Wakeboard News | Headlines and Top Stories

Trent Stuckey and Elena Bodi steal 2024 Red Bull WakeDuel

2024-06-10T11:34:25+00:00

American Trent Stuckey and Elena Bodi of Spain overcame some of the world's best wakeboarders to emerge victorious at the ninth edition of Red Bull WakeDuel at the iconic 313 cable park in Lithuania.

As one of the most prestigious wakeboarding events on the international calendar, Red Bull WakeDuel drew competitors from around the world to Lithuania for an intense international qualification day.

In total, 32 men and 16 women competed for the chance to participate in the main event held on a demanding course at 313 cable park.

In the women's competition, River Hendrick and Claudia Pagnini were seen as two of the favorites for the title.

Still, it was Bodi who triumphed after overcoming Katinka Buiting in a tense final.

Pagnini took third after defeating Sanne Meijer.

"Crazy. I don't have words to describe how I feel right now. Just thanks to everyone, because that's why I'm here. I'm so happy," Bodi said.

In the men's event, Gavin Stuckey overcame Pedro Caldas before Trent Stuckey got the better of Kieran Owens to set up a historic battle between the two American brothers.

In the final, it was Trent who emerged victorious, securing his second victory of the week, where he also won the Best Air Trick.

Meanwhile, Pedro Caldas took third place.

"I went head-to-head with Gavin in the semi-finals last year, and he took the win from me, so it was nice to get it back from him. It means a lot," added Trent Stuckey.

"We got super lucky with the draws, starting on opposite sides and meeting in the final. Also, the park has so many features and so many possibilities. It brings out your creative side."

2024 Red Bull WakeBuel | Results

Men

Trent Stuckey (USA)
Gavin Stuckey (USA)
Pedro Caldas (BRA)

Women

Elena Bodi (ESP)
Katinka Buiting (NED)
Claudia Pagnini (ITA)

Brian Grubb completes WakeBASE jump off Dubai infinity pool

2023-12-04T14:26:29+00:00

American Wakeskating pioneer and three-time world champion Brian Grubb achieved an extraordinary world first in an innovative project that combined drone wakeskating and BASE jumping.

Perched atop the sky bridge at Dubai's Address Beach Resort, the Guinness World Record-holding infinity pool sits an astounding 294 meters above sea level.

Grubb's daring journey began by wakeskating 94 meters across the rooftop pool, towed by a drone, before leaping over the pool's edge, seamlessly transitioning into a thrilling 77-story BASE jump, and successfully landing at the beach below.

Wakeboarding trio ride on and below Arctic obstacle course

2023-02-22T12:59:16+00:00

German wakeboarder Felix Georgii is known for his creativity when it comes to unlocking new spots and trick variations.

Therefore, it came as no surprise that the 2018 X Games gold medallist chose a Swedish frozen lake north of the Arctic Circle as the perfect location to invite his friends, two-time World Champion Gührs and six-time Austrian Champion Dominik Hernler.

The trio created an obstacle course by cutting outlines in the 80-centimeter thick ice surface and shaping the ice blocks into a kicker, boxes, and even a five-meter-wide igloo to jump over and ride through.

Despite temperatures dropping down to -18 °C - that had seen men and equipment being frozen over - the trio swiftly broke the ice and demonstrated their creative trick repertoire.

"Creativity is super important for me. Thus, we are working with a completely new material. With ice, we can create obstacles that you can't do in a regular wake park on plastic obstacles," said Georgii.

As wakeboarders normally flock to warmer destinations to ride in board shorts, this time, the three athletes suited up in 6 mm thick wetsuits to remain warm for over an hour in 1 °C cold water before landing their trick and heading back indoors to warm up.

"We have to get our hands on the best neoprene equipment there is," the 29-year-old added.

"After two days, it got really cold, it was minus 10 degrees, and then I started to freeze up," explained Gührs.

"My jacket was all frozen, my boots were frozen up, and I just felt like a proper ice man. I couldn't move anymore, and in the end, it was actually pretty extreme."

Temperatures of -32 °C

After learning how to stay calm while being pulled upside down under the ice, Georgii connected with two-time Red Bull Illume Overall-winning photographer Lorenz Holder to create the perfect shot.

German Holder placed his flashes facing down on the ice surface and used the ice body as an amplifier to shine light through the dark waters, freezing Georgii in the perfect moment while being pulled from one side of the ice opening under the surface to the exit.

