THAI TRANSFER

Daniel Grant back 270 transfer @ TWP
photo: Wojciech Kalka 2013

MAX & MASSI pt. II

The Ping Pong Show part 2 from Maxim van Helvoort on Vimeo.

MAX AND MASSI

The Ping Pong Show part 1 from Maxim van Helvoort on Vimeo.

REVISITING BEN LECLAIR IN THAILAND

Two Weeks in THAILAND from Johny Bonney on Vimeo.

To celebrate Ben Leclair's "official" signing to Slingshot Wake, thought I'd take a trip down memory lane. Two years ago Ben was fortunate enough to travel to Thai Wake Park with myself and Yan Tibo. We happily took him under our wing on the other side of the world. It was during this trip that I first came to notice the true potential of this kid - especially out of his comfort zone back at the Derome wake park in St-Zotique, QC. Between the three of us, Ben had no troubles logging footy and getting shot after shot! Consistency and style is something rarely a package deal nowadays, luckily this kid has worked hard on both fronts. ENJOY!

Kicker Party w/ Nikita!

Kicker party with Nikita Martyanov from An Vasileva on Vimeo.

STYLE. STYLE. and GOING BIG. These are some core values I discovered in this very talented Russian when we kicked it back in Thailand this time last year. I guess Nikita has made his way back to Thai Wake Park for a few weeks, and so I look forward to more of this stuff in the near future!

All Thai.

all thai from Marvin Kalter on Vimeo.
Put together like an intricate puzzle. I like it. and well hey the riding ain't that bad either eh!

NEW EDIT!!! TWO WEEKS IN THAILAND

Two Weeks in THAILAND from Johny Bonney on Vimeo.

I don't really know what much else there is to say about this trip. I mean, hopefully this video speaks for itself in the sense that you've read all the blog updates, you've seen all the pictures, and you've seen the teaser. So ya, let's get on with it shall we. So without further ado, the boomboxdream.com is proud to present "Two Weeks in Thailand" featuring Ben Leclair, Johny Bonney, and Yan Tibo riding at Thai Wake Park. There is also a guest appearance by Daniel Grant. ENJOY!!

NEW EDIT "Two Weeks in THAILAND" starting to come together...

(choppin')

winching rice fields with Daniel and Mav

khao pad dan & mav from Marvin Kalter on Vimeo.

Daniel Grant and Marvin Kalter got a little creative last week at Thai Wake Park and took out the winch to session an old rusty pipe in a neighbouring rice field. While we were there at TWP last month, Tibo and crew wanted to find some winch spots after the floods had afforded some new spots for the taking. Unfortunately time and organization were against us, but it's cool to see the boys making the best of their time in finding some new fun.

Through the looking glass.

While the New Year is a good time to reflect on the year that was, I would rather look ahead to the year that will be. Don't get me wrong, 2011 was an absolutely great year for me both on and off the water. But with that said, this year should be no different. So here's a few things I look forward to in 2012...

4. The return of Raph Derome

If all goes well, we should see the long awaited return of Mr. Raph Derome. Let's face it, wakeboarding needs this kid as much as he needs to wakeboard. His unmatched style, innovativeness, and attitude is something that has come to redefine what it means to wakeboard. Am I perhaps overstating my case? Hardly. He's part of the most exciting class of newcomers arguably since the arrival of the Pointless posse over a decade ago. Together with kids like Nico Von Lerchenfeld, Daniel Grant, his brother Oli, and countless others, Raph will continue to keep things styled, progressive, fun, and fresh!

3. More cable parks in Canada

In 2011, Canada was fortunate to gain its first full size cable park in more than two decades. Adrenaline Adventures in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is the most legitimate and state of the art water sports complex this country has ever seen. Ontario was also lucky to gain their second wake park in as many years with The Ranch Wake Park opening up in Newmarket, Ont. Now there are whispers of numerous other cable parks going up from coast to coast in the near future. Rumour has it that cities like Calgary, Abbotsford, Kelowna, Quebec City, and Ottawa/Gatineau could be next...

