Table of contents for Mar-12 in WAKEBOARDING

Any effort to nail down Danny Hampson's approach to wakeskating — and life in general — inevitably leads to the. Florida Keys. The island life pours through his bloodline as deep and steadfast as the Gulf Stream up the coast of Florida. And while Hampson has seen the world up and over in the course of his decade-long pro career, his love for life on the water as a citizen of the Conch Republic will always define him. From the first time I met him, I could tell Hampson's passion levels for life were completely out of his control. That passion has led him to the peak of wakeskating. At times, it's also threatened to consume him. Hampson's almost preternatural talent on a wakeskate earned him a spot on the…

Drew Danielo rode a string of skate-inspired tricks to his sixth world title at last September's World Wake Surfing Championship. We asked the world's best wakesurfer to share his secrets to huge 360 shoves so you can inject some skate style into this season's surf sessions. You want a wave with a nice transition — not too steep but not really mellow either — and a nice lip to pop you in the air. In my Centurion Enzo SV 233, I fill up both the pro ballast setup and Quick-Fill ballast on the port side, then I add a ballast bag in the rear port locker. Depending on how many people are in the boat, I also add another 300 to 400 pounds on the port-side seat. Before you try…

Ultralight Technobutter, O'Neill's exclusive new neoprene technology, is 17 percent lighter and 30 percent less water-absorbent than past formulas, so you don't get weighed down on wake jumps. Get It O'NEILL 52/12 Fullsuit ($470, $490; oneill.com) Adjustable Junk When nothing's left to the imagination, icy-cold water can put a damper on your skintight first impressions. A discreet pump helps inflate your profile, maximizing your on-the-water appearance. Set-Stretching Comfort Sessions last longer with Body Glove's new Pyrostretch insulation. The advanced internal insulation is soft on your skin and retains more heat while holding less water, keeping you comfortable all set long. Get It BODY GLOVE PRIME 3/2 mm Fullsuit ($340; bodyglove.com) Neo-View Dozens of strategically placed microscopic cameras capture everything from that sweet method you've been working on to the quizzical…

You want to wait just a hair before grabbing this one. I wait until my board is at about a 90-degree angle off the top of the wake. Grab the nose and try to pull the board into your hip while straightening your back leg out as much as possible for the poke. If you let the handle get too far away, you're going to fall on your heels a lot. Focus on keeping the handle at your hip, and make sure you get your chest back over your toes so you land on your toes for a soft landing. Once you have grabs dialed in, the only place to go is bigger. But before you start taking grabs big into the flats, make sure you can go big into…

It's safe to say the new Wakesetter 22 MXZ is like no Malibu you've ever seen before. That much is obvious from the get-go, thanks to that massive twin-tip bow. But while the MXZ boasts plenty of new, it also sports the same standout features and shapely wake as Malibu's other top wake boats, which means you have another top-of-the-line choice. To help you make a more educated decision, we decided to pit the new MXZ against Malibu's other flagship wake boat, the venerable Wakesetter VLX. Malibu carried over the super-functional transom seating design of the 247 LSV to the MXZ. You lose lounge area — the VLX's sun pad is about 60 percent larger — but you gain a handy spot to get set for a session, including flip-up…

We've gotten our hands on dozens of board rack designs over the years, but the all-new PTM Edge Clamp4RCE racks, which are available exclusively on Tigé's 2012 wake boats, are quite simply the best we've ever tested. In fact, no other rack has delivered this level of lock-down security with so little effort. We got inside the Clamp4RCE's effortless function with Jeff Bohanan and Matt Reid, the president and engineering manager at Protomet, an engineering and product development company that designed and manufactures the racks outside Knoxville, Tennessee. The crux of the Clamp4RCE's effortless function is a linear ratchet mechanism that delivers rock-solid clamping by applying minimal force to a single lever. Pull or push the lever and the rack's four clamping arms apply the same firm hold to everything…

Take a progressive edge all the way through the top of the wake. When you leave the wake, grab melon and pull the handle to the small of your back, which will spin you about 270 degrees so your back is facing the boat. To unwind, move the handle back to your front hip and twist your hips and upper body back around. Finally, land and edge away on your toes. I try to hold the grab as long as possible. I grab it super early off the top of the wake and hold it as long as I can without catching my back edge. I don't think about letting go until I start to turn back to land. I started doing melon frontside 180s and thought it would look…

At The Boarding School, one of the most common mistakes we see is riders puting too much weight in their boats. Everyone — from beginners to pros — seems to think more weight will make things easier. In reality, the opposite is true. Why? For starters, waiting for the top of the wake is one of the hardest hurdles in learning a new trick, and when the wake is larger and more intimidating, it usually magnifies the problem. A larger wake will also amplify whatever it is you're doing wrong, so something you may have actually goten away with on a smaller wake becomes a bigger issue on a bigger wake. In addition to too much weight, configuring it wrong can worsen the shape and consistency of your wake and…

It may not pull the world's best riders at wake's biggest contest like its larger siblings, the Launch 242 and 22V, but Supra's Launch 21V might just be the perfect vehicle to set rookies on the path to world-class. The 21-footer kicks out a steeper wake that gives beginner and intermediate riders the air time they need to progress, and though it lacks the pro-level potential of its bigger brethren, the 21V sacrifices nothing in terms of performance and convenience features. Tunes are crucial, of course, so top off your stereo with the 10-inch Polk Audio subwoofer, Roswell's four-speaker light bar, a pair of compact-yet-powerful amps and as many as three remotes. Supra's new tournament mirror sports two adjustable lenses in addition to a stationary center lens, making you Mr.…

Nautique set the standard for ultra-customized, rider-inspired special editions with the original Byerly Icon Edition. It resets the bar with its 2012 refresh of Scot Byerly's limited-edition Super Air Nautique 210. Dozens of one-of-a-kind touches — from the dual metal-flake hull striping to the LED-lit grab handles and cup holders — make the all-new Byerly Icon Edition the most customized wake boat ever. A holdover from the original Icon Edition, the branded teak platform ensures you prep for sessions just like wake's original legend. Fury Red LEDs ignite the Icon Edition's cup holders and grab handles for uniquely illuminated night sessions. With an integrated Byerly logo, the premium oversize mirror looks as good as the panoramic views it provides. The second generation of Nautique's exclusive LINC system features a 20…

Take a progressive edge through the top of the wake and grab stalefish when you leave the wake. Suck up your front knee and kick out your back foot so your back leg is fully extended. It looks a little goofy if you keep a stalefish under your body, so I really try to push it out in front of me. Great style doesn't just happen. We all have to start somewhere, and your first grab isn't going to look very good. Just like anything else, though, you're going to have to work at it. The better you ride switch and the more comfortable you are on the board in general, the better your riding will look down the road. When I learn a new trick, I first make sure…