"Underwater, it's just black everywhere, but you can feel the ice sliding along the board, and that's a super awesome feeling," revealed Georgii.

Throughout the 11-day build, the crew and machinery had to withstand temperatures of down to -32 °C, resulting in frozen beards, chainsaws, and pools, that were reopened and cleared every morning.

In total, 518 tons of ice were lifted out of the lake, from which roughly 10 tons were used to create the obstacles on three distinctive lines.

The 110-meter-long feature line pushed the riders to deliver big airs and technical slides; a natural line demanded quick feet to jump from pool to pool, and a creative line meant the wakeboarders could slide over a long slab of ice equipped with ice walls.

"My highlight was definitely the riding, and sliding around on ice obstacles was something new I've never done before," concluded Hernler.

Nikolas Plytas goes extreme wakeboarding in Milos

2022-05-31T12:57:24+00:00

Nikolas Plytas traveled to the stunning island of Milos for his latest breathtaking project.

The Greek watersports star weaved his way around the turquoise coast and lunar-like landscape on a Prada Luna Rossa Team board and his bare feet.

The 26-year-old from Athens started in 2006. At 19, he conquered the famous shipwreck at Elefsina, where he performed tricks on the rusty hull.

Last year, he combined snowboarding and waterskiing for his thrilling multi-terrain H2O project.

This time around, Plytas decided to set the bar even higher, pushing past his limits on the magical lunar landscapes of Milos, Sarakiniko, and Kleftiko, where he managed to become one with the sea.

Looking at all the pictures he had taken of the two beautiful beaches in Milos, his mind began to wander, creating images of an entire line that would combine the water, rocks, and sand terrains.

"When I came back from Milos, I stayed up all night creating my line," revealed Nikolas Plytas.

The enchanting lunar landscape, with its chalk-white rocks, azure-blue waters, and narrow caves, instantly became the ideal location for Plytas to tell his story in a challenging shoot.

It was important for Plytas to have the best equipment possible, with the Prada Luna Rossa Team helping design a board that was fast, with sharp edges, and directional (designed to ride best in one direction) for great stability at high speeds while he was also kitted out in stylish and technical Prada Linea Rossa clothing.

"The Luna Rossa team came up with a shape, and from the first time I saw it, I liked it," added Plytas.

"The board is more narrow than a wakeboard and with sharper edges. It's really stiff in order to have full control."

Endless Training Hours

Plytas noted that his inspirations for the design included a variety of sports, including directional snowboarding, surfing, and trick waterskiing.

The training hours were endless, but the dedication to his vision remained strong as he started by jumping off a cliff, landing on the sea, and getting into the right position to ride through a cave.

The project also required intense physical conditioning.

"There are a lot of impacts. I so had to train really well to meet the creative challenge I'd given myself."

"It was scary because I was going probably around 50 kilometers per hour just about three meters away from the beach."

Trust proved crucial with the people tasked with towing him through the very narrow caves, while we also see him jumping off a cliff, taking off his board in the air, and landing barefoot on the sea in an incredible sequence of control.

"I made everything I had originally planned to do when I designed that line, and I'm extremely happy," concluded Nikolas Plytas.

Glacier wakeboarding photo awarded at 2021 Red Bull Illume

2021-12-01T12:37:00+00:00

Markus Berger won the "Playground by Whitewall" category at the 2021 Red Bull Illume.

The Austrian photographer took the prestigious trophy for his shot of wakeboarder Dominik Hernler riding a meltwater stream inside a glacier.

The "Playground by WhiteWall" category is all about celebrating the incredible locations and environments where athletes get to play.

The physics of wakeboarding and water skiing

2021-09-28T11:14:35+00:00

Newtonian mechanics explains the forces involved in wakeboarding and water skiing across water when pulled forward by a motorboat.

The physics is the same for both.

As the board moves through the water, it accelerates a mass of water each second (m/dt) to a velocity (dv) diagonally down and forwards to create a force (Force DOWN = ma = m/dt x dv).

Timo Kapl storms the 2021 Red Bull Wake Capital

2021-08-08T12:52:55+00:00

Timo Kapl was the surprise winner of Red Bull Wake Capital.

The world's best wakeboarders descended on Hamburg, Germany, to tackle a hugely challenging course in the shadow of the iconic Elbphilharmonie concert hall.

Held in Hamburg's Sandtorhafen harbor, Red Bull Wake Capital saw 16 competitors take on a spectacular course.