2. More Slingshot

Pardon me if this seems a little biased, but you can't blame me for being honest and reppin' for the holmies. The arrival of Slingshot wakeboards a few years ago marked a clear revolution for our sport. Flex technology has allowed our sport to breakthrough some important barriers, especially when it comes to style (i.e. Raph Derome) and performance. 2012 will be an exciting year for Slingshot as our sport continues to grow and people expand their horizons to try new equipment. Their line up for this year is tops in the industry hands down. I myself had the pleasure of riding the full 2012 Shredtown setup by Slingshot for the first time when I was in Thailand, and all I can say is that I can't wait to get back on it!

1. The next trip(s)

I had the pleasure of travelling both domestically and internationally this past year. Obviously going to Thailand would have to be the highlight of the year, but I wouldn't be so quick to discredit the adventures and fun I had during my travels to Winnipeg, Montreal, Trois-Rivières, Victoriaville, Timmins, and St. Zotique. Needless to say that I anxiously await for the next departure. And so it begs the questions, where to?

Thailand 2011: the trip that was...

I'm home, well back in Canada anyway...after almost 40 hours in transit, I finally saw a familiar face when my good mate Adam Hicks picked me up at the Ottawa airport on Wednesday afternoon. 

His first question of course was "how was the trip?". "Amazing", I answered. After that, I was almost at a loss of words I thought to myself; unable to define with certainty what I had just experienced. Needless to say I was in shock after 40 hours removed from the pristine beaches of Koh Chang and the everyday routine of having the privilege to ride at one of the world's best cable parks, Thai Wake Park.

Now while I sort through the motions of a reverse culture shock be it resolved that our way of life is no more worse nor superior than that of southeast Asia's, it's just different. But that's not to say we couldn't learn a few things...

The simplicity and pace of life is something we could appreciate here in the hustle and bustle mecca of North America. The genuineness of the people of Thailand is truly amazing; the smiles, cheerfulness, diligence, and selflessness is something that I will miss. Be it of course I will try to carry on this spirit long after I have left Thailand.

But upon further reflection, it's not so much about Thailand anymore as much as it is about the thrill and spills of traveling the world and experiencing another culture first hand. 

For those familiar with Travis Rice's The Art of Flight, in the flim's introduction he talks about how our lives have become digital and that we tend experience things through endless amounts of hallow second hand information. "If we want authenticity, we have to initiate it," he says. That statement basically sums up my whole two weeks in Thailand.

The friendships made, friendships renewed, experiences had, and memories made is what continues to fuel my desire to want to keep travelling the world and seek out authenticity in everything I do. My two weeks in Thailand was not a question of quantity, a measure nor duration of time, no. It was simply something of quality. And to that I say, "hold quality undefined" (Robert M. Pirsig) my friends.

***

All this to say that the next trip can't come soon enough...and thanks for following along!

shot!

(photo: Tom "the Swede" Axelsson)

TWP Goodbye Floods PARTY!

On Saturday December 17th, 2011, Thai Wake Park will be hosting a party to celebrate the end of the devastating floods that plagued the region for the last couple months while also raising money to help those affected the disaster. 

TWP was lucky enough to avoid major misfortune when the flood waters came within only two meters of the fresh water lake. The wake park is actually located in one of the hardest hit areas of Bangkok. 

It's amazing to see how much the water has receded in just two weeks, but even crazier to imagine that the situation was still even worse three weeks before our arrival. 

My friends who have been here since November remember having to take a boat in order to reach TWP and were often trapped for days at a time without being able to leave. No wonder I had such a hard time getting a cab from the airport when I touched down and was asking them to go to Lam Luk Ka to which they replied "no, no. water water! very bad".

Thankfully life is slowly returning to normal around here with vendors setting back up shop, and people cleaning their mud filled homes that were nearly four feet under water....Goodbye floods, true say!!

Good morning TWP!

(the morning standard: breakfast, e-mails, riding)

New edit: One week in Thailand!!!

One Week in THAILAND from Johny Bonney on Vimeo.

