Wakeboarding And Waterskiing- Many Similarities But Even More Differences

There are many similarities and many differences between wakeboarding and waterskiing. Let us take a look at some of them.

Some of the similarities between the two sports include:

• Both are water sports. This is a no-brainer!

• Both involve an individual attached to a motor boat by a cable or a rope and being pulled by the same.

• Both involve surfing the water with smooth objects fitted to the feet of the individual.

• Both are glamorous sports where emphasis is not just on surfing the water but on performing tricks as well. In fact, tricks form the heart and soul of the sport. Whether an individual is an expert in wakeboarding or waterskiing is dependent on the skills and tricks that he or she is capable of performing.

• Both are inclusive sports where intense competition does not prevent individuals from helping each other out in the various aspects of the sport.

On the other hand, there are a lot of differences between the two sports. The first and most obvious distinction is that the wakeboarding is a variant of waterskiing. The latter has been around for more than 80 years today while the former is a comparatively very recent phenomenon. Wakeboarding is a combination of water skiing, snowboarding and surfing. The sport has borrowed the concept of being pulled by a motor boat powered by a cable from water skiing. It has borrowed the concept of using a board instead of skis from snowboarding. It has borrowed the whole idea of creating a wake from the motor boat to surf the same from surfing. It is a mish mash sport that has been created by the combination of innovative ideas and improvements in technology.

The presence of long and unwieldy skis makes it very difficult to perform different types of stunts in this sport. Instead, the individual is restricted to a limited number of stunts. On the other hand, wakeboarding offers a lot more scope. The difference is as vast as the difference between snow skiing and snowboarding. The popularity of wakeboarding has contributed a lot to the popularity of water sports. It is enhanced its appeal amongst the youth.

The creation of the wake by a motor boat has had a huge impact on the popularity of the sport. This has made it possible for even those who do not live on the coast to enjoy water sports. All one has to do is get a motorboat that is powerful enough to create a big wake and one shall have a wave right in the middle of the lake. All one has to do is ride the wake and perform tricks and stunts when riding the turbulence.

The sport of wakeboarding is performed on a board which is very different as compared to the skis. Further, there is just a single board and not two units as is the case in water skiing. The sport of wakeboarding has led to its own variants like wake surfing and wake skating.