an honour for me to associate with riders such as Sawe Oualiti, who is the first Spanish rider to enter an international wake team. Recently you went to the FISE in Montpellier, how was that for you, have you been before? That’s right, for me it’s the second year I’ve travelled to France for the event, I hope it’s not the last, each year is more fun! Getting to Montpellier and finding riders who you only get to see in video parts or at most once every two years you spend in Spain - it is a luxury! I think the people there do not really value what you have before your eyes hahahaha It’s great to be there taking pictures and having a few beers with them, a dream come true.

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Who was the stand out rider for you at the event? It’s difficult to pick one rider, everyone is different and has their own qualities. We all already know that Daniel Grant is on top and who is best at this time. Outside of that I enjoyed Antoine Allaux, who has reached a spectacular level very quickly and as a person is very smart and a decent guy. Brenton Priestley blew my mind, out of all of them, he is the rider who risked the most and put on a great show for the crowds. It was the first time I saw riding and declare without hesitation that I’m a fan of his! Are there riders that you have in mind to work with this season or in the future? Of course I would like to work with them all in the future, but it can not be. I have a couple of projects with some international riders, but it’s a secret. The truth is that I have become very happy in France with my direction and with some things under my arm from the event, I’m highly motivated to get working on my projects now! What advice would you give to any aspiring photographers, video editors and videographers out there? I keep saying I’m a newbie, I don’t think it is the best suited for me to give advice, but if I had to talk on my experiences, I would say that we should not be in a rush, ever. Just because you you posted a couple of cool pictures or got a job for a big company, doesn’t mean you are the best, or the best that you can be. Every person and every event can teach you something, contributing to your growth; an idea, an opinion, advice, whatever - trying to absorb as much information as you can and be humble. If you work hard, your time will come.

CORDOBA

E S PA N A

Introducing Age: 19 years young Years riding: 8th season Home spot: Sheffield Cable Waterski Home town: Sheffield Favourite trick: Backroll to blind off the flats Obstacles or air tricks: BOTH Sponsors: Liquid Force, Ultra Sport and Rockerline Clothing Most overused word: Tragic Favourite rider: Josh Tomlinson Best style is: Smooth and chilled Best riding location: CWC in the Phillies

Tom, tell us about how you originally got into riding a board sideways on water… I originally started riding my waterstick sideways back in 2007, after I’d been kneeboarding at my mates birthday party. So to be honest I have to hand it to Liam Siner for helping me realise how cool wakeboarding is.

Tom Bowles

This month we take a journey to Sheffield Cable and meet Tom Bowles, another of the UK’s finest young talents who has an attitude to match.

chance to ride boat near Sheffield, unless you have one. I have only ridden behind the boat about four times, so naturally I wasn’t very good at it haha! What do you think is the most appealing part of the sport?

Was it love at first ride?

I think the most appealing part of the sport is when you learn a new trick, or watch one of your mates, or the little groms learn a new trick - everyone is so pumped for them.

Literally as soon I got round the cable for the first time on my wakeboard I knew Sheffield Cable would be my second home.

Having recently been involved in the Ten Feet High Series, could you tell us a bit more about that?

Did you have any tricks that really appealed you when you were starting out? Are they still the same now?

I love being involved in the ten feet high series, they are such fun comps to enter. they are so relaxed and chilled but still competitive and wanting to beat your mates. I commentate the each competition and i’m really enjoying doing so, it’s so jokes. Thank you Andy Granger for hosting such a fun competition for everyone!!

When I first started out, I was watching Damon Bull and Simon Chapell one night and they both did massive s-bend to blinds into the third corner and I knew that I had to learn them one day, of course I still need to learn it haha! What makes a good rider in your opinion? In my opinion what makes a good rider is when they make everything look effortless and easy. Always focusing on all aspects of the sport such as; inverts off the flats, kickers, rails, riding boat and cable. Many boat riders ride the cable but not so much the other way around. Have you ever been tempted?

You’re a local up at Sheffield, what’s it like to ride there, is it a good scene? Yeah I’ve been riding at Sheffield Cable for about seven years now, it’s honestly got by far the best atmosphere when you’re off the water. Everytime I go down to the cable, it’s just so much fun riding and hanging with friends. Riding is great at sheffield, I absolutely love riding at my home cable. It’s certainly one of the more unique setups in the country, do you prefer the obstacles there over other sites?

