Wakeskating is a water sport and an adaptation of wakeboarding that employs a similar design of board manufactured from maple or from fibreglass. Unlike wakeboarding, the rider is not bound to the board in any way, which gives the sport its own unique challenges. Instead, the top surface of the board is covered with griptape, (in a similar fashion to a skateboard) or a soft, high-traction, foam covering that is kinder to riders in the inevitable crashes. Riders usually wear shoes while riding to afford themselves extra purchases on the board, similar to skateboarding.The speed which you wakeskate at behind a motor boat is generally 16 – 20 miles per hour. But this depends on things like water conditions, rider’s weight and if they are just learning or advanced in the sport.
Some of the earliest riding to resemble wakeskating dates back to the late '70s and early '80s with freeboarding or wakesurfing. Originally, riders would surf behind boats with long boards, but eventually the evolution leaned towards boards that were much shorter (ex:4'8) which allowed riders to launch airs off the wake and even ollie. However, the watersports industry leaned strongly towards bindings, resulting in the focused evolution of wakeboarding. Wakeskating would eventually begin to take notice in the mid '90s, and the growth continued. It is increasingly popular in youth culture across the globe, but is prevalent mainly in its country of origin, the United States. An aspect of wakeskating that draws many aficionados to it, as opposed to wakeboarding, is progression without the need for the large and extremely expensive boats. An alternative to using wakeboard boats to tow riders is using high powered jet skis, ski boats or the cable ski systems. This method of watercraft can provide an adequate tow, with little or no wake. Jet skis are better for shallow water or where water obstacles are available to perform tricks on. Another recently popular way of wakeskating is behind a winch made specifically for wakeskating.
Wakeskating tricks are inherently more technical than wakeboarding. The tricks are based firmly on skateboarding as opposed to snowboarding.
