ACTIVE WATER SPORTS

Join us this Saturday for the Lipsmack West Coast Premiere in Portland.

Lipsmack is the first full film for the Slingshot Wake team and Patrick Wieland. The Slingshot riders focused on having fun and keeping things innovative during this year long project. Featuring riding from Mike Ennen, Oli Derome, Jeff McKee, Shredtown, Jeff House, Steffen Vollert, Nate Perry, Dylan Miller, and Brian Reeder.

We will have Lipsmack DVD’s for sale online and in the store soon. Can’t wait any longer? Buy it now on iTunes

The final installment of #permacation – Henshaw Hotel gives everyone a glimpse into the Clermont lifestyle. Henshaw’s pad has become a home away from home for many of the world’s top wakeboarders and it’s quickly becoming a mecca for progression.

“This is the final installment of our first permacation series. When we all talked about how we would release each location edit, we all knew and agreed that the Henshaw Hotel would be last because it best represents our main focus and goal, which is to bring fun back into riding. Anyone who has stayed at Kevin’s before has witnessed what happens when riders from all over the world come to stay. It’s always fun and it’s always interesting. Huge thanks for the support given by Slingshot, Active Water Sports, and Kevin Henshaw for hosting the project. Big thanks to all the riders Zach Schneider, Kevin Henshaw, Keith Lidberg, Mikey Ennen, Raph Derome, Clayton Underwood, JD Webb, Bob Sichel.”

THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF PERMACATION.

Be sure to stay posted on our videos @ permacation.com
To be see what we are currently working on, FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM. @permacation

Active Water Sports’ Oregon City Store Manager Zach Schneider gives us the rundown on the 2012 AWS Spring Classic at Koppert Lake:

There’s no better way to kick off the coming wake season than to invite the entire northwest water sports community to Koppert Lake for Active Water Sports’ Annual Spring Classic event held on April 21st. After a long and strange snow season, I was as anxious as the rest of the northwest wake riders to get back on the water with my wakeboard. The weather during the days leading up to the Spring Classic made it difficult for any pre-contest practice rides, but that didn’t stop the 50 competitors from showing up for a great weekend of wakeboarding!

The day before the event, Active’s newest addition to the team, Jake Southard, and I spent all day in our rain gear setting up banners and flags around the lake. A little later in the afternoon the rain slowly drizzled off and we dropped the brand new Super Air Natique 210 into the water to get it sacked up and ready to ride for the contest.

A big surprise came later Friday night when Bryan Douglass from Slingshot rolled in with the Slingshot team van packed full of demo gear and offered all of the Central Washington University riders free rides and demos at the lake. I noticed one CWU rider even chose to use the Shredtown demo deck in the competition after testing it out Friday night!

We ended Friday by the campfire and I was really pumped to catch up and hang out with Eddie Roberts and the CWU wake team. I met most of the team last summer at the Collegiate Regionals tournament and was excited to see them all come out to Koppert as a team to represent their school. CWU brought 16 competing riders and with them their friends and family to show their support.

Saturday morning my head popped off my pillow 10 minutes before the alarm was set and I was awake and ready before the rooster crowed. The weather forecast called for rain all week, except Saturday we were promised mid 70′s and clear skies! The sun was a bit slower to get out of bed than I was, but by 10 o’clock the blue skies were out and the shoreline was quickly covered with lawn chairs and excited riders and spectators alike. For most of our riders it was their first ride of the season, but a few were lucky enough to make it out once or twice before. We totaled almost 50 riders to compete in the event. The contest offered the same divisions as our previous events: Grom, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Master’s, Women’s, Wakeskate, Rails, and Pro. Our division participation was pretty well rounded throughout the competition. Every division held between 6-10 riders and that gave a fair chance for all the riders to get on the podium.

Lots of free t-shirts, hats, and stickers provided by our sponsors were thrown out to the crowd throughout the day and we once again had amazing prizes for our top placers including head phones, wakeboards, vests, rope and handle packages, and apparel. Corey Bruce was on site shooting photos of the crowd and the riders all day sacrificing the safety of his own skin in the sun! Contest results are listed below along with a photo gallery. Huge thanks to all of our continuing sponsors:

Slingshot
Ronix
Hyperlite
Liquid Force
Northwest Riders Clothing
O’Neill
Active Water Sports

Podium Results:
Grom:                             Novice:                           Intermediate:
1. Tanner Higham           1. Austin Preuss             1. Dave Bodi
2. Seth Mckeon               2. Talon Sorensen          2. Sean Cebell
3. Paige Storey                3. Sterling Fry                3. John Macarthur