The scenario was perfect and complete with shipping containers, industrial pipes, and excavators.

Each of the world-class wakeboarders would attempt to impress the judges by performing a series of tricks and kicks along the 240-meter track, which featured nine obstacles.

The Run of a Lifetime

Austria's Kapl would emerge victorious thanks to a memorable performance in his second superfinals run that included a backside 450 onto the drop-down rail right out of the gate.

This was enough to earn 86.66 points from the judges and take first place ahead of the pre-event favorites.

Thailand's Daniel Grant (84.66) claimed second and American rider Guenther Oka (81.00) finished third.

"I gave it my all and put in the run of my life," said Kapl.

"I'm super happy to have won here. I had a very bad injury two years ago and didn't know if I could come back again - and now this."

"The track here in Hamburg is totally unique. When I saw it for the first time, I was really overwhelmed by what kind of set-up was built here," added Grant, who finished second.

"We all had a lot of respect, but we were able to adjust well to the conditions during the two days of training and had a lot of fun today."

2021 Red Bull Wake Capital | Results

1. Timo Kapl
2. Daniel Grant
3. Guenther Oka

Waterskier Nikolas Plytas unveils slick tricks on snow

2021-03-02T15:11:11+00:00

Nikolas Plytas has made a name for himself with a series of challenging stunts, such as conquering the famous shipwreck at Elefsina.

The Greek waterskier's latest project saw him take to his board on snow as well as his beloved water.

The 25-year-old from Athens started in 2006 with a bullish ambition to not only break his own personal records but also smash longstanding records laid down by other athletes on the water.

Dakar Rally race truck tows wakeboarder Russian wakeboarder

2020-12-23T15:34:07+00:00

Russian wakeboarding star Nikita Martyanov and Kamaz-Master team driver Anton Shibalov broke down the borders between their two sports.

The duo put on a wakeboarding session powered by the rally-raid truck, which has dominated its Dakar Rally class in recent years.

The idea formed when Martyanov saw a photo of a Kamaz truck ripping down a levee across an artificial lake and thought to himself: "What if that mad truck towed me? I could do some sweet tricks."

And so the seeds of the project were planted.

The location for the stunt was a spot near Naberezhnye Chelny in west-central Russia. Chelny is the birthplace and testing ground of the legendary truck and the base of its racing team.

Finding the location, however, was the easy part. The practical part posed some greater challenges.

The team had to adjust the way the truck accelerated and the speed at which it traveled several times.

The position of the ramp was revised, and all the stones were cleared from the landing zone for safety.

"Our biggest problem was torque. We were trying to get a motorboat performance out of a race truck," explains Martyanov.

"The race truck is built to rip up the track; it's got mad torque numbers."

"At first, I thought that I could just plan the route as if I was following the motorboat: 'I'll just jump off of here, then go there, and it's gonna be fun and easy.'"

"Things were... different! We ran our first test - installed a ramp and dug out an area where I was going to land."

"When we were shooting the second take, I landed like a foot away from the rocks. I couldn't tell you the way it would go despite all my 23 years of experience in wakeboarding."

A New Role

Shibalov had to take on a new and unfamiliar role.

"Wakeboarding is a new experience for us all. Kamaz is a powerful vehicle; you've got to be careful around it. The first thing on my mind is getting off the start smoothly."

"Starting too fast will exert too much force on Nikita's hands and legs. A racing start will tear up his joints. This is why I start smooth and accelerate to the speed we need smoothly."

"Our vehicle can do that too, thankfully. Here's what was difficult, though - I can hardly see anything out of my cabin."

"I can see something when we start moving, and I can see Nikita jumping to perform the tricks in my mirrors. It's scary, really. I have to give him enough acceleration and speed to fly over the section of the road." "

"Because if I'm going too slow, below the speed we've discussed, he'll dive straight into rocks, and that will be my fault."

It took some test runs to get the truck and the wakeboard to start working in harmony.

Multiple Variables at Stake

There were a lot of factors at play: the truck's acceleration, the angle of Nikita's jump, and the speed of the jump above the levee, to name a few.

The speed and direction of the wind are also important here.

In snowboarding, motorcycle freestyle, and other trick-oriented sports, the athlete lands on an incline that dampens the contact with the ground.

In wakeboarding, the athlete lands on the flat water surface.

"I need to dampen all the power I get from accelerating with my body before I land," adds Martyanov.

