It’s been 8 years…8 years since the Unleashed adven-ture began…Born at the back of a camper van in Aus-tralia, the crazy idea of creating a magazine 100% dedi-cated to wakeboarding came from two things: The first thing, which is probably the more honorable reason, is the passion for this sport that continues to motivate us to publish an issue every 2 months with a content full of diversity, originality and authenticity. The second is a little less glamourous…I mean, what a crazy idea to start up that kind of project? A wakeboarding maga-zine? What a weird idea! As the number of wakeboar-ders at the time didn’t exceed the 5000 mark, it became quiet obvious that economically, things were going to be pretty tense. It was the opinion of a lot of market sta-keholders, except for a few guys that we would like to thank, who were just as crazy and as passionate as us.

So anyway, it was in the back of this camper van that our doubts were washed away. What the hell you may ask? Well yeah, it’s a bit like the story of that guy who, completely drunk one night, asks his one night stand to go to Vegas to get married and make a baby, right there and then on the bonnet of the car…Rest assured, neither Phil nor I had this experience but it was kind of in those circumstances that, after drinking a few beers (in mo-deration of course) we morally signed the non official launch of our project: To create Unleashed wake maga-zine. A crazy project that took 15 days, 1 hour, 5 minu-tes and 10 seconds of serious and careful elaboration. 15 days in Australia, 5 packs of beer drank in 1 hour, the name of a magazine found in 5 minutes and an agree-ment signed in 10 seconds…That’s how Unleashed was born 6 years ago. We wish you a long life baby!

The house of marleyThe Stir It Up On-Ear Headphones offer a real uninterrupted experien-ce. You can hear the bass, the drum-beat and every colorful melody the way they should be heard. Made with Bob Marley’s vision in mind, these On-Ear Headphones are made with natural materials that are held to the highest environmental stan-dard. On-ear design for exceptional comfort even during long listening sessions. 15Hz - 22kHz frequency response adds clear sound reproduc-tion. And a 40-millimeter dynamic moving coil speaker drive for sound reinforcement. Right-angled, 3.5-millimeter gold-plated connector designed to fit with a variety of de-vice cases and create a high-quality connection for sound. Recyclable aluminum ring that’s high quality, adds to durability and keeps mate-rials out of the waste stream. The 52» fabric cord helps reduce tangles and is specially engineered to cut down on static so you get that clear sound. The packaging is made from pulp, recycled plastics and recycled paper, and less of them, to cut down on what goes in the waste stream. We urge you to please recycle these packages.www.thehouseofmarley.com

New EraNew Era Japan’s offering for Spring -Summer 2012 features seven different colorways to choose from, as well as a wide assortment of styles. Officially, the collection boasts backpacks, waist bags, messenger bags, daypacks, reversible duf-fel bags, 4-way totes, knapsacks and shoe-sacks. Built out of materials meant to last, colors include black, white, deep purple, sky blue, red, brown, green and washed cotton green. Stay tuned for official price points as well as availability on places to purchase the New Era Japan Collection.www.newera.com

DunkelvolkBoardshort Adam Fields Pro Model AF-2. 100% polyester, sublimated print «Rash» boardshort. Rear zip pocket. Side seam. Vents on hem. Ball saver. Waterproof bag.www.dunkelvolk.com

FollowChris o wanted a handle that was so-lid and effective. We created it. We used a Hydro-tak grip which gets sticky when wet, full non stretch Dynema rope with a hexagon sha-ped bar for grip and comfort. Add a team tbar wrap handle, what more do you need? We teamed it up with a 80ft team mainline.. Made with a Dy-neema core for superior strength and non-stretch performance, without the hassle of tangles and smooth in your hands due to the polyurethane coa-ting. 80ft rope 50,10,5,5,5,5 total 85ft with Handle.www.followmenow.com

BillabongBillabong Revolution Series. Superflex neoprene, moisture wicking and heat re-taining lining, welded seams, boa chest zip entry- easy in and out, comfortable collar with water tight seal, strategically placed seams, Wrist and ankle grippers and pre-bent anatomic paneling. 3/2mm www.billabong.com

NixonWatercolors splash across the vibrant case and bracelet of a cool watch with a numberless sunray dial. The 42-20 Chrono watch is the little brother of the 51-30 and is designed for those looking for a watch that is sleeker and slimmer or one designed for smaller wrists but that still makes a strong impression. The 42-20 Chrono comes in equipped with either a stainless steel or polyu-rethane band and can be adjusted to fit nearly any size wrist. This watch fea-tures a full chronograph and also a date window for any additional time telling needs you may have.www.nixon.com

IONThe younger brother of the Onyx Voltage also co-mes in a revised design with a front zip construc-tion and panellayout which makes it the first choi-ce for surfing. Awesome flex and wearing comfort in an affordable great looking package. Mid price range. www.ion-essentials.com

Deepsea Power & LightIn response to growing demand from customers, DeepSea Power & Light (DeepSea) has developed a powerful LED retro-fit insert for the popular 150W HID Thru-Hull SeaLite®. The success of the original 150W HID Thru-Hull SeaLite® established DeepSea as a leader in underwater lighting for boats. Now, thou-sands of boat owners can upgrade from HID techno-logy to the latest in LED technology without changing the fitting in the boat hull thanks to the new Matrix® 150FS Thru-Hull SeaLite® Insert. Even customers with lights that are nearly 10 years old can enjoy the benefits of LED technology. www.deepsea.com

FOXThese iconic styles from our SP12 collection have taken their inspi-ration from the dynamic prints seen on our 2012 motocross gear. It’s not only about looking good on the bike. The Fox Head logo is re-nowned globally for being a brand that is synonymous with quality, performance and design. Since its inception, Fox’s commitment to producing only the finest products has transcended sports gear, appa-rel, footwear, accessories and eyewear. Fox sets high standards and that shows through in every product made. Available from selected dealers throughout Europe.www.foxhead.com

JOBEMidseason 2012 Jobe will introduce the Jobe Surf’sup. The Surf’sup is Jobe’s brand new inflatable SUP board. SUP stands for Stand Up Paddle (surfing). It is one of the ear-liest forms of surfing and is now one of the fastest growing water sports.The SUP can be used in both (small) swells as well as on flat water and provides the user with a great core workout while exploring rivers, lakes or the sea.The SUP’s dimensions are: 10’6’’ (height) x 30’’ (width) x 4’’ (thickness) and it’s made out of 660D 2600gm2 PVC coated drop stitch material, with 1000D top and bottom PVC reinforcement. Therefore it’s very stable and easy to use. It comes with an adjustable aluminum paddle that fits all size users. Also included in the package are a high-pressure hand pump with gauge, detachable fins, ankle leash and a heavy-duty tarpaulin carrying bag.www.jobesports.com

