Choosing the right wakeboard gear can be a very important aspect to how much you enjoy your wakeboarding experience out on the lake. There are many different options to choose from and with all the new technology and improvements made in wakeboard equipment in recent years it has made the sport of wakeboarding that much more enjoyable. It seems as though every aspect of riding, from wakeboard bindings, helmets, ropes, wakeboard boats, and the actual boards themselves have seen some really drastic changes over the past 10 years or so.
The most important part when it comes time to decide the best wakeboard bindings for you is to decide what skill level you are at. A more advanced wakeboarder will probably be looking for a high end, high performing binding which may end up costing a little more money but ultimately will be better fitted for doing more advanced wakeboard tricks like different inverts and bigger spins. Even the cheap wakeboard bindings these days can be very beneficial for a beginner. Someone looking for wakeboard bindings for a beginner will obviously be looking for something a little different than someone who has been wakeboarding for a long time. Oddly enough the bindings that are cheap by today's standards were considered top of the line only a few short years ago. This is yet another testament to just how far along wakeboarding equipment has come all around. The most important thing about the binding that you choose is that the bindings are tight and secure. You do not want much movement at all inside the bindings. Any kind of heel lift or ability to move your ankle around too much inside the wakeboard binding will highly increase your likelihood of sustaining a wakeboard injury. Getting hurt is not fun and is especially bad at the beginning of the season. You will be forced to sit there in the boat and watch all your friends having fun all Summer long. There are a few different way to break in your wakeboard bindings. Some brands, such as Ronix, even have a heat molding system where you can have the exact contour of your foot perfectly fitted for your own binding. CWB wakeboard bindings come equipped with hinge technology that pops loose so that the binding is easy to get on and off. When the hinge is open you can easily slide your foot into the bindings, and once you flip the hinge it clamps down, locking your foot securely into place. Hyperlite has long been a big advocate of using laces and velcro binding straps to provide support in their wakeboard bindings. All of these methods work and are effective and it is simply a matter of personal preference.
Many riders nowadays are often asking themselves when to wear a wakeboard helmet. Quite honestly, with concussions being one of the biggest and most prevalent wakeboarding injuries out there it is always a good idea to wear a helmet. Companies are finally start to manufacture good wakeboard helmets that not only protect but also look good as well. Companies like ProTec, Bern, and Capix are a few of the ones who have really been instrumental in helping to get quality wakeboard helmets to a market where they were desperately needed. When hitting wakeboard sliders you should always wear a helmet. Any kind of wakeboard rail is made out of hard material and one mistake could mean slamming your head into it if you were to take a fall. Hitting sliders is dangerous enough as it is (I know I've had some bad falls on some of them) so make sure to always wear a helmet - there are plenty of other risks we take when riding a wakeboard and getting knocked unconscious from smacking your head on a slider without a helmet is one risk you just do not want to take. There is absolutely no question that anyone who is hitting a slider for the first time on a wakeboard should definitely be wearing a wakeboard helmet. When you first learn how to hit a slider you have to do it a few times to get used to how fast your wakeboard will slide across depending on the surface of the material the slider is made out of.
When it comes to wakeboard ropes you definitely will be looking for something that is non stretch. The best wakeboard ropes are the ones that do not stretch at all and are made of spectra. Some companies try to market ski ropes as being 'wakeboard ropes' but really they are just glorified ski ropes that have a wakeboard label attached to it. Some wakeboarding ropes have a plastic casing around them to help prolong the life of the rope and also to keep the friction from burning one's hands when being pulled through. I non stretch wakeboard rope will help you to get more air and really maximize your pop off the wake when doing jumps. Line tension is a huge factor in wakeboarding progression and even if you own a really expensive wakeboard boat with all the bells and whistles if you are using a stretch rope it will really hold you back. For raley based wakeboard tricks it is essential to use a non stretch rope because executing these tricks are almost 100% dependent on maintaining line tension throughout the trick. Another good reason is that wakeboard handles often are wider which helps control yourself in the air and can help to have more handle to use for handle passes when doing wakeboard spins.
These are just a few wakeboard tips regarding what gear to use and why to use it. As said previously, the technology and innovation in the sport of wakeboarding has come a long way in recent years so take advantage of what used to not be there. Now that you're armed with more information about wakeboard gear grab yourself some product and get out there on the water.
No comments:
Post a Comment