Flowriding (or Flowboarding)...
Is a late-20th century alternative boardsport incorporating elements of
surfing, bodyboarding, skateboarding, skimboarding, snowboarding and
wakeboarding.
Flowriders ride on artificial waves that are technically called "sheet
waves". Powerful pumps project a three-inch layer of water at speeds
ranging from 20 MPH to 30 MPH. The water flows up and over surfaces
engineered to replicate the shape of ocean waves. Sheet waves are
stationary waves, in that the wave does not move forward, and the
movement is derived from water flowing over a stationary surface.
Flowriders get their speed from the energy of the water flowing at them,
and can perform basic to sophisticated turns and tricks within a relatively
small area. Even though there are a number of different types of structures
used for flowriding, the two which are recognized at a competitive level are
the WhiteWater West Single, Double, and Triple FlowRiders and the Wave
Loch FlowBarrel. The sports has two main divisions, based on the type of
board: the flowboard and the bodyboard.
The flowboard is also known as the 'stand-up board' in flowriding.
Currently there are four mainstream board brands: Ash Flowboards, Mak
Flowboards, Wave Loch, and Jaan Flowboards.
These boards differ in shape, materials, lengths and the angle at which
the board curves. Generally they take a similar appearance to that of a
wakeboard and can be further categorized into strapped and strapless
boards. Boards with footstraps are generally used only on the FlowBarrel,
but strapless boards are used on both the FlowRider and FlowBarrel.