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Introducing

Tom Bowles

Sheffield is definitely unique in the setup of the cable and obstacles, that’s the best part about it. I much prefer the kickers at Sheffield than any other in the country, they are so sick. Also nothing compares to the Hyperlite fun box, it’s massive dude! If we had a day in the life of Tom Bowles, what would it consist of? Living the life of Thomas Charles Bowles; get up in the morning to take the dogs for a walk. Play Skyrim and FIFA for a couple of hours then, drive down to the cable and shred my waterstick! Do you do any other types of fitness or sports? I try and play a bit of football when I can with the boys. Other than that, does walking back to the start dock count when you fall of the cable? I’m sure that counts! Do you think it is important to train off the water? Training off the water is so important, I can’t stress this enough.

Being injured and not being able to wakeboard on a warm day in summer is heartbreaking. I trained at the gym all through the winter and I came back in March as strong as I’ve ever been. What would you like to achieve with your riding, or is it more for the love? I would love to achieve a place in the British Team and represent them at the Europeans and Worlds. It’s really tough, all of the talent down South is mental. Wakeboarding is mostly about the love of being on the water and having fun, take the fun away from it being too serious is just a “no” in my opinion. If you could plan a trip with three friends to anywhere in the world, who would you go with and where would you go? If I could plan a trip I with three friends I would take Josh Tomlinson, Bradley Beech and Jordan ‘Weeman’ Burkin. I would definitely tour Thailand and hit up all the cables over there, they look awesome. hybridwakemag.com 91

Introducing

Tom Bowles

Do you think that the wake scene in the UK is open to young and upcoming riders like yourself? I feel the wake scene in the UK is open to upcoming riders if you have the determination to do as well as you can in the sport, and always have the right attitude off the water, of course it is. Is there anything you see as a younger rider that you’d like to change? I would love to change all this nonsense about air tricks not being ‘cool’ anymore, it takes more balls to do an air trick than hit a rail. End of story, goodbye, the end. How do you think you could be a part of that change? I can be a part of that change by not jumping on the bandwagon and slating air tricks. Everything about wakeboarding makes it the sport that it is. What is the most important part of wakeboarding to you? The most important part of wakeboarding in my opinion is making sure you’re always having fun. At the end of the day we all started wakeboarding because it was a fun hobby to do. Wise words. If you could be remembered for one thing in wakeboarding, what would it be?

The best tip I could give somebody on learning new skills on the water is to never let a bad crash or an injury put you off trying it again, definitely the best tip. Would you encourage people into the competitive aspect of the sport, even at a lower level? I would definitely encourage people into the competitive aspect of wakeboarding, it’s so much fun to beat one of your mates in a competition haha! What do you think this helps people to achieve? It also makes you a better rider being competitive because seeing someone else who has got a trick that you haven’t, but you want in your run, makes you go out and want to learn that trick. Who has helped you along your way on the water? I’ve got to hand it to Weeman, Simon Chapell, Matt Price and Damon Bull for helping me along my wakeboarding life, they taught me a lot between them, so thank you guys! Is the community at Sheffield encouraging of the younger generation?

If I could be remembered about one thing in wakeboarding it would definitely be that I helped a lot of people learn tricks and improve others on their riding I reckon.

Sheffield is encouraging the younger generation to ride, we have quite a few groms down at the cable nowadays, Josh Patching and Harry Hardwick are two guys to look out for in the coming years. Kids Club has definitely inspired a few of them to hit up the cable on normal sessions too.

What’s the single best tip you could give to anyone learning to ride, or just improving their skills?

Sounds good dude, we hope to see some more of you and the groms throughout the season!

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

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Toby oliver, front board tail on the dragon at New forest water park photo: eddy hybridwakemag.com 95

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the true meaning of wall ride, ignasi cortes, malamar, spain photo: Hector hybridwakemag.com 97

Battle of the nose

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daniel vs. jonas

daniel grant, back lip nose on the wall at fise, montpellier photo: Hector hybridwakemag.com 99

Battle of the nose

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daniel vs. jonas

who wins? you decide Jonas Dobenecker, back lip nose at OCP, Barcelona photo: eddy hybridwakemag.com 101

t o p S w Ne It might be invitation only, but this spot boasts more than fresh waters. Rydium is the latest linear cable company. Designed and built in the UK. In 2009 the UK had its first taste of a linear cable in an event setting. The event was Think Tank. It showed the enormous potential of linear (or two tower) cables, what was less obvious to many was the commercial aspect of the development. The arrival of the linear cable immediately made access to a sport which was predominantly boat orientated worldwide, into a more obstacle focused industry which opened the doors to many more riders and spectators. This impact has been seen across the world and has changed the sport forever. A few short years on and we are now seeing more and more manufacturers of the linear cables popping in different countries around the world, each with their own characteristics and strengths. Now the UK even has one of its own, Rydium. A cable that is designed and manufactured completely in the UK from the ground up. Four years ago a UK boat rider and second generation engineer; James Hughes, turned his attentions to developing his very own cable. The idea was to create a cable that would need very little maintenance and perform as well or better than its competitors. We travelled to the Rydium test site in Shropshire to take a look at the cable and see what James and the rest of the Rydium crew had put together. At first glance, the silhouette and tower structure might be confused with a very popular German manufacturer of similar systems, James assured us that the similarities ended there. “We weren’t trying to reinvent the wheel with the design of the towers” commented Hughes on the comparison, but he assured us there were other features that set the system apart from the others. After seeing some designs off the the inner working of the motor tower, it was clear that there was a lot of difference. The drive of the pulley wheels is not direct as we have seen in other examples, instead the same drive belts that are used on Harley Davidson’s are used to transmit the power from the motor to the drive pulleys. Inside the electronic control box you will see the same amount of wiring that you might expect in a moon landing vehicle, when asked, we were told that the electronics had been designed the inventor of the drive unit itself and the rest of the workings by a former Rolls Royce Nuclear Engineer. It all made sense very quickly. We then turned our attention to the next part of the puzzle, the carrier. In the same vein as the other elements of the Rydium, a lot of design has gone into even smallest of details, with pulleys, secondary pulleys and springs ensuring a smooth ride and adding another layer of security to the cable. The ride provided by the Rydium is comparable to others, with a smooth, constant pull combined with the familiar higher pull of the two tower cables leave you with a great ride, pretty much what you would want, and expect. So what’s next for Rydium? Well, we spoke to James Hughes about the cable and its potential for the future of the company. 102 hybridwakemag.com

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rydium arrives James, what was your motivation behind creating Rydium? The true love and passion for the sport I guess, well that and my inherited passion for engineering. I grew up around the early days of power boat racing in Pwllheli and Abersoch, this eventually progressed into getting our own boat and buying my first wakeboard. I was hooked, and soon wakeboarding became my life. Then, back in 2008 after seeing the first 2 tower cable system at the Red Bull Wake Lab Orlando, I knew that cable was going to play a massive part in the future of wakeboarding and I wanted a piece of the action! What was your long-term goal from the outset of its creation? Our goal has always been to create the most reliable and best engineered two tower cable system in the world. The progression of the industry and sport depends on the investment in cable parks and our aim is to provide our customers with systems that will perform day in, day out and which are supported by a first class service and backup team. What has been the most challenging aspect of the development? The most challenging part has been to find the right balance of safety, performance and cost. We didn’t want to affect the performance of the system by integrating safety features on safety features, and obviously wanted to keep costs down so we could compete with the rest of the market. Luckily I had some of the best engineers in the world at hand! We now have a perfectly balanced product that delivers in all areas, a painstaking 4 years of development, but well worth it! When did you decide it was more than an idea and something that you wanted to invest a lot of time and money into? 104 hybridwakemag.com

I had a tricked out Mastercraft Maristar 225VRS which was my absolute pride and joy, but after a particular troublesome launch at our local lake, I decided I needed a cable system! There were two ways of doing this – either to buy a System 2.0, or the more exciting prospect of developing my own system and getting even more involved with the sport I love. It was a no brainer for me! What was your design criteria when designing the cable? We wanted to create a cable system that would protect both the user and investor. Our system uses the very latest technology that has become standardised in the water industry, but not yet carried through to the relatively new cable wakeboard market. With all these boxes checked in the electronic safety, mechanical safety and just the shear robust nature of our system, we have future proofed our product against potential impending regulations. We had a comment from an existing cable operator/ rider ‘it’s a two tower system on steroids!!’ You’ve got some pretty tech savvy people behind the production and design, how did you find them? Just plain luck really. The electronics genius was supplying a local firm with the drives he had been developing, and the guys who fabricated my first prototype knew of this ex-nuclear wiz and put me straight in touch with him. He instantly fell in love with the project and the rest is history really. Who knew that Rolls Royce had nuclear capabilities?! How did their role change what you had in mind for the cable? I built the prototype without their assistance and in fairness to myself- it worked! But when the guys came to look, it was almost a case of ‘Yeah its ok…..but we can do better!’ and sure as hell they did! They took so many more things into consideration, from the reliability and performance of the drive to service and safety of every single component.