Womens:                        Masters:                         Advanced:
1. Molly Hawken             1. Ray Durkee                1. Tyler Higham
2. Priscilla Stultz             2. Mike Raines               2. Corbin Schafer
3. Michelle Moos             3. Darren Halsey            3. Ammon Markstaller

Wakeskate:                     Rails:                             Open:
1. Aaron Huntley             1. Jake Southard            1. Kyler Green
2. Sean Cebell                 2. Zach Schneider          2. Eddie Roberts
3. Patrick Mahoney          3. AJ Westlund               3. AJ Westlund

Photos taken by Corey Bruce: http://coreybrucephotography.tumblr.com/

The Slingshot Team and Patrick Wieland finished filming for Lipsmack earlier last month and it’s finally time to kick back and enjoy the fruits of their labor. The Lipsmack Global Premier will take place at the Plaza in Orlando, FL on Saturday, May 12. If you can’t swing the trip to Orlando Lipsmack will be available on iTunes May 15 and we will have it in our shops and online the 25th.

Want to get the Slingshot gear in the videos? Check out our huge selection of Slingshot Boards, Bindings, and more on ActiveWake.com.

Zach Schneider, Kevin Henshaw and Keith Lidberg head to the The Projects where it all started.

#permacation 2: The Projects features a little more lifestyle and a lot of rails. Kevin Henshaw makes every rail look easy as always and our very own Zach Schneider throws it down for the Northwest.

April 21- AWS Spring Wakeboard Tournament at Koppert Lake Come join us in April for our Annual Wakeboarding Tournament at our own Koppert Lake.

AWS Spring Classic Saturday, April 21st, 2012

Divisions: Grom Boys, Grom Girls, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Open, Masters, Women’s, Wakeskate, Rails (upon approval) *Divisions subject to change depending on registration

*NEW FOR 2012* WWA Sanctioned – Membership Required $30 for one event, $60 for year

Pre-Registration: $30 (must be paid before the 19th) Registration Day of: $40 Rail Division: $20 Rider’s may register into one division only (excluding wakeskate/rails)

Registration opens at 8am day of event Competition begins at 10am Overnight Camping: $5 per car (no exceptions)

Questions/Registration Please Contact Zach @ Oregon City Active 503-650-5991

Wakesurfing has exploded in popularity over the last few years. There’s nothing quite like catching an endless wave while your friends and family cheer you on from the back of the boat. Wakesurfing is exciting and easy to learn which makes it the perfect addition to your watersports quiver.

What Size Board Should I Get?
This is probably the most common question we get at the shop. Generally, the bigger the surfer the easier it is to learn on. If you are just starting out you will probably want to go with something that is around 5′4-5′6 like the Liquid Force Fish or the Hyperlite Idylwood. You might also need a larger board if your boat doesn’t put out a very big wake.

If you are a more advanced surfer you are going to want the speed and maneuverability that a shorter board will offer (4′6-5′2). Boards like the Ronix Koal and the Liquid Force Custom Quad will be able to react much quicker than larger boards.

What’s The Difference Between Compression Molded and Composite Style (Surf) Surfers?

Compression Molded Surfers are built in a similar fashion to wakeboards. They are heavier and more durable which is better for beginners and they are typically less expensive than Composite Boards. We recommend the Hyperlite Broadcast, Ronix Cortez, and the Liquid Force Fish.

Composite Style Surfers feature a surfboard style construction with a foam core and hand layered glass. Composite style surfers are lighter and more buoyant but they are also more fragile and susceptible to dings. This style of surfer is also better for airs and it will provide a better performance in smaller waves. Composite style boards are generally a little more expensive than compression boards because of their technical advances. We recommend the Liquid Force Noserider, Ronix The Duke Longboard, and the Liquid Force Custom.

Wakesurf Ropes
Wakesurfing ropes are thicker and shorter than a standard wakeboard rope. They are designed to get you into the “sweet-spot” of the wake and they will also save your hands from rope burn. We recommend the Ronix Surf Combo W/Handle, and the Liquid Force T-Grip Surf Rope.

Should I Use Ballast?
If you don’t have 8 200lb. Men in your boat it might be a good idea to invest in some wakesurf specific ballast. The Fly High V Drive Wake Surf Sac adds 400 lbs. of Ballast

If you have any questions about what wakesurfer to get or how to properly weight your boat give us a call at (800) 832-7547 and one of our gear experts will help you.