My first introduction to riverboarding was when Banshee Bungee flew myself and fellow skimboarding pro Justin Boisclair to Idaho for an R&D trip that would cover miles thoughout the potato state, ending in a Forth of July demo/fiesta on the Snake River in Jackson, Wyoming. At first I was a little skeptical to it all, coming from a surfers/ skimboarders perspective where you ride with the flow of a wave and ocean, and not against the flow of the river like I was about to do. But I was ready to jump in and give it a try. I got in and tombstoned my board, streching the bungee very far back before it whipped me out of the water doing at least Mach 30 upstream. A couple more bungees and I was cruising upstream doing sprays and bigspins. It felt like I was skateboarding on my skimboard and all against the flow of the river. I was hooked.
Since then, board and bungee design has drastically improved with river riders now riding carbon fiber boards that look like advanced ocean skimboards. New spots and rivers are being searched out everyday by growing riverboarding enthusiasts, in search of the perfect ride. With a feel of skimboarding and skateboarding mixed, riverboarding is the next “big thing” as far as summer boarding sports in the river regions.
- Pete Anderson, Florida
