WAKEBOARDING Water-skiing, but on a board, leaves other surfing hybrids in its wake. The number of wakeboarders jumped 35 percent in five years to 3.1 million last year.
KITEBOARDING Call it extreme kiting. Hooked up to a giant kite, surfers can soar 40-plus feet above water. But it’s not cheap: $1,500 and up for gear (not to mention ER visits).
BOARDSAILING Also known as windsurfing, it has lost adrenaline addicts to more extreme board sports, but still drew about 500,000 strong-armed boardsailing buffs last year.
SURFBOARDING The granddaddy of board sports has been around for 500 years, but it’s still the most popular–the number who surf daily nearly tripled between 1999 and 2002.
SKATEBOARDING Who needs a beach? There are about 13 million landlubbing skateboarders in America–up 140 percent from 1993. Join the club.
