Favorite color:
blue
Favorite song:
“On Trees and Birds and Fire”
I Am Oak
Favorite movie:
The Shawshank Redemption
Favorite trick:
Nosepress
I started wakeboarding:
a long time ago. I was like 5 or 6 years old when my brother and I were sent out on some of the first kids wakeboards that made their way to Germany.
My favorite thing about wakeboarding is:
how much of an art this sport is, how much personality you can put into it and also how pursuing it is. Professional means so much more than just the tricks and watertime.
The proudest moment of my wakeboarding career is:
when I won the Red Bull Wake Of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, 2010 as an underdog that most of the US guys have not had on their radar or when I landed my first double-flip on a wakeboard as one of the first ones in cable-wakeboarding.
O’Neill Hit the Road 2017 was:
all time! The tour was sick, we got so many good shots at great spots, the team vibes were great and the challenges we had to fulfill put some extra spice to it!
On this trip, I was most excited to:
try out our self-made boards
0%————-100% | |
Am funny | o o o o o x o o |
Dress well | o o o o o o x o |
Am flirty | o o o x o o o o |
Am a party animal | o o o o x o o o |
Eat a lot | o o o o x o o o |
In high-school my friends called me:
Nico
My secret talent is:
cooking
I bought my first wakeboard when I was:
5 or 6, my parents bought it though
When I was younger, I wanted to be an:
astronaut
My all-time hero is:
Kelly Slater
In 10 years, I see myself:
living a fulfilled life with my family, close to nature, chasing waves and powder and giving back to wakeboarding.
Favorite color:
blue
Favorite song:
“rocket man”
Elton John
Favorite movie:
Captain Fantastic
Favorite trick:
Wrapped FS 360
I started wakeboarding:
because all my friends started doing it and I didn’t want to be the only trickskier at the cable.
My favorite thing about wakeboarding is:
the refreshing water in summer. Spending the long days outside – with a bunch of cool people.
The proudest moment of my wakeboarding career is:
my first Railey
O’Neill Hit the Road 2017 was:
a blast, exhausting, productive, fun, an eye opener, claustrophobic, dirty.
On this trip, I was most excited to:
not let anyone else win the “Monopoly Deal.
0%————-100% | |
Am funny | o o o x o o o o |
Dress well | o o o o o x o o |
Am flirty | o o x o o o o o |
Am a party animal | o o o o o x o o |
Eat a lot | o o o o o o o x |
In high-school my friends called me:
Volli
My secret talent is:
yltneulf derorrim etirw nac I
I bought my first wakeboard when I was:
My mom bought my first wakeboard when I was 12.
When I was younger, I wanted to be a:
Pro Wakeboarder.
In 10 years, I see myself:
surfing in California, every morning before I go to work, which will be a photo- or ridershoot somewhere around LA or San Diego.
Favorite color:
black
Favorite song:
anything by the
Menehan Street Band
Favorite movie:
Blow
Favorite trick:
Frontside 360
I started wakeboarding:
18 years ago and loved every minute of it.
My favorite thing about wakeboarding is:
just riding on the water and carving around.
The proudest moment of my wakeboarding career is:
getting a promodel with Slingshot.
O’Neill Hit the Road 2017 was:
amazing, I hope we get to do it again.
On this trip, I was most excited to:
find new spots and ride new terrain
0%————-100% | |
Am funny | o o o o o x o o |
Dress well | o o o o o o o x |
Am flirty | x o o o o o o o |
Am a party animal | o o o o x o o o |
Eat a lot | o o o o o o o x |
In high-school my friends called me:
Pickle
My secret talent is:
cleaning
I bought my first wakeboard when I was:
12
When I was younger, I wanted to be a:
golfer or wakeboarder
My all-time hero is:
my dad
In 10 years, I see myself:
working in the industry, family man
Favorite color:
Blue
Favorite song:
“We have candy”
Die Antwoord
Favorite movie:
Anything by Tarantino
Favorite trick:
Derek Cook’s wrapped stalefish 3 rewind
I started wakeboarding:
on the freezing lakes of Sweden.
My favorite thing about wakeboarding is:
the friends.
The proudest moment of my wakeboarding career is:
winning Wakeboarding Mag’s “Trick of the year” for my double flip in 2015.
O’Neill Hit the Road 2017 was:
the ultimate adventure.
On this trip, I was most excited to:
get back to wakeboarding after recovering from an injury for 12 months!
