Ronix Zariel Wakeskate Review

I’m here to introduce the brand new Yonderosa series by Ronix, with this being the Ronix Zariel Wakeskate. I’ve been a wakeskater now for 5 or 6 years. This year I won rider of the year, from both Wakeboarding and Alliance, and then I got the reader’s poll for rider of the year as well, so I’m pretty stoked on that. On a wakeboard, I’ve always thought that lighter is better, but on a wakeskate I’ve always thought that finding the key weight is really crucial. And I think 14 pounds is really a perfect weight, because whether you’re doing a surface 180 or a wake to wake backside 5, it’s really going to stay with you and you’re going to have a lot of control over it. You’re not going to get hung up when you’re doing a surface 180 or when you’re doing a varial flip out in the flats. You’re going to know where the board is all the time, and it’s very controllable.

I like the bi-level shape because it gives you that skateboard feel of having a top deck and trucks underneath and really helps you out when you learn flip tricks. It floats really well and will make it that much more comfortable for you. One thing that’s good about the bi-level is that it has separation from the waterline. A wakeboard, you’re fixed in you’re attached to the board, so your feet aren’t moving around; so you can’t get hung up on the water. But on a wakeskate, sometimes I might have my toes off, and I’m not going to get hung up on the water and get taken down.

A lot of people try and say that the bi-level boards are too heavy, but the biggest thing I hear from people who’ve tried this board is that it gives you more control without the feel of the weight. You can’t tell that it’s 14 pounds when you’re out there. All you can tell is that it’s really stable and controlling.

The Yonderosa collection was derived from a place where I’ve kind of grown up out in New Mexico. We’re kind of like the season ender, to cool things off. My friends and I go out to this big ranch, so that’s where we got the idea for the graphic. It’s kind of just like a back woods kind of feel. Of just, the have fun with your buddies kind of thing. The biggest thing that I want to stress with this board is just give it a try. People can- you can talk about the weight and whether it’s good or bad, but once you try and really realize how controlling and how awesome it is, I really think you’ll love it.