RAD – Watch a Gnarly Dude Wake Surf the Illinois River
When I was a kid, I wanted to either be a baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals or an astronaut. Neither of those life goals worked out. Now, I have a more realistic hope that someday I can wake surf the Illinois River like the most gnarly dude just did.
Mike Rowell is the guy that just dropped this video on YouTube. I'm not sure if he's the surfer or the guy driving the boat or maybe neither. Either way we owe him a debt of gratitude because without his time sharing this video, we'd never know how completely bodacious this is.
If you're not familiar, the Illinois River is in...(*drum roll please*)...Illinois. Amazing.
The video inspired me to see what it would take to wake surf. The first step is having a surf board. The second step is for your friend to have a boat to create the wake.
According to the Evo website, wake boards are a little pricy. Looks like they'll easily run you a few hundred dollars. That's a small hurdle for such a capable and adventurous person like yourself though, right?
I'm a little concerned about the start of the experience. They recommend that you sit in the water with your toes pointed up on the edge of the wake board while you wait for the boat to engage. I can see myself easily becoming an involuntary projectile. Shudder.
I'm sure there's danger involved, so make sure you research and do your homework if you decide this looks like a fun idea.