0%————-100% | |
Am funny | x o o o o o o o |
Dress well | o o o o o o o x |
Am flirty | o o o o o o x o |
Am a party animal | o o o x o o o o |
Eat a lot | o o o o o o o x |
In high-school my friends called me:
Deeplake (It’s what Djupsjö means in Swedish)
My secret talent is:
Dancing
I bought my first wakeboard when I was:
14
When I was younger, I wanted to be a:
Marine Biologist (and save the world)
My all-time hero is:
Benjamin Hoppe
In 10 years, I see myself:
Saving the world
Favorite color:
Black
Favorite song:
“Houses Of The Holy”
Led Zeppelin
Favorite movie:
Star Wars – Return Of The Jedi
Favorite trick:
Pete Rose
I started wakeboarding:
when I was 3 behind the boat. My family was super into water sports and it was a no brainer for them to plop me on a wakeboard.
My favorite thing about wakeboarding is:
having fun. That’s the main reason why I ride and continue to ride is because I love it and think it’s a damn good time. Not to mention the people that come with it are awesome.
The proudest moment of my wakeboarding career is:
winning the World Championships in the Philippines. It was such a good way to end the season and it made it even better that I swept every podium.
O’Neill Hit the Road 2017 was:
an absolute game changer. I don’t think any company has ever put so much time and effort into making a legit winch trip happen. It was such an amazing crew and only good times were had.
On this trip, I was most excited to:
tour around Germany! This was my first time and what better way to do it than rolling through Germany in a rockstar style bus. Not to mention hitting some real gnarly spots along the way definitely got me excited to keep on winching.
0%————-100% | |
Am funny | o o o o o x o o |
Dress well | o o o x o o o o |
Am flirty | o o o x o o o o |
Am a party animal | o o o o x o o o |
Eat a lot | o o o o o o x o |
In high-school my friends called me:
G
My secret talent is:
skiing
I bought my first wakeboard when I was:
3, but I definitely didn’t buy it.
When I was younger, I wanted to be a:
Graphic Designer but I can’t draw.
My all-time hero is:
Shane McConkey/Travis Pastrana
In 10 years, I see myself:
Living the Dream
Favorite color:
Red
Favorite song:
ASAP Rocky, Phoenix
Favorite movie:
Surfs Up
Favorite trick:
Back Lip Nose
I started wakeboarding:
when I was 7 years old. My dad used to be a professional water-skier and when he finished skiing he set up a ski lake. As soon as I was old enough he got me out on the water and ever since then I’ve loved it and have been addicted ever since.
My favorite thing about wakeboarding is:
For me it never gets boring, there’s endless amounts of tricks that can be done and even when you’re not learning anything new it’s just as fun to try and perfect the simple things.
The proudest moment of my wakeboarding career is:
winning the worlds in 2015. Ever since I was a kid it’s been my goal. So to achieve it was really special.
O’Neill Hit the Road 2017 was:
insane! Everyday produced a new challenge and although it had its ups and downs, I can definitely say it was one of the funniest trips I’ve ever been on.
On this trip, I was most excited to:
winch! I’ve never really done much winching before, so for me it was really exciting and a new challenge. From doing it I think it’s really been an eye opener to another part of wakeboarding and I definitely have a lot of respect for the guys that hit some of the gnarliest spots behind the winch.
0%————-100% | |
Am funny | o o o o o x o o |
Dress well | o o o o x o o o |
Am flirty | o o o x o o o o |
Am a party animal | o o o o x o o o |
Eat a lot | o o o o o o o x |
In high-school my friends called me:
Joey.
My secret talent is:
annoying people.
I bought my first wakeboard when I was:
7
When I was younger, I wanted to be a:
footballer.
In 10 years, I see myself:
still wakeboarding hopefully!
OUR TEAM OF WORLD-CLASS WAKEBOARDERS IS HITTING THE ROAD TO WINCH UNIQUE URBAN SPOTS & TACKLE OTHER EXCITING CHALLENGES
The start of each new adventure: The Book of Challenges is the crew’s travel companion and best friend on the road. The next challenge: form teams of two and build DIY wakeboards with a budget of just €40.
Nico von Lerchenfeld has found some additional support for his team from The Real Life Guys, who run a popular YouTube channel featuring all kinds of crazy home-made experiments. Will their experience help to create a DIY wakeboard?
Every wakeboard build begins with the careful selection of materials. Guenther Oka has everything under control.
Guenther and O’Neill teammate Steffen Vollert give the plank that will become their DIY wakeboard a quick test run in the hardware store. Looks good, Guenther!
The right calculations mean everything; after all, the DIY crews want to utilize their resources down to the last cent in their quest to build the best possible board. Who will get it just right?
Carro Djupsjö teamed up with talented craftsman Dylan Miller, but quickly showed that she can hold her own in the workshop. Sawing, sanding, styling — no problem for this cool Swede.
Hole-in-one: Steffen and Guenther made a real impression with their mini-golf themed wakeboard, complete with flag. And it rips, too!
Nico has surfing in his blood. With elegance and a fat grin on his face, he pilots his Silver Surfer across Berlin’s Spree.
An unusual kind of spot check: in order to scope the best rails and ledges along the waterways, the team makes itself comfortable on the upper deck of a standard City Cruise boat; sunshine and frothy German beer included.
