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WATERSKI Magazine
Hitting the double-up isn't hard. Probably the hardest thing about hitting a double-up is having it driven properly. Drivers need to accelerate through the turn to hold the boat speed, make the turn wide enough to keep the rider afloat and decelerate out of the turn, returning to the old speed as you hit the rollers at 90 degrees. If you are just learning double-ups, a wider angle gives you more time and is easier to hit.
If the double-up is driven properly, boosting 10 to 15 feet in the air is easy. There will be approximately three sets of rollers and consequently three double-ups to hit. The whole idea is to position yourself in one of the channels and edge down until you reach the crossing roller. The first one is the easiest to hit because it is the smallest. This is a good one to start on because it is relatively easy to place yourself in the channel. The second double-up is the biggest and best to hit once you get the hang of hitting the first. Just ignore the third.
Once you have gotten the hang of getting yourself in the right channel, take a few times just riding it into the rollers to get a good picture of what you are going to hit. When you are ready to actually hit the double-up, edge at it slowly – just like a regular jump. Stay on edge and keep your hips up through the wake, and you will get all the pop you need. At first, start only 3 or 4 feet outside the wake. As you get used to hitting that, you can gradually take it bigger.
Once you pop off the wake, you will have a tendency to launch off-axis. Make sure you don't pull the rope up high because that will cause you to fall backward. To avoid this tendency, keep the rope down at your hips and your head up.
Tony Bazile is a professional wakeboarder and is sponsored by Blindside, Neil Pryde, Counter Culture, Dragon, Storm and Masterline.
