Got your wakeboarding gear sorted and ready to get started? Below we’re going to look at the different types of wakeboarding, where to go wakeboarding, and how to find wakeboard partners.
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Types Of Wakeboarding
Question: what type of wakeboarding are you going to get involved with?
This basically comes down to one thing; do you have a boat (or jet ski), or not?
Towing
If you’ve got a boat or jet ski, and a space of open water, you can wakeboard as and when you please.
There are some wake schools that use boats to tow students, but you’ll find most of wakeboarding parks use a cable system.
Using a boat is certainly not the cheapest way to start wakeboarding. You’ll be adding thousands of dollars to the start-up cost of your new hobby.
We’ve created a quick guide to buying wakeboard boats here.
Cable Parks
As the name suggests, the tow at these parks comes from a network of cables.
As the parks don’t need a boat, fuel, or a driver, the sessions here are going to be a lot cheaper.
So, as a beginner, that’s the type of park you want to head for.
Where To Find Wakeboarding Near You
You’ve probably never drove past a wakeboarding park, but that doesn’t mean they’re not out there.
In fact, there are literally 1,000s of parks across the globe.
Although it’s not a comprehensive list, there’s a good interactive map over at US Cable Wake Parks.
Don’t let the name fool you, it’s a global resource.
There’s also a UK specific resource over at Wake HQ that lists all the best parks.
And, it would be rude not to mention a friend of mine.
He’s built a wakeboard park in Warwickshire, UK, from scratch.
Go and checkout his FaceBook page to see what’s going on at his park, Spot On Wake.
Finding Wakeboarding Partners
The best global resource to find partners for almost any sport, is Meetup.com.
They’ve got a group for wakeboarders. It’s got over 30,000 members and there’s nearly 100 meetups posted globally.
You can join the group by clicking here.
Apart from Meetup.com, the best way to find people to go wakeboarding with, is to head to your local park.
Most wake parks will have a jam night. Instead of lessons for beginners, it’s a kind of free-for-all where everyone is just out to have fun, and try out some new wakeboarding tricks.
Naturally, this brings in all the regulars, so there’s a good chance you’ll meet a group to hang out with, and learn a few techniques from in the process!
- Next: How To Wakeboard: Stance, How To Get Up, Turning, & Tricks
- Previous: Wakeboarding Gear: The Essential Kit You’ll Need To Get Started