How has Rydium developed throughout its life so far? We’ve had four prior versions of the system before our final production model. We used four different types of motor, two types of power drives, tens of different bearing and pulley arrangements just to mention a few. We have been constantly striving to produce a system that provides our customers with the best performance possible. Was it always your intention to keep it UK based, and will this be an ongoing base or would you be looking to manufacture them abroad at some point? Yes we are keeping it UK based! We believe that UK industry has a lot to offer. Even though I’m proud to be British, this decision was not just based on patriotism, the quality of materials and expertise available in this country are second to none. Just take a look at Formula 1 - nearly all F1 cars are designed, manufactured and built in the UK! How were your early stages of development? What were the most unforeseen aspects of the creation?

In our opinion we have only engineered the system to stand up to the demands that are required of it and we know that downtime would be costly for our customers and our reputation, so our over-engineering is vital to the longevity of our systems. Are Rydiums available now, or are you still in development? Our systems are on sale now. We have a team of professionals ready to install, consult and manage your wake park requirements. Outside of the test site, are there any other spots that we can see a Rydium up and running? Yes! We will be installing one of our systems in Abersoch harbour for the Glass Butter Beach Harbour Project starting on the 13th August. We have top level riders and what has been promised as some mental custom built obstacles! So come check us out! Sounds exciting, I’m sure it will be a great event. Are you looking for other events or is it more park setup you are interested in?

The early stages of development meant lots of sleepless nights! Mainly from the calculations of gear ratios, pulley sizes and bearing capacities, all spinning around in my head! Then, the two ‘Da Vinci’ descendants came to my rescue and it was fairly plain sailing from there. Everyone had the right attitude for the task in hand and we all wanted to develop this product to the very best of our abilities before even thinking about going to market.

We will be doing both, but mainly focusing on our wake park customers. We want to make sure that every effort is made keep our customers, their systems and parks running smoothly and efficiently. This is our ultimate aim, but events are great fun and you can expect to see a few cropping up from time to time.

Some might say that it is over-engineered, what would your answer to them be?

Yes we are always going to be open to developing our product further. Our future developments will be offered as an upgrade

Have you got any plans to further develop the Rydium, are we set to see wireless controllers or anything like that?

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package to our existing systems and I think that is very important. The wireless controllers will definitely be offered as an option package to our system, but without going into too much detail we have found our ‘hard wired’ controllers to be so much more reliable, and offer the addition of 2 channel safety which is now standardised in many similar industries. We purposely left one of our wired controllers out in the elements for over 2 years and it still functioned perfectly, reliability is the key! We have already developed a counterweight type pull without having the added cost and decreased reliability of this type of system, this is a standard feature. We are now looking into incorporating a completely new bit of kit never seen in the industry before! Of course this will be offered as an upgrade package. So watch this space! Talking about development, your test site has a lot of 106 hybridwakemag.com

potential, could you tell us a bit more about that and your plans for the park? Yes, the aptly named ‘Lake Rydium’ ha ha! We are so lucky to have this site. It’s a totally private setup and we have the potential to construct on a massive scale, with a little time we’re hoping to have a UK based ‘Lake Ronix’ type of setup (no relation), maybe larger, we have over 100 acres and some mega machinery to play with! How did you come across the site? It wasn’t actually our first choice of site. I didn’t even know it existed, even though it’s pretty much on my doorstep! We had another lake in mind, but the owner pulled the plug at the last minute and left us stranded! I was desperate for a location, and went running to a local land owner. I explained to him what had

happened and what we needed. In honesty, the man couldn’t have been more helpful and supportive. He took me out in his Land Rover and showed me several lakes, then said ‘take your pick!’ I couldn’t believe it, the site was perfect! One door closed, another massive one opened! When do you anticipate us seeing the first Rydium park open to the public? We are looking into building a public park at this very moment, it will be a fairly large construction as the ground will have to be dug out, so I should imagine this project would not be complete until early 2015. But the prospect of installing several systems at existing locations by the end of the year is looking ever likely. We will keep you updated. Please do! Thanks for your time and we look forward to seeing it in operation at Glass Butter Beach! James Harrington testing out the cable, front board, 90 out hybridwakemag.com 107

