GetOut Magazine

Wake skating, wake surfing popping up on Arizona lakes
By ERIC PHILLIPS
Get Out
June 5, 2003

For natural-born surfers trapped in landlocked Arizona, the six-hour drive to the perfect swell just got a lot shorter. That's because the perfect wave is curling behind a boat at nearby Valley lakes such as Saguaro.

Thanks to wake surfing, the latest innovation in water sports, all you need is a boat and a surfboard and you can shred a lake like its the North Shore.

Ive surfed a (lake) wave for 30 minutes, says Lance Robinson, one of Arizonas wake surfing pioneers. That couldnt happen in the ocean. Its safer, more convenient and theres no sharks or reefs.

The concept behind wake surfing, which actually predates wakeboarding but didnt become popular until two years ago, is simple.
First, the rider gets up using a rope similar to wake boarding. Then the boat slows down to about 10 mph so it kicks up a massive wake. Atop the surfboard, the rider maneuvers three to five feet behind the back of the boat, where the wake is the steepest.

Once inside this trough, wake surfers can toss the rope into the back of the boat and literally ride an endless wave. Because they are so close to the back of the boat, though, wake surfers never use outboard boats.

For first-time wake surfer Matt Olsen, who grew up surfing the beaches of California, surfing boat waves instead of ocean waves has its pros and cons.

You dont get pummeled paddling out, its easier to catch a wave, theres no crowds and you can ride forever, says the 26-year-old Gilbert resident. But youre limited in what you can do. Theres not as much adrenaline.

Although Robinson agrees with Olsen that a boats three-foot wake will never match the rush of a 10-foot swell, he says theres still plenty to do.

You wont get bored, says Robinson, who rips up the wakes of Saguaro Lake three times a week. I can do slides, ollies and aerials from wake to wake.

Robinson, 32, will test his skills June 12 in Merced, Calif., when he competes for a $10,000 purse in the first pro wake surf competition. The sudden mainstream popularity of wake surfing surprises many, including Mesa pro wake boarder Brett Brinkerhoff.

Ive been wake surfing for a long time, says Brinkerhoff, who operates a private wake boarding school that also teaches wake skating and wake surfing. But it was always just something to do in between wakeboarding. I never imagined winning money.

Before wake surfing became popular, wake boarders combined their passion on asphalt with their passion on water and created wake skating, similar to wake boarding, but done wearing running shoes atop a smaller board without mounted bindings.

Lance Foster, an avid wake boarder from Gilbert who goes to Saguaro Lake at least once a week, heard about wake skating but never bothered trying it.

It just seemed like wake boarding except when you jumped, the board flew off your feet, says Foster, 26, who wake skated for the first time last week. Once I tried it, I realized it stays on pretty easily. Its like wake boarding but freer. I could get addicted.

Mesa resident C.K. Rogers knows the feeling. He became addicted to wake skating a year ago and now prefers it to wake boarding.

I skateboarded growing up so it came natural to me, says Rogers, 25, who plans to compete in pro events this summer. The technique is the same, but it doesnt hurt as bad when you fall.

Robinson believes wake surfing and wake skating are just the latest cogs in a natural evolution of water sports.

First people surfed the ocean, which bred water skiing, then wake boarding, then wake skating and now wake surfing. It seems like weve come full circle, but Im sure well come up with something new.

Buying a wake surfboard
Although many people use regular surfboards, water sport companies have started to market boards specifically for wake surfing, claiming these boards give riders more mobility to do tricks and turns than regular surfboards. Heres a price list of three boards sold at Century Marine (1446 E. Main St., Mesa, ):
Inlandsurfer Green Room Board for riders 6 feet tall, 150 pounds to 200 pounds ($250)

Inlandsurfer Blue Lake Board for smaller riders ($250)

Inlandsurfer Red Chubby, a smaller board designed to maximize tricks ($379)

Buying a wake skate
There are many brands of wake skates, ranging from $79 to $249. Melanie Bosley, who has been selling wake skates to riders since the sport was invented, says different boards work for different people. Fins or no fins, grip-tape top or foam top, long or short, are just some of the many variations to take into consideration. Bosley, who works at Century Marine in Mesa, advises people to demo boards before buying.

Three ways to get up when wake surfing
Dock start: Sit on a dock with the handle. Place your feet on the board shoulder width apart and let the driver slowly pull you off the dock.

Wake board start: Float on your back with the handle in your hands and your heels shoulder width apart on the board (between you and the boat). When the driver pulls you up, push your heels down, forcing the board to flip flat under your feet.

Belly start: Lay on your belly on the board with the handle in your hands. Once the driver starts, slowly stand up just like surfing, but with one hand on the handle.

Upcoming events

Fully Committed Tour
When: June 21
Where: Lake Pleasant
How much: Free
Info: People can try new boards and get free instruction from professional wake boarders and wake skaters Ricky Gonzales and Randy Harris. Its free to sign up. Contact Century Marine at for more information.

World Wake surf Championships
When: June 12-14
Where: Lake Yosemite, Merced, Calif.
Info: For more information, go to www.centurionboats.com