The Red Bull WakeBerging Competition
August 16th 2008 04:24
Ride, Ride, Ride the Wild Berg.
Ok so there is extreme then there is psychotic and this idea probably falls somewhere in between. Red Bull has long associated with extreme sports and their hair raising air race continues to amaze.
This year they decided to assemble a team of 3 of the best wakeboarders in the world and take them where no man had waked before, St John’s Newfounland. Riders Josh Sanders (Australia), Parks Bonifay (U.S), Adam Errington (Scotland) arrived in Canada for the event which ran July 8 – 9 of 2008 the plan was to perform traditional wakeboarding stunts and a host of new ones using natures own playground, an ocean of icebergs.
From the official Red Bull site
“It started as a small idea - maybe it would work, most likely it wouldn`t. With the final days ticking on the annual migration of icebergs from the Arctic Rim through the Labrador current, Red Bull invited three of the world’s best wakeboarders - Parks Bonifay, Adam Errington, and Josh Sanders – to travel from their home state of Florida to the island province of Newfoundland for a first-ever, two-day expedition chasing and riding icebergs. Shortly into day one, it became clear this little idea was going to produce massive results.
On July 8, the crew and riders found their target – a sparkling white iceberg floating just off the coast in Trinitiy Bay, two hours north of provincial capital St. John`s. Relatively smooth and featuring natural forms conducive to the mission, the riders braved the ocean waters – 4C and shrinking – and delivered an unforgettable session of slides and flips.
Day two brought a new level of berg, and a new level of riding. Roughly 60-feet tall and 150-feet wide, the mammoth-size-iceberg near Trinity East had the riders stoked, and local fishermen shaking their heads. Overcoming a huge degree of difficulty to ride the choppy ice and shifting base of the berg, the riders hit wall ride after wall ride, delivering a one-of-a-kind session that perfectly meshed spectacular environs with world-class talent.
By all accounts - riders, crew, and weathermen - Red Bull Wakeberg beat the odds to carve its place in local lore and wakeboard history, overcoming unpredictable travel itineraries, unpredictable weather patterns, and very flippable icebergs. So is good enough best left alone? Not according to the boys, who are already talking return trip.”
On July 8, the crew and riders found their target – a sparkling white iceberg floating just off the coast in Trinitiy Bay, two hours north of provincial capital St. John`s. Relatively smooth and featuring natural forms conducive to the mission, the riders braved the ocean waters – 4C and shrinking – and delivered an unforgettable session of slides and flips.
Day two brought a new level of berg, and a new level of riding. Roughly 60-feet tall and 150-feet wide, the mammoth-size-iceberg near Trinity East had the riders stoked, and local fishermen shaking their heads. Overcoming a huge degree of difficulty to ride the choppy ice and shifting base of the berg, the riders hit wall ride after wall ride, delivering a one-of-a-kind session that perfectly meshed spectacular environs with world-class talent.
By all accounts - riders, crew, and weathermen - Red Bull Wakeberg beat the odds to carve its place in local lore and wakeboard history, overcoming unpredictable travel itineraries, unpredictable weather patterns, and very flippable icebergs. So is good enough best left alone? Not according to the boys, who are already talking return trip.”
This is what going to extreme’s is all about, inventing a whole new sport by venturing into a unexplored formidable territory. Will wakeberging catch on, only time will tell.
Pictures courtesy of www.bombe.tv/
To watch video footage of the event just click HERE
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