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new forest, new cable An old lake with new ideas makes a journey down south well worth the effort The New Forest Water Park is not technically a new spot in terms of the location, having been a successful boat lake for over 20 years. Now, however, it is a cable lake. A full Rixen five corner cable along with a System 2.0, residing in the beautiful setting of the New Forest on the South Coast. Given the well established and matured grounds, the lake is naturally protected from all sides and offers great conditions in all weather conditions. Set in 50 acres of Forest, the lake has also been used for fishing which means that it is very clean and full of life. The facility boasts camping areas, football pitch, SUP hire, kayaking, aqua rides and all the things you might expect like equipment hire (supplied by S2AS) and much more.

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Underneath the cable are a selection of Rixen obstacles that will offer something familiar, and something new. The old classic fun box makes an appearance, an elephant (or dragon) box which looks like the Loch Ness monster, butter box/low flat bar, medium and large kickers plus a unique incline pipe with a kicker on each side for transfers. They’ve got a new obstacle on the way which will be arriving soon. It’s a progressive three stage rail with kicker on one side for transferring once again, something a little different for sure. Not to be forgotten, the System 2.0 sits next to the main cable and provides a training ground for beginners and those working on their air tricks. If you’ve not been to the New Forest, or if you’ve not visited since the new park was installed, it’s well worth a trip. This hidden gem in between Salisbury and Bournemouth, less than 75 miles from the M25, it takes about an hour to get there from JB Ski for those not too familiar with the South! If you’re in the area or fancy a trip away and need somewhere to camp - this place is ideal. Next time your local park is blown out, give these guys a call and you’re likely to find that they are flat and open for business as usual...

...oh and did we mention the hot tub on the dock?

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north devon opens as the south west finally catches on to the cable revolution , north devon takes the lead North Devon Wake Park recently opened its doors to the public. We got in there first to have a look at the progress on the land and the new toys on the water. While the north coast of Devon has long been a well known surf spot, there has been very little in the form of wake activities in the area. With so much surfing and coastal water sports in the area, it has seemed like a forgotten corner of the country, until now. With such a large water sports community within easy reach, Bude, Croyde, Saunton, Ilfracombe, the list goes on, it always seemed like a no brainer for a park in the area. Now we are very happy to announce 110 hybridwakemag.com

the opening of North Devon Wake Park, having installed two System 2.0’s with skate and beginners in mind for one system and the intermediate and advanced on the other. The location is sweet: set in the grounds of the Milky Way Amusement Park, it’s easy to find and has all the makings of a great park for the South. While the buildings and infrastructure were still under construction when we paid them a visit, we know that most of the work has been completed and customers are now welcome to go and enjoy the sheltered Devonian waters. Obstacles are always the first question for any rider looking at a new park and, of course, there are plenty here to choose from. Small to large kickers, A-frame, manual pad, banked box and more, with even more waiting for delivery! This park is set to become a hot spotfor the local area and for sure worth a visit next time you are thinking about heading down the M5 - it’s just over half an hour off the motorway. Driving in the country never seems to feel that long and the surf is just around the corner if you are that way inclined too! We’ll be back in the area with some more photos of this stunning new park when it is all completed in the coming weeks. It’s already a great place to ride and with nothing but good things, and more, planned at the site, it’s one to watch for sure!

NOW INTO OUR 8TH SEASON...

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hybrid stockists

Support your local!

If you’re looking for a great place to ride, you’ve got a few to choose to from! Don’t worry, there’s plenty of water and copies of Hybrid Wake Mag for everyone at these parks and many more!