CanvassedapparelSTZ is a wake, skate, surf, snow clothing com-pany geared towards promoting the fun in sports. We use our experience and passion for the board-sport culture to shape the STZ apparel line, stri-ving to make quality products with emphasis on fit and style – if we can’t see ourselves wearing it, it won’t be part of the STZ line. Currently, the STZ line consists of graphic tees, pocket tees and outerwear, all of which have stocked or custom options.www.canvassedapparel.com

SPYWhether your thing is trance, techno, pop, or death, speed or black metal, you don’t need a passport to pimp these oversized Euro-rocker shades. Guy or girl, it doesn’t matter—just suit up in your favorite banana hammock or bikini and future shock the funk out of your face with these badass shades.www.spyoptic.com

RonixLeave it to Bill to design a series that has a different skate like feel on the water for water jockey sledders behind the boat, or at a cable park. A board for the move-ment of longer rope lengths, big-ger wakes and faster boat speeds comes equipped with our super fast/durable Sintered Base ma-terial. He created a shape for the modern day wakeboarder with an improved drag coefficient and a super fast rocker with a higher degree of angle in the tip/tail. Bill loves to indulge in all sorts of big words like drag coefficient. He’s a smart guy and knows what the next generation of riders are loo-king for in a really fast ride. The widest stance options available for the most in board control on rails. Bill came up with this year’s artwork together with Frank. The boys logged some hours camping in the great Northwest, partying with some girl scout camp coun-selors. Until the ladies dumped ‘em from putting on too many lbs. eating their chocolate chip cookies.www.ronixwake.com

BOOMThe BOOM Movement [Born on Original Motives] rose out of Southern California’s culture of renegades: street artists, surfers, extreme sports fanatics and un-derground musicians.Never content with being part of the uninspired masses, BOOM’s Founders seek to quality sound products, art, and clothing that reflect the BOOM lifestyle.By doing so, we endeavor to un-leash an uprising against precon-ceived molds; and to encourage free thinkers everywhere to defy tradition, push the limits and act on original motives.www.boommovement.com

MyPakageDo you ever feel that you need to change your life? Wouldn’t you want every God given day to feel noticeable better? Alright then, it’s an easy two step process. Step the first, clean out your lousy, crusty, tired unde-rwear collection. Second step, fill that void with My Pakage underwear. That’s it, it’s just that simple. My Pakage is tagging their patented unde-rwear technology as a game changer, and that’s exactly what it is.www.mypakage.com

GloryfyThe gloryfy G6 model in black and brown. Special g-flex® material makes frame, lense and temples are 100% unbreakable and shiver-freehighly elastic and flexible and always returns to the original shape: memory effect. Modular system click mechanism enables the side.pieces and frames to be put together and taken apart quickly and simply. Len-ses/ sheets have the highest optical quality rating due to the fine-tuned prismatic correction. Super leight weight.www.gloryfy.com

VestalVestal Windrose: Hand formed acetate frame, with stainless steel arms and acetate temple tips. 5 barrel hinges. Featuring Optics by Carl Zeiss CR39 lenses providing 100% UVA – UVB protection.www.vestalwatch.com

DeflexionDEFLEXION™ brand from Dow Corning is teaming up with Matt Crowhurst to demonstrate how DEFLEXION™ technology can be used by impact protection hardware and apparel designers to create tailored, customized impact protection equipment for action sports athletes. DEFLEXION™ technology, a patent-pending silicone-based impact protection textile, is already incorporated in products by some of the worlds leading sports brands including Henri Lloyd, Scott, Evoc, Klim, Rukka and more, from body armor to insoles. Matt Crowhurst has been riding at the highest level for over 15 years. From wake-boarding to wakeskating, rail riding, winching, contests and freeriding Matt is involved in every aspect of the sport on the water and off, and is now heading up the DEFLEXION™ brand Ambassador program-me “Having broken my ribs a number of times and just like every other rider out there, taken a good few crashes out on the water as well as on rails, the idea of protecting myself more from these kind of hits is an appealing one.” Matt’s signature impact vest has been designed from scratch with Dow Corning utilizing their DEFLEXION™impact textiles to improve the level of impact protection provided for wake-boaders while still offering the same level of comfort, flexibility and performance when wet that exists in most slim line impact jackets on the market. Alongside Matt, multiple Freeride World Champion and big mountain snowboarding legend Xavier De Le Rue has developed his own baselayer body armour using DEFLEXION™ technology. He has been able to achieve the level of protection he needs without inhibiting his movement and therefore performance. “When I’m on a mountain, I’m focused on being creative in my approach to a run, while at the same time tuning in to the nature and power of what sur-rounds me, Wearing customized impact protection gear that incorpo-rates DEFLEXION™ technology gives me the freedom of movement, agility and confidence to test my skills in any situation I face.” DE-FLEXION™ shock absorbing textiles are available in different thic-kness, weights, flexibilities, and levels of impact protection, offering designers many options to create protective gear for a vast range of uses and applications. “We’re delighted to be working with these two experienced athletes. Matt and Xavier will experience first-hand the benefits of DEFLEXION™ impact protection technology. ” said Joy Govitz, marketing manager for Dow Corning “We are working with Matt and Xavier right now to understand their individual needs and build DEFLEXON™ technology accordingly into their protective gear, giving them the comfort and protection they need.” Look out for the DEFLEXION™ brand Ambassador Series videos, documen-ting Matt and Xavier experiencing the use of this material from the drawing board to water and mountain.

KickerMounting powerful 6 ½-inch KICKER speakers for external listening in marine and powersport appli-cations just got easier with KICKER’s durable and weather-proof KM-Series Tower-Speaker Empty En-closures.Kicker KMTES Empty EncolosureThe KM-Series Tower-Speaker Enclosures come in two models - one for dual sets of drivers or one for a single pair of dri-vers, satisfying the listener’s need for different instal-lation combinations. The enclosures were designed with a nine-degree axis rotation in either direction, allowing the speaker cans to be aimed in the most desirable location to deliver maximum sound quality. Slotted mounting holes accommodate different bolt patterns.These tough ABS speaker enclosures include polyfill, mounting hardware, aluminum tower-pipe clamps (2-5/8-inch), and three sizes of mounting adapters for the most popular pipe diameters (2-1/4, 2-3/8, 2-1/2). KICKER also offers the KMTAP Tower Enclosure Adapter Pack (sold separately) for fitting several other pipe sizes.With its bold cosmetics, the black-textured KM enclo-sures with contrasting accent details complement any KICKER’s 6 ½-inch coaxial, component and marine speakers the listener chooses – these enclosures will house any of them. The stainless-steel speaker termi-nals provide quick and easy wire connections.www.kicker.com

HazardousIf you are all about extreme sports and respect the en-vironment, then Hazardous Eco-friendly clothing is the one for you. As a french 100% organic streetwear and accessories brand, we live for stylish clothing, as well as looking out for the planet we ride on. You can disco-ver more about our lifestyle brand, products, sponso-red events and team riders at www.hazardous.fr or join the Organic revolution at www.facebook.com/hazar-dous.wear.www.hazardous.fr