An American tourist on a European city tour. Of course, selfies in front of a few important sights are part of the program — after all, Mom and Dad are back at home, wondering what young Guenther is up to.
Several smaller Side Challenges keep things interesting during the trip. One example: “Perform a drive-by basketball dunk.” Okay, we’ll let this one count.
During the day, at night, whenever and always: Dylan loves his skate deck and is stoked on the large Mellow Park in the middle of Berlin, where the team spends two nights.
Steffen knows how to do it right, with a SUP water taxi to ferry him back to the start between hits.
There’s simply no better feeling than nailing the trick, and the shot, exactly the way you imagined it. Happiness is best when shared!
Smack dab in the middle of Berlin, spots don’t come any more central or impressive than this. Dylan has four more tries on this extremely long pipe in Berlin’s government district before the cops take notice.
Possibly the most hair-raising moment of the whole trip: Dylan makes his way back to the start, totally focused and ready for the next attempt.
Do it your own way, do it yourself. Get active, get creative and share the fun with your friends — that’s what wakeboarding is all about. Can anything feel better than that?
Carro Djupsjö doesn’t dither around. She takes on the task from The Book of Challenges and adds a little SUP yoga session to her day. Switched up? 100 percent.
Her first real winch session… and that after a long recovery from injury. Carro jumps right into the action, killing the ledge with several 50-50s.
The weather is one thing that Team O’Neill doesn’t need to complain about. Although it’s cold and rainy when the trip starts in Munich, the weather quickly takes a turn for the better.
Ever the diligent student, Joe Battleday has to spend a few days in school before meeting up with the crew in Hamburg.
The team holes up for two nights right in the middle of the city. Location, location, location: the best winch spots, as well as other attractions, are just a hop, skip and a jump away.
During the trip, Steffen Vollert and the rest of the crew document the challenges with a Polaroid camera. At the journey’s end, the best shots will be glued into The Book of Challenges.
One hour in the Hamburg O’Neill store to do whatever one desires … what a dream.
Yes, Dylan — that’s you in the photo. This shot was captured during O’Neill Hit The Road 2016.
Guenther Oka quickly gets used to the job of shop salesman. With his expanded skills, will he try to negotiate a better sponsorship contract?
The calm before the storm: Dylan Miller takes a deep breath before the winch kicks into action.
Dylan is stoked, as is everyone else. This spot in the middle of Hamburg is a highlight of the trip.
This world is crazy … so let’s turn everything on its head; let’s switch things up a bit!
Joe Battleday backside noseblunts Nico von Lerchenfeld’s signature wallride feature: not a bad combination.
Finally, a little space. At North Bound – Wakepark Aurich the crew took advantage of the lawn to dry out their wet clothes.
Cozy but comfortable: on the bus’s second floor the crew had to duck their heads while using every available nook and cranny to store their luggage.
Freedom of movement is just one of many challenges presented by the T-Rex suit. But we’ve gotta be honest: we’ve never seen Steffen looking better.
Since Guenther Oka is also a pretty good freeskier, it was clear that the challenge “Do a backflip on waterskis” would fall to him. And he really seemed to enjoy himself on two planks, too.
Once Guenther took care of the backflip challenge, it was time for Steffen, Joe and Dylan to attempt the pyramid formation—tight swimsuits included.
Nico is a true master on a surfboard, even in the wakepark. In a historic wetsuit, eyepatch and beard, he pays his respects to surf pioneer and brand founder Jack O’Neill.
The crew attracts a lot of attention with its goofy challenges, proving reliable in the production of smiling faces.
The book slowly fills with “Challenge Accepted” stamps and great memories. It’s definitely worth a curious glance inside.
Necessity is the mother of invention, and that’s the way that an improvised wood rig gets built before the session to mount the heavy Red camera gimbal.
After a long recovery from injury and not much riding on tour, Carro Djüpso gets her fill in Aurich. It’s hard to miss her beaming smile during her first runs on her wakeboard.
Winches, kickers, E-bikes, grill, sunchairs, board bags, SUP board, tools and more: the bus trailer is packed up to the ceiling.
First work, then play. In the middle of a park in Paderborn, Guenther moves the kicker into position for a wallride spot.
Happiness is only real when shared. Guenther shares the stoke together with Dylan after a stomped trick.
It started in Munich, then continued on to Bayreuth, Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin, Hamburg and Aurich. The trip ended in Langenfeld, where the cameras were pulled out one last time for the crew to sum up the journey.
The trip’s last challenge? Taping all of the Polaroid photos from the last eleven days into the book, making that special little something to remember a road trip of a lifetime.
Having fun together with good friends — isn’t that the real point of wakeboarding? Our crew knows what’s up and shreds Wakepark Aurich to their hearts’ content.