Wakeskating
Wakeboard vs. Wakeskate - devil's in the details!
Whether wakeboard or wakeskate - you ride both on the cable, behind a boat or on a winch. However, what looks very similar at first glance is completely contrasting, here's how each discipline differs
We take a closer look at the setup, boards and tricks of wakeboarders and wakeskaters. From there you'll quickly learn just what distinguishes a wakeboarder from a wakeskater.
The Setup
The biggest difference between the two setups is the binding..
- With wakeboarding, your feet are stuck in a binding and are thus firmly connected to the board. Just like snowboarding.
- A wakeskate is ridden just like a skateboard without bindings. Here skate shoes on the feet and griptape or foam rubber on the top of the board provide the necessary support. (Not at all unlike snowskating.)
Felix Georgii's wakeboard setup
© Felix Georgi
The wakeboard is my clear favorite simply because I can do it better. But wakeskating is a cool change for me...
The Board
Even if wakeboard and wakeskate are similar in structure, there are clear differences here too.
- The wakeskate is shorter and narrower, so overall smaller than the wakeboard.
- In contrast to the wakeboard, the wakeskate is often ridden without fins and with a flat underside. However, there are also wakeskates with a fin in the middle or two on the sides, depending on what the rider prefers.
- Where there are different outlines on the wakeboard, the wakeskate has a typically angular shape.
Similarities: The materials used to construct a wakeskate are no different from today's wakeboard. Common components are wood for the core of the board and plastic for the grindbase, fins and rails.
5 min
Wakeboarding in Bangkok
Take a scenic tour of Thailand's capital with Dominik Gührs as he navigates the waterways on his wakeboard.
The Tricks
When it comes to tricks, there are big differences that have a very simple reason: With wakeboarding, you are firmly connected to the board through the binding. Not with wakeskating. In principle, it is like comparing snowboarding and skateboarding.
You do smaller tricks on the wakeskate, but due to the lack of binding it is a lot more technical than on the wakeboard...
Wakeboard Tricks
- The firm binding gives you more security. This not only applies to landings, but also to flat tricks, spins and inverted airs.
- The fixed connection between board and rider enables completely different and versatile tricks.
- Wakeboarders can perform overhead tricks called inverts.
Felix Georgii Wakeboarding
© [unknown]
Wakeskate Tricks
- The wakeskate can be rotated under the feet in the longitudinal or lateral axis.
- Board and body rotations can be independent of each other.
- The shove-it, where the board rotates around the transverse axis under your feet, is a good beginner trick, just as in skateboarding.
- A little more advanced is a Big Spin, where the body is rotated 180º and the board rotates 360º at the same time.
I think the sport is super cool, I like to watch, but I don't do it myself because I just fall into the water too much...
3 min
Wakeskate reflection
Wakeskaters Brian Grubb and Matti Buys hit some iconic beachfront landmarks in Durban, South Africa.