Featured Stockists 1

Loch Lomond Wakeboard, Rowardennan Scotland’s leading boat centre. Call: 07545 561 360

Foxlake Adventures, Dunbar First System 2.0 park in Scotland. Web: foxlake.co.uk

The Edge Watersports, Coleraine One of Ireland’s wake fathers. Call: 028 2766 8999

PH Watersports, Port Haverigg Great boat lake in the north Call: 0774 6539636

Blackpool Wake Park, Weeton The first System 2.0 in the UK. Call: 01253 836543

Just Wake, Tattershall Two 2.0 parks and a quarter pipe. Web: justwake.co.uk

South Coast H20, Portsmouth Great spot on the South Coast. Web: southcoasth2o.co.uk

Offaxis, Abersoch Home to more than Wakestock. Call: 01758 713407

Liverpool Wake Park, Liverpool Industry Wake Park’s very own. Call: 0151 230 8247

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Glasfryn Wake Parc, Glasfryn 10 Great multi system setup. Call: 01766 810202 11

Box End Park, Box End Full size cable and boat lake. Call: 01234 846222

Hannam’s Wake Hub, Stretham Progression exemplified. Call: 01353 649683

13 RIDE Leisure, Wyboston New spot at Wyboston Lakes. Call: 07427 251725

16 6 17 11

14 JB Ski, Chertsey A hub for cable and boat riders. Call: 01932 579750 15 Liquid Wake Park, Datchet One of the best parks in the UK. Call: 01753 542500

17 Club Wake Park The first Wake Station park in the UK. Call: 07791 684919

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15 14

16 Sheffield Cable, Sheffield Great cable and atmosphere. Call: 0114 2511717

20 19

18 Kernow Wake Park, Penryn The South West’s newest park. Call: 07973 703173 19 New Forest Water Park, Ringwood The UK’s newest full cable. Call: 01425 656868 20 Quayside Wake & Ski, Mytchett Pro coaches and big wakes. Call: 01252 524375 21 Premier Skate, Wake and Ski School, Pentney Sheltered lake with dedicated boats. Call:07473 505060

22 Middlemoor Water Park UK’s first GoRide two tower system. Call: 01278 685578

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If you would like to stock Hybrid Wake Magazine send an email to: Stock@HybridWakeMag.com or call: 01934 733155

sheffield cable

Situated in the picturesque setting of Rother Valley Country Park in Sheffield. We are open to all throughout the summer.

liverpool wake park

Our two cable systems have transformed the Queens Branch Dock into an 11 obstacles wake park suitable for all abilities.

Call: 0114 251 1717 Web: sheffieldcablewaterski.com

club wake park

A 240m Lake, System 2.0 park with the advantage of 1 to 1 coaching, our first class obstacle park has something for everyone.

Call: 0151 230 8247 Web: liverpoolwakepark.co.uk/

offaxis

Call: 0779 1684919 Web: clubwakepark.co.uk

new forest water park

We’re a friendly, family run site offering Cable Wakeboarding, Camping, Fun Aquarides and much more.

Call: 01758 713 407 Web: offaxis.co.uk

just wake

Call: 01425 656868 Web: newforestwaterpark.co.uk

liquid wake park

The UK’s leading watersports facility, set on a beautiful sheltered lake, with two cables tows, a boat lake and the UK’s first UNIT Pool Gap.

Set in a stunning dormant quarry, Kernow Cable, open Spring 2014, is a new addition to Wakeboarding in Cornwall and the South West.

Call: 07973 703 173 Web: kernowwakepark.com

hannam’s wake hub

A perfect learning spot for all levels of riders, two System 2.0 on separate reservoirs, fully loaded with UNIT obstacles.

Call: 01353 649683 Web: hannamswakehub.com/‎

System 2.0 park in Tattershall, south of Lincoln. Two systems and nine quality obstacles including the UK’s only UNIT quarter pipe.

Call: 0781 2712255 Web: justwake.co.uk

quayside wake and ski

One of the finest Wakeboard Centres in Europe, our sheltered lake is home to the latest Mastercraft X2 and Pro Star.

Call: 01753 542 500 Web: llski.com

kernow wake park

Run by boarders for boarders we are a leading supplier of wakeboards and wetsuits, stocking the Industries Premium brands.

Call: 01252 524375 Web: quaysidewake.com

ride leisure

Ride behind the Super Air 210, a perfect wake to practice, perfect and lock down your tricks, beginner packages available.

Call: 0742 725 1725 Web: rideleisure.co.uk

the edge watersports

Here to provide a simple, one-stop shop for all your watersports equipment: wakeboard, wakeskate and more.

Call: 028 2766 8999 Web: edgewatersports.co.uk

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Fail

Issue 8 Coming Soon

INCLUDING: THE BOAT PROJECT, PART 2 CORNIFORNIA

July 18th

richie hiney Entering egypt’s got talent 114 hybridwakemag.com

REACHING OLD LANDS