We've been here for over a week now and we've managed to film some okay stuff. Here's a little sample of what we got in the first couple of days. The video features myself (Johny Bonney) and my french partners in crime, Yan Tibo and Ben Leclair. 

We've had a lot of fun and plenty of laughs so far in just one week. There's a good crew of riders here from Thailand, France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and even Russia. The riding here is second to none, and with Bangkok so close there's never a dull moment. WE LOVE THAILAND!

"Welcome to the Kingdom of Thailand"

After a 35-hour odyssey that started in Ottawa, Ont., at 4:00 a.m. on Monday morning, I finally arrived at my destination: Thai Wake Park (Bangkok). The long flights are now but a blur, and the sleep on a hard rock mattress was well worth it. My reward? Waking up to a beautiful warm sunny morning! ahhhh....

Surprisingly the trip over here was pretty uneventful to say the least. But I mean let's be honest, flying commercially from North America to Bangkok is pretty tame by today's standards. Perhaps the biggest adventure at this point would have been deciding what movie to watch or whether to eat the airplane food.

It was not until I landed in Bangkok and stepped out of the comfort realm of an international airport did I feel as though my trip had finally started. Needless to say that it took me over two hours to leave the airport after waiting for Yan Tibo and Benjamin Leclair who were flying in from Montreal, Qué. As it turned out they arrived an hour earlier than anticipated and decided to forgo the one hour and a half wait for my ass.

So anyways with the boys MIA at Thailand customs and immigration, I decided to grab a cab to TWP. I thought for sure by having a map the cab driver would know where to go. Hmm yeah, not so simple. 

For those who don't know, Thailand is coming off some of the worst flooding the country has seen in decades so getting around Bangkok is not a given. Luckily for us the floodwaters have receded considerably, but the aftermath is clearly visible and to see it first hand was pretty heavy to say the least.

After much convincing, the cab driver finally agreed to take me. After taking a little detour to avoid a washed out road, my dude pulled up to TWP and I couldn't have been more relieved. I was greeted by a sweet lady "Canada? Yan? ya ya, here here," she said. 

Sure enough I find them in a room no bigger than a janitor's closet, two bunk beds, and my mattress on the floor. Still running on North America time, figured I'd pop a gravol to help the transition. At last I was comfortably asleep before I could even begin decipher exactly where I was in the world and how I ever got here.

The Art of Packing.

Before hitting the road, might be a good idea to make a list so you can travel with the piece of mind knowing you didn’t forget shit. Travelling can be a long arduously fun journey, so it’s important to pack smart and light.

Here are a few items that are must haves for me whenever I’m on the move:

1. Kendama (time management)
2. Macbook (Skype: johny_bonney)
3. Multivitamins (gotta stay nice)
4. foam roller (massage on the go)
5. ibuprofen + T3's (tennis elbow)
6. neck pillow
7. sleep mask (a.k.a. sleep anywhere)
8. stainless water bottle (stay hydrated for FREE!)
9. lock for suitcase (ever watch the movie Broke Down Palace?)
10.  book (beach life)
11. iPod (choose your library wisely)
12. sunscreen
13. tape for hands/blisters (until healthy calluses form)
14. passport (duh)
15. travel insurance (just in case)

next stop: THAILAND.

worth a repost!

I've already posted this video on this site back in May, but considering I will be in Thailand this time next week I couldn't help but watch this video again, and again. As I understand it, Nico is actually at Thai Wake Park right now which is amazing. Having the opportunity to ride with this kid will be a privilege, and possibly quite fun.

Notes from Thailand from Andy Kolb on Vimeo.

straight Coastin'

In less than a week I'll be straight coastin' to Thailand!! Got this song on repeat nahmsayin' b!?

Rumours with Oli Derome.

Rumour has it that Slingshot's poster boy Oli Derome will be in the Phillies while Yan Tibo, Benjamin Leclair, and myself will be in Thailand next week. Will he be joining the  Thai party!? We can only hope so.


In the meantime, check this video of Oli and Mike Ennen doing what they do best: riding, smiling, and straight killing.

Oli and Mike from Aacadia.com on Vimeo.