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Out of the Pond_**
($29.95; outofthepond.com)
WHO: Danny Harf, Brian Grubb, Shawn Watson, Chad Sharpe, Erik Ruck and Kevin Henshaw.
WHAT: Billabong’s first wake team video, Out of the Pond was made with the expressed purpose of pushing wakeboarding in new directions.
WHERE: Sprawling spillways in the Philippines; thick, crushing waves in Tahiti; a frozen pond in the foothills of Mammoth Mountain, California; the pool at Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel; and dozens of other off-the-beaten-path riding spots around the world.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH: Because OOTP is the film of the summer for making you want to ride, even though you have no business trying to replicate its stunts. Starting out with Grubb’s section, OOTP sets the bar high with one of wakeskating’s greatest dominating much more than the wake. The movie continues with Harf’s section. Now a video legend, it’s well-known that pointing a camera at Harf on a wakeboard will by itself create something amazing, but when you give him something like a snow gap or head-high waves to play with, you’re going to get something truly unique. Wake heads won’t be disappointed as Harf hits about 1,000 double-ups and continues to style out every trick he digs his edge into, including the one-and-only switch toeside 1260. Next up: Kevin Henshaw. An unapologetic rail addict, Henshaw’s section is a slider symphony that’s crescendo is a first-of-its-kind C-rail. It’s a really stylie 180-degree turnaround in which Henshaw rides into and away from the rail thanks to the pull of Sesitec’s System 2.0. It’s possibly the most progressive stunt in the movie, and its potential is immediately apparent. Ruck’s section has a balance of wake riding, spillway buttering and rail prowess. Just after the section seems to be over, Ruck throws down the gauntlet: a massive, gently inclined kicker leading to a soccer goal and into a landing pool. That’s right, he slides a soccer goal. It’s pretty hairy, considering off one side is a 10-foot drop and off the other side is a 10-foot drop, plus the goal’s metal support. Ruck, however, slays this crossbar with ease. Then we have Sharpe, the pioneer, who will be the first to try anything on a wakeboard. His section is one of the most explosive in the film as he uses a bus-size ramp to huck himself up spillways, over islands and even above a barge full of people. Watson’s section closes with an incline ramp up to a concrete ledge that’s just wide enough to 50-50
