THE world-famous Banaue Rice Terraces served as a unique location for two professional wakeskaters to stage a unique winch session.
For American Brian Grubb, one of the world’s best wakeskate pros, the high-altitude location of what is considered to be the Eighth Wonder of the World proved to be a real challenge for him and a fellow pro from Germany, Dominik Preisner, during the project sponsored by Red Bull.
“This was my seventh trip to the Philippines, and my biggest project ever. Since I first saw the drawing of these huge rice terraces on the back of the 1000-peso bill, the idea of having a session there wouldn’t let me go," he said.
"It was only a drawing but it looked like a perfect winch spot and probably a super scenic location. And it was! The whole project was a real adventure for us and the team. It is still incredible that we were wakeskating at such a fascinating place!”
Compared to wakeboarding, wakeskating uses a smaller board that has no attachments to the rider, freeing him to accomplish more maneuvers called 'tricks' similar to what skateboaders usually perform.
The location, called the "Viewpoint" for its panoramic vista, covered four pools with a total length of 80 meters. To preserve the scenery’s natural look, organizers kept the setup as simple as possible, the only man-made obstacles being a wooden log slider and the custom winch setup.
They Said It!
“The whole project was a real adventure for us and the team. It is still incredible that we were wakeskating at such a fascinating place!" - American pro wakeskater Brian Grubb
Both riders were able to perform a whole bunch of tricks, such as Grubb’s stylish FS and BS Lipslide Shuvit Outs.
With respect for the environment a priority, organizers said they made certain that the plants and wildlife were neither damaged nor disturbed at any time during the event and that they coordinated with the locals, taking into consideration their traditions and culture.
"Traveling over here... we discovered the region of Banaue and saw just how big and how many rice terraces there were and for a wakeskater, it was paradise. And it’s completely natural," Grubb said.
"There was just an opportunity to maybe ride there so I got together with Red Bull and did some research and with a lot of scouting missions and talking with the local people up there and getting permission to actually go up there and ride."
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph