Where to Wakeboard: A Bucket List

Visiting different ski areas throughout the winter is part of the skiing experience. Each individual area has good and bad runs, secret local spots and parts of the mountain you avoid at certain times of day. Every ski resort you visit is fun and has unique qualities. Some places are more impressive than others, but other areas are perfect for the type of skier demographic that they cater to.

We view lakes as the ski areas of summertime. All of the lakes we visit have similar characteristics to ski resorts. Busy weekend traffic, Apres locations, breathtaking scenery and of course ideal shredding spots. During the summer months, wakeboarding and wakesurfing are a big part of TheSkiMonster's weekly activities. In search of epic wakeboarding locations, we have brought the boat to numerous locations throughout New England and beyond. We have found some pretty incredible places to ride, but there are still hundreds of spots around the world that we would love to experience. I have put together this bucket list of ridiculous riding locations that I hope to one-day claim as officially shredded.

Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada: I have skied the mountains of Lake Tahoe, and would love an opportunity to ride the lake. The deep blue water and Sierra Nevada back-drop look unbelievable.

Lake Como, Italy: This lake is surrounded by an unreal landscape and is the largest lake in Italy. It was formed by a glacier and is over 1300ft deep. Plus... George Clooney lives there, so you know it's legit.

Lake Powell, Utah/Arizona: Lake Powell, located on the boarder of Utah and Arizona, is the second largest man made reservoir in the USA. It is a reservoir of the Colorado River and was formed by the flooding of Glen Canyon. This lake looks incredible and seems to offer primo riding spots. I have seen this place in wakeboarding pictures and videos, but have yet to make the journey.

Lake Bled, Slovenia: This lake sits in the Julian Alps in northwest Slovenia. There is a medieval castle located on an island in the middle of the lake. The castle is only accessible by boat and has a massive staircase that leads directly from the water to the front door. This island is positioned perfectly for a giant wakesurf loop. I need to lap this medieval castle before my surfing days are done.

Lake Malawi, Africa: Lake Malawi or Lake Nyasa is located between the countries of Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is one of the continent's great lakes and is the third largest lake in Africa. Not only is in one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, it is home to over 1000 species of fish. This lake is like a freshwater tropical oasis with open water that is calling out to wakeboarders everywhere. I'm not sure if it has ever been done, but riding this gorgeous lake would be an all-time adventure. Just watch out for the Hippos that patrol the waters of this exotic wakeboarding destination.

Lake Michigan, USA: Lets be honest, the first time anyone saw the classic pop-culture movie, "American Pie 2", they instantly wanted to go party on Lake Michigan. Of course the movie wasn't actually filmed on Lake Michigan, but it didn't stop me from wanting to rent a lake house and throw a massive rager. I've heard there are awesome parties on Lake Michigan that every boater needs to go to, as well as some fantastic areas to wakesurf. The lake scene around Chicago seems ideal for some incredible wakesurf runs. Being able to capture an entire surf run with the Chicago sky-line as the back drop would be epic!

Blue Lake, Florida: This lake's water resembles the caribbean and was featured in professional wakeboarder Danny Harf's movie, "Defy". Blue Lake seems to be a popular spot for pro's because of its secrecy and exclusivity. All I need to do now is learn how to ride like Danny Harf and maybe I'll be invited to this extraordinary Florida oasis. Hey, crazier things have happened.