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Flyboarding comes to Gull Lake this year

Forget walking on water, the new trend is flying on it.
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Travis Young

Forget walking on water, the new trend is flying on it.

Flyboarding is one of the fastest growing water sports in the world and is easily ac- cessible to the residents of Ponoka County with a location on Gull Lake.

Alberta Flyboard’s Gull Lake location is open at Parkland Beach and is offering those willing to get wet a chance at an entirely new adventure.

“It’s been around for about four or five years now,” said owner Travis Young, referring to the sport. It was developed in France by a man named Frankie Zapata.

In Alberta, the sport still mainly rely on Youtube videos and word-of-mouth. “It’s on the verge of being known,” said Young.

Young, who is a sports fan, says flyboarding offers an experience like no other. “I’ve skydived. It’s way cooler than skydiving.”

“You pretty much feel like your flying. Basically it’s like Iron Man powered by water,” he added.

While the sport may look intimidating, Young says 90 per cent of people are up within the first five to seven minutes. He has already had two participants over the age of 60 come out to board. “The learning curve is fairly quick.”

“We want everybody to try a sport like this,” he added.

Whichever method riders choose, the flyboard or the hoverboard, they are attached to a Jet Ski with a 60ft tube. “Your Jet Ski acts as a giant pump,” said Young.

The trained driver works the Jet Ski’s throttle, which in turn pushes the water through the system and out the board.

“The first invention was the flyboard,” said Young.

The hoverboard came out last year. “It’s basically a snowboard that offers the same style of riding,” Young explained.

Alberta offers five flyboard locations, Sylvan Lake, Gull Lake, Cold Lake, Lake Wabamun and Jack Fish Lake. “That is where we hold our yearly certifications and retreats,” said Young.

Young got into the sport after watching a Youtube video. “(I) put it on my bucket list. After the first time I was hooked.”