Have you ever watched videos online of people surfing killer waves and thought ‘yeah, I could do that’? Well, now it’s time to put your money where your mouth is with our Flowboarding adventure day! Not sure what Flowboarding is, or why you should give it a try? Well, aside from the fact that Flowboarding is essentially surfing without the sea, it’s a fantastic way to work off the Christmas calories and have great fun doing it. Want to know more? Read on…

What Is Flowboarding?

Ok, so Flowboarding (also known as flowriding) has been around since the late 1980’s, but it since then it has evolved a lot to become what we know today. The basics are simple – you are given a board taken to the Flowboarding ramp. This is a springy indoor ramp with a large dip in the middle, covered in rushing water about 4 inches deep that forms all different sizes of waves, depending on your abilities. You can take on the waves any way you like – on your feet, your knees or even on your stomach – the whole idea is to ride the surf to the bottom, taking as long as you want. Flowboaring is a huge thrill and lets you try out surfing without trekking to the coast and braving the cold costal winds. Even if you’ve never set foot on a board before, you’ll be able to experience the thrill of surfing and enjoy every second. Above everything else, Flowboarding is amazing FUN!

How Does Flowboarding Work?

The boards and riding styles themselves are a far more complicated affair! It took a lot of evolution and input from some of the world’s best alternative athletes (like Terje Haakonsen, Tom Morey, Kelly Slater, Bill Bryan and Tony Hawk) to create this simple sport. They describe the board and the style of riding as a ‘complex equation of riding styles and equipment : Surfing (minus a fin) plus Snowboarding (minus the mountain) plus Wakeboarding (minus the boat) plus Skateboarding (minus the road rash) plus Skimboarding (minus the sand). Lost yet? Yeah, we were too at first.

Basically, Flowboarding combines the best elements of lots of board sports to give you the best experience possible, so even if you’ve never stepped on a board before you will be able to get the hang of it quickly. Participants start by bodyboarding down the flow ramp. This is where you lie face down on the board and dash about the waves with the help of your hands, so you can get to know the feeling of the surface and how the waves react to you. As you go through your session you will be able to move on to kneeling on your board and controlling your movement with your bodyweight instead. This is always a fun step and guarantees a few people wipe out into the spray. Thankfully the ramp is a lot like a trampoline and the water isn’t deep, so there is no danger if you fall off! Once you’ve got the hang of that (which if you’re like me might take a few goes!) you can brave standing up and surfing the waves like a pro.

The sessions last around an hour, with wetsuits and board all provided by the centre. So if you fancy braving the waves, or if you’re confident you could do tricks like the pros, come along and show us how it’s done! Our next session is on the 11^th of February in Milton Ernest, Bedfordshire, and costs just £37 (or £40 for a guest). To book your place now, click here. We can’t wait to see you there!