Outside Stuff: Byerly Wakeskate

The godfather of wakeboarding has a new line of wakeskate.

Most people know about the ski/snowboard wars of the 1990s, when skateboarders looked for a way to use their skills on the snow and coexist with stuffy middle-aged white men. But there’s another skate-inspired sport that doesn’t require concrete that hasn’t received quite the same publicity: Wakeskating. A wakeskate is basically just a wakeboard, but there aren’t any harnesses for your feet, which allows for kick flips and shove-its on the lake.

Ski Shack Retail Manager Rich Crum says the hottest new line of wakeskates on the market right now is the Byerly Legacy series wake skate ($229). Decorated with tattoo-style art on the bottom, these wakeskates are the first from the new line of products endorsed by well-known wakeboarder/skater Scott Byerly, and sold under the Hyperlite label. (Crum says Byerly is the godfather of wakeboarding.) Maybe now wakeskating will finally have its time in the spotlight. Ski Shack, 5528 S. Campbell Ave., 417-882-8480, theskishack.com