SooruzSooruz teeshirts 2012 model are in stores and are pret-ty dope! Check it out.www.sooruz.com

PatagoniaPatagonia has announced that it will debut its new R1 wetsuit, which has been designed specifically for use in warm water, for the Spring 2012 season. The R1 wetsuit, made with li-mestone-based neoprene and lined with recycled po-lyester and spandex, has the highest recycled content of any wetsuit currently on the market.www.patagonia.com

ElectricDecending from the heavens, sealed in metal casings. Elec-tric’s «Color Bomb» series, dropping in an explosion of bri-ght frames and mirrored lenses. BOOM! Color Bomb featured frames are available in the Capt. Ahab, Flip Side, Riff Raff, Shaker, Knoxville, Tonette, Caffeine, Venice, Rosette, Vol and the Hoodum. Check out the entire Color Bomb series at elec-tricvisual.comwww.electricvisual.com

Nike .Boardshort 6.0 LEGACY GS.www.nike6.com

JobeNew and as a mid-season release we bring you the limited Edition Anarchy Series with a clean & sparkling top and an aggressive base graphic! • The Anarchy has unique carbon flex layup inspi-res a free ride lively feel • The smooth rolled edge helps to pre-vent the board from splitting at the edges. The rolled edge posi-tions the seams of the edges at the top-side of the board instead of at the base. This way you can hit kickers and sliders without any worries about your edge. Furthermore, it makes the board sit higher in the water for more speed • A completely flat top for a snappier more lively board to binding feel • Durable built in ABS/plastic reinforcements in-side the fins and the rails of the board to help the board sustain and live better thru rail grind and other park use. ABS is a very strong and durable solid ther-moplastic • The four reinforced in molded fins are super strong, grind ready and they also help improve the board’s has grip in the water and provide stability when landing • 2.7” Hybrid Roc-ker • Two 1.0” polycarbonate center fins.www.jobesports.com

WESCThe classy and stylish Banjo headphones from Wesc will keep you company on all your journeys. With 40mm speakers, these stereo headphones are compatible with all telephones and audio players with 3.5mm jack. And the Banjo headphones come in se-veral colourwww.wesc.com

GATORZ20 years in the making, Gatorz is no stranger to the visionary world. With age comes respect and wisdom. Gatorz breathes technology and holds pa-tents to blueprints that are years ahead of its time. While touring the futu-ristic laboratories that have become Gatorz, we stumbled across a hidden gem…the original 1990’s frames that started it all. One look at these vibrant classics and we knew it was time to enter the plastic paranormal and “save face.” We arrived at this point, aged like a fine wine, with 20 years of tech-nical know-how and optical knowledge. Today’s fashions and trends re-present the future and pay homage to the past. Gatorz has developed a new collection that caters to all. Everyone has their own vizion and we create products to see those through. Make your vizion crystal clear. Welcome to the new Gatorz…www.gatorz.com

MysticMystic Force Wake Vest D3O. M-Flex (Tri-span) 100%, glide skin neoprene, d3o shock foam in side and back, overhead instep, anato-mical fit, asymmetric design, water repellent, segmented foam core, oversized arm holes and slim fit body.www.mysticboarding.com

HumanoidPlank Wakeboard: The all new 2012 Plank is back with more mods than your cousin’s Honda. A new custom formulated Indestructoid Base and continuous rocker line was designed for cable days when you want to keep the rollers at bay. The plank has a softer flex in the tip and tail for maximizing feel and control on rails. More chops in the middle translates to just the right amount of forgiveness behind the wake. If you enjoy jibbin’ and jivin’ in the winter, hijack this ride for snappier ollies, quicker carves, and a buttery smooth jib fest.Oracle Wakeboard: Made With Care, Ridden Without! Chopped, screwed, and put through the blender of abuse by our riders, the Oracle gets an updated de-sign but still maintains that familiarity our riders have grown to love. We’ve in-creased the thickness in the mid-section for a more abrupt response off the wake and added just the right amount of flex on the ends for softer landings. Feel the need for speed? The new minimal double concave base tapers to a flat tip and tail for stylish presses and fast airs.1up Pure Gold Edition Wakeboard: Behold! Stuffed with more gems than the mouth of your favorite rapper, the 1up is heavy hitter team choice behind the scenes. Long awaited and heavily scrutinized, the 1up takes everything you’ve come to love about the “flex” paradigm and smacks it in the family jewels. The 1up’s aggressive contours maximize stiffness through the center and keep it li-ghtning fast behind the boat. A slight taper end to end reduces weight and adds just the right amount of stiffness to boost off the dubs. This is as pure as it gets.1up Chris O’Shea Edition Wakeboard: The 1up Chris O’Shea edition graphic is a byproduct of Keith Jensen and his artistic weapon of choice - the Krink® marker. Chris worked with Keith on a graphic that personified the same feeling of fun and excitement Chris O. has living the endless summer. Keith put those ideas to paper and created a graphic every bit as eye catching as Chris O.’s tra-demark riding style.www.humanoidwake.com

FOXFox Deadstock Boardshorts pretty much speak for themselves with an awesome all-over print made up ofan amalgam of old-school Fox logos all on super comfortable and super durable Mech Stretch fabric. Mech-Stretch fa-bric offers 4-way stretch that stretches up to 107% of its original length. Se-cure fit stays on the waist with concea-led Micro Rigid Tape sewn in the top of the soft lined waistband. Progressive fit offers slimmer fit that sits at knee with tapered leg opening. Scoop hem at front seam prevents shorts from catching on the knee. Detachable wax comb in side zip pocket. Velcro fly and drawstring waist. 100% polyester mech stretch. 20 outseam.www.foxhead.com

Sony G-TankThe Sony G-Tank is a powerful Hi-Fi System with iPho-ne/iPod dock. It can also play audio from cd’s and gaming systems via USB port. The system has double illuminated 2 ways speakers at 220 watt power output. The G-Tank is also equipped with two 4cm tweeters to provide you with a complete range of sounds. It is a portable system as there are two handles mounted in front of the unit and there is also a remote which can control your iDevice when doc-ked. The 2 speakers light up with the beat of your music but can be turn off when desired. The G-Tank gives lis-teners the sounds of full speaker setup in one convenient device. It has received great reviews and is highly recom-mended.www.sony.com

Hey Steffen! How are you today? You rode a lot this winter, didn’t you?Hey Raynald, I am doing great.Thank you. Yeah I had such a great winter with a lot of riding in Thailand and Phillipines..

