I wanna know everyone's Favorite type of Obstacle

Hey Everyone...

As you guys are well aware, the growing popularity of "the rail park scene" has exploded over the past few years! Its amazing to see not only the progression in the rail riding itself from all the top riders, but also the progression thats happening within the wake industry from it. With cables and parks becoming more prevelant and companies like UNIT and Sesitec making things more accessible, its awesome to see how much influence "the rail park scene" is having on other things like board shapes, cores, bases, flex, as well as different types of rails and obstacles that are now possible to session on a day to day basis.

Those familiar with extreme sports generally agree that most “board sports” (for example, skateboarding, snowboarding) consist of different types of riding that are technically part of the same sport, but at the same time represent completely different styles and techniques. These unique styles work together to create an “extreme” image and challenge that many of us embrace and thrive on today. With skateboarding, the two most popular or well known styles would be “vert skating” which involves half pipes and vert ramps, and “street skating” which deals with more open street riding and jumping and hitting obstacles such as stair gaps, rails, benches, and the like. At the ski lifts, you can pick out the riders waiting in line to go all the way to the top of the mountain for the thrill of racing straight on as fast as possible in waist deep powder. Compare them with the snowboarding park rats with all their bright neon gear who are just itching to boost off a huge table top kicker and jib or slide across any obstacle that comes their way. Many may disagree, but I dont see park or rail riding as competition to boat riding or that it is better or should replace it. They are just two different styles of the same thing I just love that parks make "wakeboarding" available to anyone and everyone, even folks without a boat or access to one.....which in return gets more people on the water and stoked on riding!!

Anyways, as the title says, Im super interested in everyone's opinion on their favorite type of obstacle.. It can be a rail, box, ramp, downrail... pretty much anything goes!! I also am interested in what your favorite materials are... Most of what we have in our Rail lake and Winch Park at ECWP is made of Trex but we have a few HDPE as well... I am going to be focusing on building a TON of new things at ECWP this fall and winter and want to know what "the riders" want.


Here are a few questions I'd love answered.. but feel free to chime in and give more if wanted!

1. Rail riding skill level?
- use scale of 1-5 for skill level
- what board to you slide?
2. Favorite Obstacle or type?
- was it home made or at a current park?
- Shape?
3. Sliding Material?
4. Estimated Length?
5. A few reasons as to why this is your favorite rail or type or obstacle?
- was it the shape?
- was it the length?


Thanks in advance Everyone!!
CH

skill level 2 favorite obstacle 5' high kicker at mccormicks , owc,tsr shape like a triangle ramp.i think they are made of wood and pvc type surface the total average length is 10'. i like it because it boots you in the air mainly like it for the shape it gets you in the air. oh and i ride a watson hybrid 139 on cable.

The most fun rail I've ever hit is the iceberg at WakeNation.

1. Huge
2. Possibilities are endless..... A-Frame, Up/Down Transfers, Gaps, etc etc...
3. Pretty sure its that high impact PVC stuff which slides super sexy

The rooftop to flat at McCormicks is pretty fun as well and probably comes in 2nd for me although I hate the trex

Hope ur plannin on building something rad Mr. Hopf hahaha see ya soon buddy!

Skill level 2, favorite obstacle-kickers, board-LF witness.
What I'd like to see: a quarter pipe wall along the edge of a lake (think last level Murray's Pro-Wakeboarding) with oververt at the lip...one could throw some sweet looking slides and get a little weightless. Those w/ cajones could charge it, hit the oververt and invert back onto the water.

1. Skill level 5 or 1, whichever is the highest.
2. Transitional kicker. Not too tall. About 3.5ft tall and around 8ft long, with a decent amount of transition. This is all you need to get booted.
Also, a rooftop like McCormicks. Not too wide but not too skinny.
Everyone seems to like transfer boxes, most major competitions have one.
3. Kickers should be HTPE, rails should be TREX decking.
4. Kickers no longer than 10ft, rails longer than 50ft
5. If a kicker is too long or tall you loose all your pop and just end up dropping off the end of it. On rails trex is the best because you grip to it more, just make sure you dont fall on it cause it will tear you up, that makes me like it even more.

Oh yea, wallrides are pretty tite too!

1. Rail riding skill level?
- use scale of 1-5 for skill level
I would say a 5
- what board to you slide?
I slide my O'brien Decade and R5 or Local
2. Favorite Obstacle or type?
Big Old Flat Bars and Roof Tops
- was it home made or at a current park?
Most of them are homemade and banging!
- Shape?
3. Sliding Material?
TREX and Concrete
4. Estimated Length?
The Bigger the Better at least 80 feet
5. A few reasons as to why this is your favorite rail or type or obstacle?
Cause you can get down right dirty on them, they are fairly easy to hit so you can really focus on making it look good

Skill level - 4 for rails/cable

What board do you slide - whatever's clever, right now its the DU lidberg/militant shape

Favorite obstacle - same as Andy - Flat rail or roof top...I would prefer them to be between knee and waist height out of the water requiring ollies on. A steep angle into the water is acceptable (to keep the newbies happy), but I want to be able to ollie on (over the entry piece)...the up/flat at OWC is like this.

Commercial or home made - I like O-dub's up flat (commercial - but made in house I believe).

Sliding material - HDPE or trex...if you use trex PLEASE install sprinklers to keep it wet constantly - that would be my preference, trex with continual sprinklers

Estimated length - 40ft + probably no need to be any longer than 80ft. IMHO

Why do I like it? Why are explosions good? Why are boobs good? It just is!

ollie on incline rail, whatever material that'll slide... enough said

1. Rail riding skill level?
- use scale of 1-5 for skill level
4-5..5 being good
- what board to you slide?
Hyperlite Premier 141
2. Favorite Obstacle or type?
Redbull and iceburg
- was it home made or at a current park?
Wakenation cinci.
- Shape?
3. Sliding Material?
dunno the material just slide on them.
4. Estimated Length?
Regular length
5. A few reasons as to why this is your favorite rail or type or obstacle?
They are fun and the only cool obstacle beside the kickers.
- was it the shape?
Yup
- was it the length?
Yup