Wakeboarders explore frozen waters of Patagonia

Four of the world’s best wakeboarders, including legendary American rider Parks Bonifay, recently embarked on a mission to Patagonia in a quest to take the sport of wakeboarding to the next level. Los Glaciares National Park (Argentina) – The stunning Lake Argentino in southern Patagonia was the stage for the unique adventure featuring American riders Parks Bonifay and Adam Errington as well as the Argentinian duo of Cutún Martín and Tomas Karagozian. Fed by the Upsala Glacier high above, Lake Argentino is the largest freshwater lake in Argentina and home to many icebergs that formed a perfect natural playground for the intrepid athletes. “I studied the behaviour of the icebergs carefully before coming to Patagonia and it was pretty clear that they are dangerous because they can break or rotate at any moment,” commented Parks Bonifay, X-Games champion at the age of 14 and the first wakeboarder in the world to land a 1080. “They are huge and uncontrollable. But this incredible place makes you try to leave your fears behind and enjoy this amazing experience with your board.” The weather in the region is charaterised by freezing temperatures and winds of over 40 knots. The icebergs, some of which are up to nine times larger than the section emerging from the water, are in perpetual motion and can rotate at any time. Unperturbed by the risks involved, the athletes searched for blocks of ice with shapes that would allow them to slide their boards, progressing from simple obstacles to more challenging ones as their confidence grew. The tricks also quickly became more sophisticated, with Parks laying out a huge 360 off a 45ft iceberg and his compatriot Adam Errington stepping up to the plate with a beautiful Switch Tail Press Backside 180. However, it soon became clear that what mattered most was not doing the best trick but being creative and taking the sport of wakeboarding to the next level in an environment as beautiful and unique as it is inhospitable and uncontrollable. Los Glaciares National Park is located in the province of Santa Cruz in Argentina. It was created in 1937 to preserve the Patagonic ice fields and has been UNESCO World Heritage since 1981. [caption id="attachment_5343" align="alignnone" width="553"] Adam Errington performs in the “Los Glaciares” National Park in Santa Cruz, Argentina[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5344" align="alignnone" width="553"] Cutun Martin performs in the “Los Glaciares” National Park in Santa Cruz, Argentina[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5345" align="alignnone" width="553"] Parks Bonifay, Adam Errington, Cutun Marti­n and Tomas Karagozian pose for a group shot in the “Los Glaciares” National Park in Santa Cruz, Argentina[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5346" align="alignnone" width="553"] Cutun Martin performs in the “Los Glaciares” National Park in Santa Cruz, Argentina[/caption] Thanks to our friends at Redbull for this Article]]>