Last year, you won the Sooruz Wake’n’Country due to your versatility. You’re good on air tricks, kicker, rails… Can you explain to us why and how did you get so versatile?I was really young when I started waterskiing ( 5 years old ) and Wakeboarding when I was 11 or something. Maybe that’s why I have a lot of experience and a good feeling for the water that makes everything a lot easier. One more reason could be that we have so many good cableparks with so many sick obstacles in Germany which is the best «Training-facility». When all waterskicables became Wakeparks I almost stopped doing inverts and totally focused on rails etc… but I still had that trick-repertoire on Air tricks. This year, the Sooruz Wake’n’Country has the normal format of the WWA. Do you think it will be more difficult for you?This year it´s going to be more difficult for me. But I have to say that I really enjoyed the competition last year. Not because I won, but just because it was so much fun!! It felt like freeriding and that will be gone with the usual format. But it’s still going to be one of the best comps of the year!

What do you think about the actual competion rules?So first of all, there needs to be rules... otherwise the competition would not be fair. Judging would become impossible. I don´t really know the rulebooks of each federation, maybe I should, but there has never been a rule which made me feel that I wasn’t beeing treated right or something, that’s why I think they are ok.

In which format do you think you have more chance? Cable comp? Obsta-cle only? Kicker contest? Ping Pong?The Jam-format you had last year was the best for me I think…There would be no other possibility for me to beat Dominik again. He’s just crazy and doesn´t care about anything.

Did winning last year change something in your carrier?Yeah definitely. It was the first comp with Slingshot, and winning that contest on a totally different board gave me a lot of confidence and made the relationship really strong!

How was your winter training ? Did you film a lot?Thailand was great…with so many great people…I landed my first 1080 and had so much fun! We did a lot of filming in the Phillipines where we had a 2 week stay. You can check out the clips on editude.tv!

What are your goal for 2012?Riding as much as I can, travelling as much as I can, and having good times with my friends! I love having good sessions before a competition with every-body…I hope I have loads of those!

Will we be able to ride a Slingshot Vollert pro model soon? Last winter I had a lot of input with a new CableBoard that Slingshot wanted to design. It´s called «the WHIP», and you can ride it already!

It’s been a while since we’ve been wondering when the next generation of wakeskaters will finally arrive. Ok, so most wakeskaters have a decent level on most spots in the world and many of them can do flip tricks for example, but whe-re’s the real new generation, the one that’s going to shake up the big names in wakeskating such as Nick Taylor and Ben Horan? Of course there’s the young Daniel Grant, but I’m not talking about aliens here, this game is for normal people…If there’s one wakeskater to follow very closely in the next couple of years, it’s Clément Deprémonville. This youngster from Toulouse hasn’t stopped progressing and continues to amaze everyone that has seen him evolve on a wakeskate and perfects his style by ridding with Léo Labadens whe-never he can. He has the perfect mentor and an awesome style!In termes of technique, he’s probably one of the best. For example, at the inauguration of the Projekt Wake Park in Saverdun France, Clément threw down lines that most pros would envy. On the same line, he did FS bigger spin, flip, flip front, switch big spin, flip back…Enough to make some pros blush don’t you think?So in less than 3 years of wakeskating, Clément has reached a pretty high level and nothing seems to be stopping him. Always running to the starting dock, this kid is a real ball of energy topped up with an evident gift for wakeskating.Today, Clément has a few sponsors to help him realize his dream of becoming pro one day. The first to understand the importance of putting this young prodigy in the lime light were Electric Eyewear and Landing. And the good news is that Clément is now ridding for the famous Toulouse shop “Boardstore”. He rides a Remote Wakeskate that he got through the shop, but my bets are that a board sponsorship will be coming his way pretty quickly…

Môt is an unsual character. A lazy ball of nerves, a Dali styled realist who is passionate about his latest passion and who writes to better draw!In 2005, while studying communications where he learns little but stays curious, he stumbles across images of WK Interact they become an instant trigger. He starts off by drawing, then designing and filming (R255), but soon becomes very inte-rested by the streets.Through his character Môtus, a sort of crafty car-rier pigeon, he sets off to express himself on the walls of Barcelona, London, Paris, Phnom Penh etc and comes back each time full of tales of new encounters, blunders and adrenaline!If we’re so interested in Môt, it’s also because of the work he does in his workshop in Toulouse, where he lives in the south of France. This ex pu-blicity creator with a witty talk back writes punch lines that inspire his canvases, who are often very colorful to mask the darkness behind their themes. He repeatedly tags his name using a vandal style or copies the graphics of postal stamps and trans-forms them into the image of his pigeon.With his latest expo “correspondances”, he flirts with conceptual art by building letter boxes that become the background of his canvases. They be-come a support between the artist “sender” and the public “recipient”.You can find Môt at the Underground Gallery, inside the Charing Cross underground station in London for the vernissage on the 6th of June.“Man looks towards the skies while weeping his past while his future dies beneath his feet” Môt ©-So let your board live beneath yours!Peace and happy shredding!

It’s no longer breaking news that obstacles who are broadly inspired by snowboarding and skating are the latest fashion in every cable park on planet. Rails and kickers were obviously the first to take over the cable parks, but today amongst the latest obstacles that are 100% inspired by the newest boardsport trends, you can find ‘bonk’ spots. Bonks first appeared in snow-boarding when riders would try to hit the top of trees by doing hand plants, foot plants, tail or nose taps.After that, snowparks started using them as inspiration to give a shredder style to their playgrounds. So it’s only natural that today, this style of “bonking” obstacles is making its way into the world of wakeboarding.Here, it’s German rider Freddy Von Osten showing us how it’s done. Stoked to see that wakeboarding is taking inspiration from the best trends in other boardsports, we’re only too happy to show you a few shots. We’re just hoping that maybe one day, snowboarders and ska-ters will come and seek inspiration from wakeboarding obstacles…But is that really conceivable?

Hey Jens, can your introduce yourself and tell us what your position is at Stereo?Hi. My name is Jens-Martin Johnsrud. I am 28 years old and I live in Norway. I have wa-terskied ever since I was a kid and I was on the Norwegian national team for several years. I am from one of the best ski destination in the world, so naturally I also ski in the winter, mostly park and freeride. I saw the progression happening there, which also had to happen on water. I have an education in product development and entrepreneurship from NTNU in Norway. I designed our first wakeskis, founded Stereo Wakeski Co and today I am the CEO of the company. I am pretty much involved in everything from product development and production to marketing and sales.

How is the wakeski market ? Is it getting huge ?The wakeski market is not huge yet but, it is growing fast and we are really seeing more in-terest from the market this year than ever before. We are selling our products in 27 countries around the world and mostly in North America and central Europe.

Did you have some difficulties in introducing them to the wake world ?I guess it’s normal that people are skeptical to new things. The first time we showed up at some of the cable parks with our skis, we were told that we could not hit any rails or kickers with waterskis and that this was only for wakeboarders. By showing people what can be done on the skis and through what we have done this has really changed. Pretty much all the people in the wake industry that we meet now are truly supportive to wakeskiing. It is attracting more people to the industry, also people that did not have any interest in the watersport that existed before wakeskiing. In general, more and more people are interested wakeskiing as they see it more, learn more about it and see the level of riding improve.

