20 years

nick · Posted: Nov 13, 2023 2:41 pm Post subject: 20 years

20 years ago today, I logged into wakeskating.com for the first time & it set me on a path that I never ever ever could’ve imagined…

Wakeskating itself changed my life completely, but joining the community through this specific portal, my first exposure to the weird & wonderful people that inhabited our microcosmic culture, was really what shifted my scales. I’ve spent most of the morning thinking about all of the memories this little website brought me; all of the inside jokes & dramas that have unfolded here, the milestones of my career reflected back at me through the context of starting out here as an annoying forums kid, and especially all of the incredible characters I interacted with over the years of posting here… I’ve always been a nostalgic mess of a person, but today it’s piled on extra thick.

Obviously this place is a ghost town now, as the internet continues to evolve & shift into an uncontrollable will of its own, but if there are any benevolent spirits still lurking these green & blue hallways that feel like sharing old wakeskating.com memories or inside jokes, I’m sitting around this digital campfire ready to hear them.

And to the old community, who once was vibrant & rich in all ways but coin, I testify my undying love & gratitude for the life you helped bestow on me.

I hope I deserved it

<3

`nick

-=AlexXx=- · Posted: Nov 13, 2023 4:00 pm Post subject:

So much nostalgia in this post... I had to log in for the first time in what seems like a decade and cheers you Nick. Happy 20 years. Birthday

fastgreens · Kickflip Joined: 29 Dec 2007 Posts: 3563 City: baytown

Sup dudes… been a minute!

Congrats nick, you have accomplished a bunch in the last 20 and still killing it at life Smash

I now surf to get the fix wakeskating once provided.

Sutley · Pop Shuvit Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 138 City: Lakewood

nick,

Saw this on your Instagram story and wow did the memories come back...don't believe I've logged in here in over 10 years.

It was so cool seeing your progression over the years and looks like you have an amazing life in Hawaii now. The support you've shown for Maui is amazing! I'm currently supporting the FEMA post-fire mitigation assessments and have been in the natural disaster mitigation field for the last 10 years...eye opening!

I started foiling this summer and I'm hooked, so the wakeskate hasn't seen the water time as it used to. We've got a place on Shadow Mountain Reservoir in Grand Lake, CO so if anyone is up that way in the summer and wants a pull I'm always down, @dsut_11 on Instagram.

electricsnow · cassette Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 10735 City: Jefferton

As I mentioned on Insta, I love that you know the date you signed up because I sure don’t. I don’t even know where to start with this, outside of these forums (including discussing wakeskating on wakeboarder.com before this site started) fed me and my enthusiasm for wakeskating in a similar way. Talking about the butter book, linear perspective, anything cassette, everyone anticipating sfumato and hearing leaks about Reed landing a wake to wake kickflip, bi level talks and how crazy people got with cassette vs integrity, nick talking about landing wake to wake kickflips as clean as Aaron Reed (which I did not believe and was one of those pivotal moments, later on, that made me realize I needed to take a good look at myself as a person), seeing nick become this insane grom that landed the move everyone wondered was possible: the first 360 flip on a wakeskate. It was also really damn cool seeing Erich launch integrity and have that limited edition board in 08 or so, and everybody freaked out over that. And that was a new era of direct to consumer sales, where cassette started with that model, and it’s generally the way wakeskates are now sold to people. It was also nuts and totally unexpected when nick decided to join the remote team, which created the craziest buzz on this site. That reinvigorated me as a wakeskater. That, coupled with tad and “more than machines” made me feel like a less cynical and more hopeful wakeskater (even though I am still highly cynical, but I had a really hard time embracing wakeskating fully after cassette. Retrospectively, it’s so cool what came after that, and it was really important that there were riders, brands and filmers who wanted to keep this thing progressing.)

Also, the 3 times I went to expo I stayed with people I met from the site, and I will forever be grateful for that connection and generosity. On the last year I stayed with David Hanson and tj giesey and was able to see Andrew pastura ride in 08. I remember tj thinking company would really want to get Andrew on whatever wakeskate company they started and we all know how that worked. (remote…what more needs to be said!) Headhuntermx04 let me stay with him for at least 2 of those expo visits, and I’ll always be grateful for that.

