Specs Height: 6’1 Weight: 185 lbs. Dropped in: October 30th, 1984 Home Town: P-burg, WV Home Ride Spot: North Shore Maui and Colorado
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On the Water... Turning heads left and right as I ride strait off the beach into the water with my wakeskis at Kite Beach in Maui. I am usually in the waves or flying through the air working on new tricks any day there is good wind. All the moves I do kiteboarding & snowkiting are just as doable with the wakeskis and I have been pushing to get my level of riding as smooth and technical with the skis.
Off the Water… I have been traveling all over Colorado and surrounding states exploring backcountry terrain for snowkiting and hitting the resorts for powder days and terrain parks.
Plans for 2010… Keep pushing the progression of wakeskiing using my kite. My riding goals are to kill it in the waves on wakeskis and to push the wakestyle side more in the air. By doing this I hope to share the stoke with more riders and create a side of wakeskiing & kiting never seen before. I will be teaching in Maui if anyone wants to get with me to try it out or learn the kiting side of the sport.
Q & A
What’s up with Wakeskiing and how is it with a kite? Wakeskiing is an exciting sport much like freestyle snow skiing but on the water that gets a lot of people attention in Maui. The wakeskis took a few days to learn with the kite but I became efficient at staying upwind and making it back to the beach I started at after a few sessions. The kite is a great tool to wakeski with because you decide where you go and its cheaper then a boat or cable park. The possibilities are pretty limitless in the ocean I just wish we had some sliders set up……
The Cable seems to be going off, why all the progression there? The cable is a guarantee to riding nearly every day you want and the sliders are sick. All of the guys that are committed to the sport are progressing there because there is almost no down time and others riders to push them.
How’s your wake riding? My riding is definitely as original as it gets because I have taught myself with my kites on the North Shore in Maui. My level has been continually improving every session I have been out, from riding waves to boosting big. I have been able to spin stylish 1080s and land all the same moves from kiteboarding. Ideally, I want my riding to have more of a wakestyle influence in it like the cable guys but also to show the possibilities in waves and doing big inverted jumps.
The first competition went down, The Wakeski Open, how was that experience? My experience was from Maui and I watching the youtube videos of the riders after the competition was over. I will say it pumped me up and helped with my progression to see these guys throwing down at such a high level on the cable. Mad props to all the competitors.
What’s something everyone should know about Wakeskiing? I have had a blast wakeskiing in Maui and the people at the beaches have given nothing but support and praise for riding skis instead of a board. Everyone likes to see new sports and I am stoked to be the one in Hawaii showing what is possible if you commit to something you believe is possible. Wakeskiing has brought a lot of fun and excitement to my life and I hope it will do the same for you.
What’s something everyone should know about you? I love wind.