What about wakeski tricks, how is the evolution? The sport is evolving quite fast. We have had several tournaments and we see new tricks in each tournament, even when they are just a few weeks apart. When someone learns a new trick and others see it, it is just a matter of weeks before several others riders do the same tricks. I am sure we will still see a huge progression in the level of the riding within the next few years.

Are they doing double flip, 1080 and stuff like that ?People have landed double flips, regular and switch 720s and some riders are close to lan-ding 9’s. We are seeing more and more riders doing switch tricks, both switch inverts and spins off kickers as well as rail tricks. The tricks are more technical, but at the same time, the riders are improving the style factor with better and cleaner tricks and grabs.

Do you think that there is more boat riders or cable riders ?I would say there are more wakeskis used on boats than on cable parks. We are seeing many riders at cable parks all of the world and the skis are really popular for cable riding, but we have sold lots of skis in areas where there are no cable parks yet.

At the moment , who is the best riders in the world ? And where do they come from ?Some of the American riders like Ryan Jones and Dan Olson are really good on both boat and cable. Our team riders in Europe are really good on cable. French team rider Sebastien Coll impresses me more than other wakeskiers with his double S-Bends and skills on obsta-cles. The German team riders are perhaps some of the best on rails these days.

Why is Stereo the number one in wakeski company ?We are pushing the sport as much as we can, it is not just something we do, but our real passion. We develop and test the products ourselves; just how the riders want them, and this together with some of the most experienced people when it comes to manufacturing in the industry. We are doing demo events where people get to test our products, meet our team riders and get instructions from them on how to wakeski. The Stereo Open Series have several tournaments during the summer. This is important to establish wakeskiing as a real sport. We also do instructional videos to teach people how to do the different tricks that our team riders are doing. This is an important factor for developing the level of the sport. All of this is documented through our video blog and all other social media.

Do you think that it’s the same feeling ridding alpine skis as it is wakeskis ?The feeling when wakeskiing and hitting rails and kickers is really similar to park skiing. We see lots of riders that are good freestyle snow skiers that pick up wakeskiing extremely fast. When these skiers wakeski in the summer and ski in the winter they get way more time on skis and this make them be better skiers in general, which makes them learn faster in the winter as well. Also, cruising on smooth and flat water is a quite similar feeling to skiing in fresh powder.

If I want to start wakeskiing, which ski model should I choose if I’m a beginner ?If you are going to ride behind a boat or at a cable park, but not so much on rails and kickers I would recommend the ski model called the Standard. If you want to progress and get into rail riding, the Park Edition is a better choice, since it has a sintered grind base, which will last way longer on rails. Both the skis are really easy to use, as they are both stable and forgiving, but at the same time really playful. The stability of these skis makes then almost easier to use then beginner water skis, even if they are designed for advanced tricks.

And if I’m a «pro» on alpine skis ?Some of our best cable riders prefer the Park Edition. Others favor the Remix model. The Remix has four fins on each ski, which gives them more traction and lets you load harder. This model also has some other features like variable flex, reduced weight in tip and tail. The added grip is more noticeable when riding behind a boat. If you prefer the Remix and want to ride rails all day the Remix Limited Edition with grind base is the best choice.

Where is the main concentration of wakeskiers in the world ?Especially in some areas in the US and in the south of Germany, there are groups of riders who ride together and push each other to progress. Other wakeskiers seems to be spread all over the world, and hopefully there will be more groups that can help the riders progress faster.

How do you see wakeski in 10 years ?In 10 years I see wakeskiing as a sport at the same size of wakeboarding. I think both sports will be larger then, since action sports are growing in general and more cable parks are getting built. I am sure we will see huge events that involve both wakeskiing and wake-boarding, just like we are seeing with freeskiing and snowboard in X-Games and the next Olympics.

Any tip for those wakeskiers who want to be really good ?Look at videos of our team riders and see how they do the tricks. If you become better than them, see if you can pick up something from park skiing on snow or wakeboarding that can be transformed over to wakeskiing. But most important of all: Ride everyday and enjoy it!

The best thing about a country like the Unites Arab Emirates orga-nizing the world wakeboard championships is that they really don’t do things half way. First of all, they know exactly who to adress themselves to and how to surround themselves with the best. So It’s only normal that they chose the WWA as a wakeskating and wa-keboarding world circuit. Then, when it comes to building a cable park, they don’t cut corners either. To the question « What type of lake is ideal for a cable park ? » they answer by building a lake with an island in the middle and edges that were specifically designed to avoid backwash. To the questions « What kind of obstacles do we need ? » they answer by ordering 8 new obstacles that will be put into place at the end of August. In other words, they answer to all their needs with the latest technology while taking advice from the best.We were flattered and proud to learn that Unleashed has been cho-sen as the media reference, as well as being in charge of a photos-hoot for the promotion of the 2012 WWA world championships that will take place next october. So last may, accompanied by Austra-lian rider Angelika Schriber, American rider Tom Fooshee as well as WWA president Shannon Sterling, we headed off to Al Forsan for a photoshoot of excellence with advice from the WWA and a team of riders chosen to perfection. What could be better than multiple world champion Tom Fooshee, accompanied by Angelika Schriber, the most in vogue female rider of the moment, whether it be in style or in technique. These two riders are simply the best choice to en-sure the promotion of a spectacular event organized in an amazing country. Ultra technique, stylish and always available for the press as well as for the local riders, they fulfilled their roles to perfection, all of this in a super relaxed atmosphere.On the program for the four days, press conferences with local and international media, wake demos with Tom and Anjelike, photos-hoots, and testing everything that Al Forsan resort has to offer ( shooting range, archery, karting etc). The local riders could even benefit from lessons and advice given by the pros. We had four days to promote a sport in a country where wakeboarding is already re-ceiving an amazing welcome. As a matter of fact, the local riders here already have a pretty impressive level. With less that one year of wakeboarding under their belts, some of them can already do huge tantrum nuclears, 313, and other whirlies. But the region doesn’t only offer an ideal wake spot due to its climate and infras-tructures, their is also a desert a few steps away, as well as the beau-tiful beaches of the Gulf, the architechture and the modernization of the cities…Everything here is breathtaking due its perfection. We are looking forward to seeing you here next October at Al For-san for the WWA world championships who, believe me, we’ll be hearing about for a long time… For info, the wakeboard contest will take place on the big regular cable, with a set up of 8 brand new obs-tacles, and the wakeskate contest will take place on the goofy cable. Everything will be put into place to satisfy your every need. See you there !

In the wakeboarding scene, you sometimes meet kids that really surprise and enthuse you, and that’s the case with Im San. In two years, this young Korean rider has leveled with some of the best riders in the world. Open minded and always chasing the latest tricks, here’s a little focus on a rider that’s going to kick everyone’s butt.

Hello Im San, can you present yourself and tell us how long you’ve been riding for?Hi, my name is San, 14 years old, I started waterskiing when I was 10 and after one year I started on a wakeboard, it was three years ago.Now live and study in Thailand, and I’ve been riding at Thai Wake Park for 2 years now.