"Usually, I enter the water with the bottom of the boards, then the knees start working, and finally, you crouch way down. You only get so many tries to do it. I don't think my chiropractor is going to approve of this."

Once these obstacles had been overcome, the project proved to be a great success, with the Kamaz-towed wakeboard tricks bigger than anticipated, even setting some records.

Martyanov achieved a 26-meter flight at 80 kilometers per hour, 10 meters above ground, landing on a level surface - nothing like that has been ever done in wakeboarding.

"The experience was tremendous - nobody's experienced torque like this before, that's for sure," he concludes.

"Just the feeling of being pulled by a Kamaz is a lot to take in, you know. You're bound to this huge crazy machine."

"And then there was the all-or-nothing jump I made. I don't think anybody in wakeboarding as much as came close to this!"

Omeir Saeed breaks two Guinness World Records

2020-11-20T15:21:05+00:00

Omeir Saeed has broken two new Guinness World Records (GWR) for the farthest wakeboard ramp jump and most wakeboard rail airs in 30 seconds.

The 23-year-old wakeboarder from Abu Dhabi eclipsed the long-standing mark by Jérôme Macquart.

In 2011, at the Al Forsan Club, a 15-year-old Saeed got into the water to "mess around" with his friends.

The teenager had a snowboarding background, which made things easier.

But it took three years for him to go from amateur to professional, and that rapid rise showcases his passion and the drive that is required to reach the top.

He entered the first WWA World Championship in Abu Dhabi and instantly displayed his natural ability by finishing in fifth place.

Inspiring Youth

Omeir Saeed also showed his competitive spirit in events like Desert Warrior Challenge, Spartan Race, and Wings For Life World Run.

On October 22, 2020, Saeed set out to break Jérôme Macquart's Guinness World Records for the farthest wakeboard ramp jump and most wakeboard rail airs in 30 seconds, set in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

The goal was to celebrate GWR Day on November 18 with two spectacular stunts.

Saeed achieved a huge 21-meter jump for the former record - smashing the previous mark of 15 meters - and then did ten wakeboard rail airs in 30 seconds to double the latter record.

"I learned from this experience that we hold a big responsibility to inspire the younger generation, to transfer the message, and share the passion," said the wakeboarder from the United Arab Emirates.

"The global recognition makes me proud as an Emirati. This is certainly the jewel in the crown of so many years of achievements and successes."

Wakeboarder rides Philadelphia's pink-lit Boathouse Row

2020-10-01T15:22:04+00:00

Meagan Ethell marked the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month by lighting up her backdrop in pink in a stunning series of wakeboarding photographs.

The 22-year-old has long worked to raise awareness for and funds against the threat of breast cancer and lit Boathouse Row, in Philadelphia, for the occasion.

Boathouse Row is a strip of 19th-century homes along the Schuylkill River, and Ethell chose the location having seen the marina lit in pink in previous years.

Nic Rapa and Meagan Ethell win 2020 wakeboard world titles

2020-09-03T15:55:50+00:00

Nic Rapa and Meagan Ethell have taken out the 2020 Nautique WWA Wakeboard World Championships, held in Pine Mountain, Georgia.

Rap put down a fantastic performance in the pro men's final, taking the overall title with a nearly flawless run of 95.00.

Nic threw down a mute mobe 5 and a double cab roll for the win.

In the women's division, Meagan Ethell also secured both the 2020 WWA Wakeboard World Series (WBWS) and 2020 Nautique Wake Series titles.

The 23-year-old's performance on Sunday was one of her best showings all year.

She put together a strong run, combining a perfect KGB and moby dick, earning a final score of 85.00.

Six World Titles

Coming into the weekend, Ethell knew she needed to give it her all in order to secure another championship title.

"2020 has been a year of adapting. Things have obviously been different this year, so I worked hard to maintain focus and do everything I could to stay strong and improve," says the newly-crowned world champion.

"Coming into the finals last weekend, I wasn't in first. I had one shot to put it all on the line, and that's what I did."

With Ethell's incredible performance in the finals, she secured her sixth world title, an impressive feat for the athlete who continues to raise the bar for women's wakeboarding.

In the wakeskate competition, Reed Hansen stormed the show at Robin Lake, showcasing his technical skills and landing a switch 360, T/S indy shuv, and a switch T/S F/S 180.

In the end, he took home the world title with a score of 75.00.