kelowna wakefest sunk

city council has voted in favour of not issuing an event permit for wakefest in 08. seems its a victim of its own success. not only the police, but also the hotel association was in favour of this as they were tired of the damage to rooms . seems that the younger gen had put the word out that its the place to party in july.we live here and its nuts on that weekend, but a great time also. too bad it gets a little out of hand downtown

Cool with me, always the worst riding condisions of any stop on the tour year in and year out.

Worse than reno with the exception of 2007 Worlds, Randy?

Yep...

what do you think the difference was at the reno site? Was it the different time of the year, AND the fact they changed it to the other side? or just the change to the other side? All in all, a great contest with great conditions. hugs to the fam randy!

They should go back to the original stop in Canada. It was an old gravel pit that filled with water. The lake maybe gets a 3" ripple if that any day. They moved it because they wanted a bigger venue, then look what happens. I went the first year Kelowna had it but that was about it. After that the "hardcores" started going that didn't give a F about the riding and just started causing problems. Too bad but it was bound to happen.

I know the afternoon winds in Reno during spring and early summer are always a problem. Something to do with the warm summer air mass and the cold mountain air meeting. I have been told that late summer is much better for the winds. I think that was true at this year's event.

Kelowna was a ouble edged sword. It was guaranteed bad water. The site is on a huge lake with no protection and lots of rollers from big and small boats. Riding was very unpredictable and not a good venue for a pro stop with points on the line. On the other hand it probably is the biggest crowd of all 10 of the King of Wake and PWT stops and one of the most fun with the whole town into it. Lots of people and lots of activities. True that many of the people didn't care about the wakeboarding but it added to the overall festivities.

I would like to keep Wakefest but have it as a one off tournament and not part of the overall PWT and King of Wake series. It appears it doesn't matter anyway and is now history.

I believe it was both just as Team Valdez stated.

Too bad for Kelowna. Shame on those that ruin it for all. It's happened too many times in too many places. I hope an alternate venue is found out west. Maybe Shalom in Edmonton? It's easily one of the best sights for water sports, both for athletes and spectators, I have ever visited.
www.shalompark.com

Mike, if it's a man made ski lake it will probably not be deep enough to create a pro size wake for a tour stop, that's been my experence on ski lakes.

Randy, Canadian wakeboard nationals was held there in 06. If the wake suffered it sure didn't reflect in the riding. Might be worth asking some of the boys you know from the tour who have ridden there. Anthony, Brad, Braden the Deromes and a bunch more have experienced it. As a spectator, it was awesome. Close to the action in a sheltered valley and just outside Edmonton.

Western Canada has many ideal sites for these competitions, I agree Shalom Park would be great if deep enough. They also had a comp @ Sylvan Lake near Red Deer, Alberta, great venue!

Thanks Mike, sounds like it could be a good venue then.

quite welcome Randy. Like RJ said probably lots of great sites out west with equally great people to make it a success. Hope one is found.

I cant say that I will miss Kelowna. Worst stop ever.

Don't sugar coat it Ben, tell us how you really feel

Bring a tour stop to the North East. I think Wakestock is the closest pro event to NY.

The site they used in Abbotsford, BC a few years back was sweet. Great water conditions and plenty deep enough.

Are there ever any events near Iowa? How do I find out where all these events are?

I would love it if they brought it back to Abbotsford. It's a 10min drive to the lake opposed to the 3 and a half hour up to Kelowna. It will be interesting to see who will take it next.

You have to realize one thing about BC as I can't say the same about the other provinces but here we ruin everything. When the monster truck show comes to Vancouver it used to be the biggest S### show there ever was because people would get so drunk and fight. Now they don't serve alcohol at the monster trucks. We also have Merrit mountain music fest which I am surprised that it still happens because it is one of the biggest parties in N. America.( It was in Maxum as one of the top 10 places to get laid) The Kelowna stop just became another party location.

I think it comes down to a lot of people around here don't have a lot to do or there own interests to be involved in. It seems as if down in the states only people that enjoy the sport of wakeboarding go to wakeboarding events as well as with other sports going on.

Nick, prowakeboardtour.com & kingofwake.com But you have to wait, next years event locations and dates won't be posted until after Feb. of 08.

Bring it to Toronto!!!

The site fro WakeStock is always world class and there is plenty of room for spectators and vendors etc....

I've only been a member on this site for a couple weeks. I just can't get over how cool everyone is. Everybody is so helpful even with new people. (This is my first real season of wakeboarding) I wish I would have known about this site at the beginning of the season, I think I'd be a lot better by now. At least I know what a progressive edge is now. I think that will help me next year when I'm pulling my first inverts. I'll even know what to call them by then!!! Thanks Randy...and thanks everyone else!

Your welcome Nick & welcome to Wakeworld. I think the pro tour stop in the Twin Cities would be pretty close for you. Good luck on your inverts next year and don't forget to put a little style on your tricks

there probably wouldnt be enough room for double ups at shalom.
how was sylvan lake? i wanted to go but didnt have a way of getting there.

Sylvan Lake was a bust too. The town didn't want a 2 day event, for much the same reasons as Kelowna. The town is absolute chaos that weekend, and the water is terrible. Huge Rollers and the boys ride right by the pier, so the rollers are bouncing off the large embankment, making things worse for the riders.

Albert dyck lake in abbotsford would be perfect because you would be able to set up stands all over the lake and see everything. Plus its deep enough for ballast