The first time i met you, you had long hair like a girl and you were trying to land the kicker. Now you ride like a beast, what’s your secret? Ahahahaaa I’m lucky, I learn really quickly and it’s mainly be-cause here in Thailand the weather is really hot so I stay in the water all the time.

How would you describe your riding style? For my style I try to ride like Lior Sofer.

What other sports have influenced you and your riding? I like playing golf, it helps me to ride smooth and stay tonic at the same time.

At TWP do you have a crew of riders that you ride with?I like to ride with Simon Rasmussen, but he doesn’t live here, he just stays a really long time.

Do you have a favorite trick to do right now?S-Mob with a Tail grab is definitely my favourite Air trick. And for the kicker, I like Switch 9s and backside 9s.

What new tricks are you working on at the moment?I’m trying to land backside 313 right now.

Which tricks have the worst crasheS?My worst crash was by doing a simple railey, and I don’t remem-ber anything about that day. Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest…

The best Korean riders pratice outside the country like You, Kim and Hari. Can you explain why?We are coming to others countries to learn to wakeboard. In Ko-rea there are 4 seasons so we can’t keep riding all year round, and when i come to thailand i can ride for hours and also learn English and Thai.

At Thai Wake Park you’re use to riding with the best riders in the world, how has it influenced your ride? Didi Anwar who is also Daniel’s coach tries to push my ride. He gave me a lot of good advice and tips. He teaches me how to feel tricks i can do and those i can’t.

In 2011 you competed a little bit, can you tell us more about that?In 2011, I competed on the Asian wake tour where I finished first in the amateur section. And I had the chance to ride at the Ripcurl Wake and Music Festival in Bangkok.

And for 2012 do you already have a program? You think you can beat Daniel in championship?For 2012, I will try to be in a lot of competitions. But i don’t try to beat anyone I just want to enjoy my wakeboarding and try to do my best

Would you like to thank anyone for being where you are to-day?First I want to thank you, Sylvain for this interview, my sponsor CTRL, and the Thai Wake Park.

Cable parks are flourishing one by one this year! We’ve known

for a while now that the wakeboarding revolution would come

through cables, but it’s always impressive to see how fast

they’re popping up throughout the world.

Last April was the inauguration of the “Projekt Wake Park”,

and believe me, it’s going to get widely known in the next couple

of months. This spot isn’t just another system 2.0, it’s a park

that is 100% dedicated to wake, and only to wake! Obviously

there is a system 2.0, but there’s also 2 boats ( one of them being

a Mastercarft X2), a winch with a pool gap for wakeskaters and

jet skis to tow wakeskaters and wakeboarders through a brand

new jib line.During the opening day, the people present could watch boat

rider Yann Calvez, while cable shredders like Matt Montoro

were having fun on the box and double kicker. A little further

away, but still at the same time, Alex Batar was loving the pole

jam and the up-rail while the young wakeskater Clément De-

prémonville was destroying the pool gap.

The inauguration was pretty incredible in terms of ridding

intensity. There wasn’t a second where you didn’t see a rider

evolving on the water.That the mission of the Projekt Wake Park, to become the

Mecca of wakeboarding in France, and with the team that’s in

charge of this project, you can be sure that this spot is defiantly

going to be on everyone’s destination list for the summer.

Hey Cody, can you please introduce yourself ? My name is Cody Johnson and I am a 25 yr old cable rider from Dallas TX, USA, and the Wakeboard Operations Manager at Hydrous Wakepark in Allen TX. I started riding cable heavily in 2007 at the Texas Ski Ranch and started competing professionally in 2009 on the WWA Wakepark World Seiries Tour. I finished my first year in the top 15 and was very excited to be fortunate enou-gh to ride and travel to all of these awesome countries all over the world. Wakeboarding has given me such an amazing life that I never would have had without it, especially cable wakeboarding!

Was there a rider that you looked up to for inspiration at the time? Are there any riders you still look up to now?I first started riding cable at the Texas Ski Ranch where I obvious-ly looked up to all the guys doing air tricks. That really attracted me to the cable. I wanted to fly around the cable just like all the other guys such as Kyle Reed, Josh Rice, Josh Wright, and of course Tom Fooshee which all rode at TSR at the time. Towards the end of 2008 I started riding much more with Tom Fooshee and just tried to learn as much as I could from him about the sport as far as style, technique, photos, politics, contests... Pretty much anything that had to do with wakeboarding. He helped me out so much and I am very thankful to have been able to spend the time that I was able to with him and the rest of that crew at the Texas Ski Ranch.

Do you try to be as good on rails as on air tricks ?During that time I started working at TSR as a cable operator and over time moved up to be the assistant cable manager. I loved working at the park and being there so much really helped me to learn a lot of new tricks and make lots of new friends in the industry which is a very big part of the wakeboarding. After being there for about 3 years I felt a change was needed which lead me to taking the job at Hydrous Wakepark as the Wakeboard Opera-tions Manager. After a summer of building the park we opened in September and hosted the 2011 3rd stop of the WWA Triple Crown. Since being open our family has grown and fortunatly the crew of guys that we have on staff are previous riding friends that have come to Hydrous from other cables and somehow all of our personalitys mesh perfectly and difinatly help to make Hydrous a super progressive, fun, and relaxed cable where everyone just rides and gets creative. I learn from watching all of these amazing riders such as Kyle Woehler, John Deere, Jade Whirley, and Keith Holley.

Who would we normally see you riding with while you’re in texas ?I learned to wakeboard behind the boat and it is what got me into the sport. I prefer riding the cable now because of the acces-sibility, rails airtricks, and it is much cheaper than riding boat. I defiantly think that it is possible to become as good on the boat as the cable. The problem for most people with the boat is the amount of time that you actually get to spend riding your board behind the boat is much less than the amount of time you can spend on your board at a cable.

It just takes way more time and money to become a great boat rider in my opinion. With that being said I still love to go out and take a set behind a boat with all of my friends whenever I can.

Do you think is doable to be as good on cable as behind a boat or it’s omething really different ?My main focus at TSR was always air tricks which are so fun and I love to do. Now that I am mainly riding at Hydrous I have been having so much fun progressing on the rails. Hydrous has all Unit rails which are super fun, mellow, and very easy to try and learn new tricks that would be so scary to try at other places.

Do you plan to come to europe for any contests like Wa-ke’n’Country, or Fise, WTL ?On an average day of riding at Hydrous you will see me shredding with my friends and co workers Kyle Woehler, Jade Whirley, John Deere, and Keith Holley. I love ridding with pretty much anyone who loves being on the water no matter what the skill level. I am not 100% sure of my full competition schedule at this time but I really want to make it to FISE, Wake and Country and possibly back to the Protest Cable Call.

