Media: Axis Film Co. & Brandon Hesterman
Winching at a wave pool? Could this be the best combination of all time? We think so and John Akerman took full advantage. John has been crushing it lately winching and surfing wave pools on his skimboard. How does a trip like this come together? Well, sometimes it's all about who you know. Shane Beschen caught wind of our last winch session at Flagler with Tupat and Rasta Rob. He is the Creative Director of Revel Surf, professional Surfer and absolute legend in the surf industry. Next thing you know, Tupat connected Shane with Motowinch and John Akerman and the rest was history. The idea behind this trip was to see if the Motowinch is a perfect device for landing bigger airs at Revel Surf Park. To no surprise, it was epic from the first pull! With two full days of waves, two skimboarders, two surfers, two winches, and four batteries, they were completely locked in!
Riders included Blair Conklin, Noah Beshchen, and Josh Sliegh. Day one John and Blair were testing Revel's stock waves they offer like the Malibu, San O', and V Land wave profiles. They were frothing at how good the winch was working at the pool. The speed and timing they had with the thumb throttle on the Motowinch RC handle proved to be the best tool for progressive air maneuvers. Day 2 Matt Gunn, Executive Director of Revel Surf, surprised the crew with a custom wave profile he designed for us to winch into. After watching our first day, he knew exactly what we needed to adjust to make a wave with a taller ramp and a softer landing. Matt was spot on with this wave shape because the crew started pulling some of their biggest airs of the trip. The wind was perfect, giving the riders even more lift under their boards blowing into the rights perfectly both days. It's awesome to see how good skimboards perform at the wavepools and we love to see the sport continue to insert itself into the surf world. Big thanks to Revel Surf Parks and Motowinch for making these sessions possible!
RIDE WHAT JOHN RIDES -- The Whip V2!