So that’s just a big ol paragraph of what stands out and what has meant a lot to me, or made an impact. I still have a couple of vids of nick trying wake to wake flips on a kampus k series (I need to a) find them again and b)see if I can re-post them). And as I am nostalgic, here is one box I still have with a site reference that ties this all together.

Thanks for being awesome nick, and for taking the time to give this old place a shout out and recognize those roots. I heard a pod cast today that mentioned aspen trees, and how the roots are all connected under the surface. And I think it’s fair to say that this site has helped us become a little bit like those aspen trees.

And thanks to Ed for keeping this site up. I have a ton of fondness for this site and still use it to do some research when I’m wondering how accurately I’m remembering things, or if I’m working on some sort of project. I love that it’s still here even though things change.

miller · Backside 180 Joined: 08 Aug 2004 Posts: 2394 City: Regina

Fantastic!!

I lurked on here for a couple years then started an account the day after I snapped my ankle. Esnow brought back some great memories bringing up some great threads. I spent hrs and hrs reading and educating myself

EJazzle · Posted: Nov 14, 2023 11:37 am Post subject:

And just think, one day you will be looking back at these current times with nostalgia.

I still lurk here a decent bit. Miss being on here constantly though for sure. So many memories.

Thanks for steadying the ship all these years Captain.

Steven M · Posted: Nov 14, 2023 1:36 pm Post subject:

I still check in from time to time just to see if anything new is here but like everyone else, at one point this was my bloodline to my favorite pastime.

The friends I made on here have become brothers, one of them literally lol.

Thank you Ed for keeping the lights on.

I think most of us migrated to IG and I still get to track some of you OGs there so that is cool.

BB · Backside 180 Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 1706

Wish this site was still popping. Miss it.

flixmaster · Site Admin Joined: 11 Jul 2006 Posts: 824 City: Austin

Nick you worked hard for everything you have done. I am so happy for you! Next time I am in Hawaii I'm going to take a heli tour and ask for pilot Nick.

I do try and keep up with people from the site. I love to see what some of you are doing. Many are out of the wakeskate world but it is still nice to see smiles on faces, families that have started, new careers, new businesses or anything else that some of you have decided to do.

Life is about living and you guys/gals are doing it.

daniel · Back Big Joined: 26 Apr 2004 Posts: 3669 City: Duncan

love this place. have loved watching everything that's come from it.

thanks for the reminder nick.

obese · Faceplant Joined: 22 Jan 2009 Posts: 6

Congrats to you Nick for the last 20 years!

Although I have been only a long time lurker on this site its been crazy to watch what has transpired on here out into the wider wakeskate world.

This post made me go back through the older pages on and revisit what the site holds. Its amazing to re-read the past. It definitely brings up great memories and and inspiration

PIRATE · Kickflip Joined: 11 Jul 2006 Posts: 2651

I’m old… nostalgia runs deep… love all you old boys and girl.

On that…. Do wakeskate fins even exist anymore? Did we argue from 2005-2011 for no reason?

🏴‍☠️

EJazzle · Posted: Feb 01, 2024 9:26 pm Post subject:

urinal mint · Backside 180 Joined: 20 May 2005 Posts: 1990

fun to see the things you've accomplished nick, love watching the heli stuff on IG.

cheers

senza wake · Backside 180 Joined: 07 Jun 2011 Posts: 600 City: SLC

I’m near 20 years now too. Not sure exactly how many, and have had a couple different accounts because of not remembering login info.
Mostly slalom now if on the water. But wakeskated a little this past week and it was sooo fun. Still can’t ride away from a kickflip. Haha.
Would looooove a reunion edit of some kind of Nick and some of the other very influential people from wakeskating

A.Rodriguez · Posted: Jul 31, 2024 9:52 pm Post subject:

I finally got a new personal laptop and saw that I had this site bookmarked still. Been so long since I posted on here, I'm happy this site is still active. definitely need to get out and try my hand at wakeskating again.

I am wishing you guys the best.