Where is your favorite place that wakeboarding has taken you?Wakeboarding has taken me to more places than I would have ever imagined. It is so hard to pick a favorite place because each place has been so fun and different in its own way. Some of my favorite places I have been to are Langenfeld, CWC, and a few really cool cables in England and The Netherlands. I really want to make it to TWP sometime soon! I have heard really good things.

Any words of advice to the young guns out there who want to have cody’s style?I really don’t know how to explain my style. I just really focus on trying to make sure everything I do is clean and locked in. It doesn’t always happen, but that is what i aim for. If I 270 onto a rail I want to make sure I do a full 270 before landing on the rail not sliding into it and making sure that I land either on my tail or nose, not in the middle of the board. Keep it outside the boots. Other than that make sure grabs are in the grab zone and not tindy and tailfish. Keep it in between the boots and the bigger air the better. Other than that just be yourself, be creative, and most importantly have fun!

How about some thank-yous?I want to thank everyone that has made this dream of mine come true. Mom and Dad for sure. Without them and their support I de-fiantly would not be where I’m at right now. The Texas Ski Ranch for helping me get my start and to Hydrous for letting me expand and giving me such an awesome opportunity and the ability to train at such an amazing park. Also a huge thanks to CTRL Wakeboards for keeping me out on the water and producing hands down the best and most innovative board shapes I have ever ridden and to THREE Boardwear for keeping me clothed and looking good on and off the water.

There are people on this planet that have dreams. Some make them come true, some just wait for them to happen by miracle, and others, not wanting to wait for destiny to intervene, fight to realize their dreams. Leo Labadens is a part of that category.He has talent of course, he may even be gifted…but he also has incredible willpower which has allowed him to be where a lot of people dream of being today.By joining the Remote Wakeskate team, by far the best team in the world, Leo has been added to a very short list of European athletes that have made a name for them-selves overseas.So it’s only natural that Unleashed felt the need to dedi-cate a few pages to him. Enjoy!

Hey Léo, how’s your trip in the U.S going?Hi Raynald ! It’s been real good except I’m having a hard time getting back into the rhythm, I wish they had more cable cause it’s definitely missing around here!

Where are you staying at the moment? Are you still crashing at Ke-vin Henshaw’s? Are you by yourself or is there a bunch of you?Yep, still staying at Kevin’s, and its damn cool being here! They are 3 guys staying all year long and some just come up for the summer season or a couple weeks, but we’re definitely missing Silas since he went to live in Portland!

What’s your daily routine?I wake up around 9, do some stretching, breakfast and usually go for the first session. Stretching again then some social medialization on my laptop and session again, or when Ben’s around I go do some winching! Perfect days right?

I heard that you’ve got some trips planned with Remote, wasn’t there talk of a road trip?We’re going on a 50 day trip with the Remote van, from Portland to Or-lando! We’re gonna hit 7 cablepark on the way, ride day and board test, and try to hit as much winch spots as we can, all this caught on tape for the Remote video at the of the summer!

So this year, Remote wakeskate offered you a pro model, that is so cool! How does it feel to be in the best team in the world, surrounded by Nick Taylor, Ben Horan, Matt Hooker or even Yan Lecomte?Yeah, I’m so thankful to Ben and Silas! Man I was dreaming about it 5 years ago and now I’m here, hanging out with those guys and winching around! Dreams come true, just step up your riding and be a nice guy!

In your opinion, how did Silas Thurman and Ben Horan manage to create a brand with such an awesome image in such little time?The main thing is that they wanted to be a company who does sick-ass wood concave wakeskate without thinking about the money they can make back from it!

Have you got much info on the design of your board for next year? I heard that the artist Jean Rockeadi was going to do it?I haven’t seen anything yet but yeah, I’d like to get my buddy to make us a graphic series, but it’s a lot of work and not on schedule yet. But a tee shirt should be out soon for Remote, with Rockeadi’s art on it!

When I looked at the photos that you sent me, I almost fell on my ass! Do you think that all these trips to the states have helped you progress?Thanks! We worked our ass off with Roland to get some cool stuff so I’m really happy to see you’re stoked on it! Trips out here definitely helped me out for wakeskating at first by having the chance to ride with guys who are all better than me. Winching alot and being around for the wa-keskate tour stops made me realize how fast our sport is growing and how much I have to push myself if I want to kick some ass in contests!

Do you think that going to the states in a necessary passage for all riders that are thinking of a serious career? I think it is definitely a crucial stage. I mean, you have to think that wa-keskating is a small sport and that all the progressive contests are happe-ning here , like Rétention last year and the wakeskate tour this year. Win-ching drops and ledges are definitely what makes our sport look good, so if you’re trying to live from your passion you really need to make the trip and come witness what’s happening this summer and show your riding on the wakeskate tour. Toe jam was insane and the 4 other stops to come are going to be even gnarlier!

Could you imagine putting your suit cases down and living there one day or would you miss France too much?NO way bro! It’s the first time I’m going to spend most of the season in the states but I couldn’t live here full time, I need my family and long time friends. Most of my good friends are not wakeskaters and hanging out with those guys when I get back in Toulouse is something I need. Not thinking about it 24/7 makes you feel so much better once you get back on your board!

Speaking of the future, how do you see it? Do you think about it, do you anticipate it or is it too early to tell?I’m thinking about it from time to time, who knows how long it’s going to last?If I wasn’t wakeskating full time right now I’d probably be a woodworker and I’d be doing some cool furniture. That’s what I used to do 4, wait, 5 years ago now, damn time runs so fast! Oh, and since I come here all the time, I’ve fallen in love with Mexican food so maybe one day I’ll bring the coolness of this food back to France and open up a little restaurant, I’d like to do that.

So you’ve seen the young Clément De Prémonville ride his Remote wakeskate thanks to the shop Boardstore, what do you think of this new generation of wakeskaters? Doesn’t it piss you off to see the level that these kids reach in not even 3 years?Hahhahahahah! No I’m not upset about it at all, that’s exactly what we’re all looking for, new kids who shreds all day and get real good in 3 or 4 years . That’s what we need for wakeskate to grow faster, little dudes who will learn kickflips straight away and go and try to do them on some nasty winch drops!

So how’s your knee going?My knee has been really good lately! I keep doing what I have to do to keep it strong and ready to get beat up winching!

Apart from physio, do you do some excercises, stetching etc…before you ride, or do you just go straight on the water without warming up?I try to warm up before winching , but for the rest , I’ll jump on my wakeskate and ride around for a couple minutes , not trying tricks and just searching for the good feeling . Stretching after is essential, I should probably do it a little more often!

I know that a lot of tours and demos are planned with Nike and Remote, so which European contests will we be seeing you at this summer?I’m going to Wake and country, Uk wakestock for the first time, can’t wait for that! And then I’m flying back the US for the Remo-te road trip, with the last 2 stops of the wakeskate tour, probably the monster triple clown #3 at OWC in September and the WWA worlds in Abu Dhabi in October, fun summer ahead!

By the way, what do contests represent to you? Is it a way of getting noticed, the pressure of competing against others or is it just a nice occasion to party with other riders?It’s a part of the game and it’s such a good feeling when you do good on contest but it’s the worst feeling when you screw up! Of course, most contests are all about hanging out with people you don’t see that often and having a blast partying on final’s night with everybody!

Every year during the première at the surf expo in Orlando, we watch wakeskating videos that literally blow us away as the level just keeps getting higher and higher. Do you think that we are far away from the level of ridding that we’re going to see in 5 years time?Oh man tell me about it! It’s been mind blowing since Aquafrolics and I can tell you that it is not going to stop! Now than the level of ridding has stepped up, we also need to step up the building! According to you, what differentiates a wakeskater from a wa-keboarder? At what moment does a person choose wakeska-ting over wakeboarding? Why that choice?Most of the wakeskater today were wakeboarders at one point, but all those kids you see doing crazy stuff on videos, most of those dudes have never touched a wakeboard before, they’re just skaters going straight on to the water!

Have you had the chance to ride behind a boat lately?One of the roommates , Steel , has a boat and he goes and rides pretty much every day, so I could if I wanted to but I have way more fun shredding behind the sea doo!

Which traction method do you prefer? Winch, cable or jet?Cable for life! I love winching too and I ain’t spittin on a good sesh behing a sea doo!

I forgot to ask you, who are your sponsors that allow you to live your dream? It’s about time you thanked them on here!Dude , I’m not going to forgot about this! I’d like to thanks Silas and Koen at Nike , Pacome at Electric Europe , Sven at Rixen cableways and Silas ( again ?!? damn this guy ‘s taking over the business side !) and Ben at Remote. Thank you guys, wouldn’t be here without you!

And apart from them, is there anyone else you’d like to say thanks to?My parents and family first! «La team» in Toulouse, Henshaw for letting me stay at hôtel henny and every single person I met along my travels! You guys are making my life awesome! Thanks for this interview Léo, do you want to add anything else?Thanks to Roland for taking all the shots! Long Live Unleashed! Drink water!

Each year we note the important dates on our calendars, and this year that date is FISE. The FISE is one of the essential events in the world of wake-boarding and it has become one of the most recognized jib events that we are proud to exclusively sponsor every year.With a wakepark that becomes crazier and crazier every year, this contest attracts the world’s best shredders. Amongst them, there are some excep-tional riders such as Shawn Watson, Shane Bonifay, Keith Lidberg, Nate Perry, Kevin Henshaw, Kaesen Suyderhoud, Trevor Bashir, Brian Reeder, Dylan Miller, Marc Rossiter, Antoine Allaux, Nico Von Lerchenfeld, Raph Derome, Steffen Vollert, Sjors Van De Kerkhof, Daan Rigter…accompa-nied by a bunch of new comers like Matty Hasler, James Windsor, Matt Montoro and the young Louis Mistaudy. In other words, the cream of the crop of every country was represented.

The reason for such a success and such a large turnout of riders is quiet simple…Apart from having an exceptional and uni-que wakepark, there is also a very different atmosphere compared to other ultra se-rious competition, with crazy parties every night, an incredibly high level of ridding and a fantastic organization…An abso-lute delight for everyone who participates, from riders to spectators. So like each year, the 2012 edition of FISE satisfied our every need with a monster wakepark, more and more spectators eve-ry year, an amazing atmosphere during 4 days and awesome parties like the annual Unleashed Party that will stay in our me-mories for a long time!

In terms of ridding, we really witnessed an amazing show and it’s always im-pressive to see the engagement of all the riders on this unusual spot. Amongst all of the amazing tricks that we saw during FISE 2012, there was of course Raph Derome’s double half cab roll, but also Shane Bonifay’s huge Ollie at the top of the wall. On the A-frame, even though Raph had the most technical run with an entry 270 back hardway, we have to mention Felix Georgii for his backside nose press 360 out. It was just amazing to him see put down such a huge nose press on the entire 25 meter length of the A-frame. When it comes down to style, Antoine Allaux, Kaesen Suyderhoud, Dominik Hernler and Quinn Silvernale were defiantly the best. Even if these 4 riders didn’t make the finals they defianatly made the show. But with such a high level of ridding on the water, you really needed to stand out this year. Style, technique, willpower and originality were the 4 qualities for which the riders were judged. The format was simple, two runs per line with the best run out of the two that counts. So to participate in this final, you had to go big, real big, believe me! And it’s exactly what the 4 finalists Shane Bonifay, Nico Von Lerchenfeld, Raph Derome and Keith Lidberg did. After some highly rhythmed runs, we started seeing all 4 finalists attempting to land the double half cab roll, but only Raph smoothly landed it. They all gave it their best , but it was the Quebecois Raph Derome who took out the title this year, in front of Keith Lidberg and Shane Bonifay.

On the Saturday, the SFR rail jam took place with the 16 best riders battling it out on the new A-frame. The problem with this type of contest is that it quickly becomes a type of “spin to win”. As a result the finalists knew that they had to do tricks like 270 hardway, gap 270 and 270 out. At this game, Raph Derome wins again with a hell of a lot of style, followed by the super stylish Kevin Henshaw in second place, and by German rider Felix Georgii who preferred to do huge nose presses that were super technical, but unfor-tunately in this type of contest, the spin…wins…On the Sunday, in order to offer the spectators the best show ever the orga-nization launched the kicker contest, and from there onwards things just got crazy. To start off, Hugo Charbit quickly set the pace by landing a backside 7 double grab on his first run…the pressure was on! As a result, we didn’t even have to wait until the finals to see the riders pulling out their best tricks. A mention for great style goes out to Quinn Silvernale and also to French rider Matt Montoro who tried the double half cab roll for the first time ever and almost landed it. So it was a podium of double half cab rolls for the kicker contest with Raph Derome in first place again, followed by Nico Von Ler-chenfeld and Shane Bonifay.FISE 2012 was the year of double half cab rolls and the year of Raph De-rome, who goes back to Quebcq with 3 titles in 3 days! Congratulations to Raph and to the organization who this year, offered us the bst jib contest in the world!I’ve only got one thing to add…Can’t wait til next year!

In the era of internet, it’s so easy

to wander around the web in a few

clicks. A simple surf on your com-

puter allows you to travel through

images and videos, while disco-

vering dream destinations or juicy

gossip that you rush to share on

your favourite social network. But

there exists a click that is much

more subtle and delicate to be put

into use…A click that is much

more precious in our eyes. This

click is the particular sound that co-

mes from the cameras of our pho-

tographers, who travel the world to

capture the moment forever, letting

you travel with them in their own

way.A single click and a tone of infor-

mation, emotions and sensations

will jump to your eyes. So it’s only

natural that this photo gallery be

dedicated to all the index fingers

of our favourite photographers. So

let’s pay tribute to that finger who

carries out its mission each days for

the survival of the click. Long live

the index finger and long live the

click!