Nestled atop a hill overlooking the Carnation Valley region of Washington state, Radar Lake was one of the first private, man-made ski lakes in the world. The land was ­originally bought and developed by Herb O’Brien in 1972, and since then, the legend (and envy) has only grown exponentially. Because Radar Lake is most often described as indescribable, we figured it would be best to hear about it from the lucky guys who have been able to visit it over the years. Oh, and if you’d like to ride there one day, you’re probably going to have to keep dreaming …

“There is this special feeling when you’re at Radar that’s unlike anywhere else I’ve been in the world. Once you go through those gates and you’re on the grounds, it’s like time stops and nothing else matters. Whatever you had going on in the real world doesn’t become a concern anymore; you’re just at this magical lake, taking advantage of everything it has to offer. Of course, you can’t say enough about everything that’s gone down there: the video sections, the photos, the progression. But for me, Radar is about that feeling.” — Parks Bonifay

“Radar Lake is a magical place with a lot of nostalgia. It has had a profound impact on all of towed watersports, not just wakeboarding. I consider myself really lucky to have been able to go there as much as I have over the years. My favorite memories are usually just the vibes that come with being there with the boys, but one that really stands out is when I won Trick of the Year in 2011 with the step-up gap we built. Herb was there watching all of us ride, and he was really in tune with what was going on. After any of us hit it, he would talk to us about how it felt and what we were thinking. That was really special to me.” — Erik Ruck

“When I first went to Radar Lake, it was nothing like I expected. Photos don’t even do it justice because of how unique it is. The trees, the views … it’s unreal. ­Radar Lake is really Herb’s dream lake that he created out of nothing. Its story is really almost unbelievable. Knowing the history of Radar and what it has done for watersports over the years, it’s really special for me to have been a small part of that. We’ve done a lot there to push wakeboarding — all the crazy rails, gaps, stunts and stuff — that is really cool to look back on.” — Danny Harf

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This last week we lost a monumental figure in the water sports industry. Herb O’Brien passed away after a long battle with kidney complications. Herb was one of water sport’s biggest visionaries from slalom skiing, wakeboarding, the endless amount of revolutionary products, and the wonderland for all water men known as Radar lake.

I was lucky enough to be able to work with Herb on many boards over the years. Just watching his eyes light up, and the excitement in his voice when you would report back about a new shape or a new core, new bindings or any R&D related matter. You could just feel the passion that he had for this sport and it radiated through out everyone he worked with. Creating cutting edge technology was his game and he was on top. It was an amazing experience when the whole team got together and you could see the admiration that we all had for Herb, we all knew that it was a privilege to call him a boss and a friend.

One of Herb’s greatest, and most legendary creations is Radar Lake. Greats like water skier Bob Lapoint, all the way to Danny Harf, have changed what is considered possible on the water at Radar. One thing I will never forget is when we were filming for Defy and we were hitting the step up pool gap. Herb was out there pool side up in the mix getting as pumped up as all of us watching wakeboarding’s limits being pushed. It was awesome, when you were done riding he would walk up to you and ask, “so what did ya think”? You just knew he was enjoying it as much as we were.

So thank you Herb, for being the dreamer who’s dreams have enabled all of our dreams to come true!

Words: Erik Ruck

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We got our first look at Danny Harf’s new video project, Defy, at the 2009 Wake Awards, and it was one hell of a first impression. Just before Harf won Best Video Performance for his part in Billabong’s Out of the Pond, the Wake Awards crowd was treated to the first footage from the endeavor — Harf’s wrapped nose grab backside 900 captured in all its floaty, stylish glory by longtime Harf collaborator producer Sean Kilgus. (Click here to watch the video.) We caught up with Harf a couple days later in the Ronix booth at Surf Expo to get the dirt on Defy. — Luke Woodling

LW: How did the idea for Defy** come about?** DH: Sean and I have worked together a bunch in the past, and I just came to him with an idea I had for a movie. We bounced some ideas around for a while and got some sponsors on board and we just decided to go for it. We’re going to make a movie that’s based on the progression of the sport. So I’m going to get together with a handful of other riders who I feel are keys parts of the progression of wakeboarding, and we have some really cool sections lined up with all the guys to really showcase their talents and what they’re best at. We’re ready to get going, and we want to make it really big.

Who are some of the riders you’re going include and what some of the sections you’re going to be working on? Some of the riders I hope to have in the movie are Ben Greenwood, Shane Bonifay, Shawn Watson, Rusty Malinoski, Jimmy LaRiche, Adam Errington, Parks Bonifay and Chad Sharpe. The roster isn’t complete, but we have a lot of guys lined up. We’re going to do a Ronix section, and that’s going to be me, Parks, Chad, Adam and Dean Smith riding up at Radar. We have some really cool ideas for some Nautique stuff here in Florida and some big Monster stunts as well. There’s going to be a good mix of riders, and we’re all going to be looking to progress the sport and do some cool new stuff.

The backside 9 that you debuted at Wake Awards — is that going to be in the movie or is that more of a preview of what to expect? The backside 9 that I submitted for the Wake Awards was basically our first few days of shooting for the movie. That was a trick I’d been getting close on, and we got a helicopter and I finally made that trick and Kilgus edited together a quick little teaser just to get the word out on the movie. We’re going to have that, plus a lot more in the movie. That’s just the start — a little sneak preview of what’s to come. We’ve got big plans, and hopefully I land more than just that trick.

How do you see the project working? Are you going to take the lead or is it going to be more of a collaboration with the other riders? It’s going to be a good mix of myself and the other riders. Basically, each section of the movie will be like a little mini-movie that focuses on one aspect of wakeboarding. For example, I want to do a wake-riding trip with Randall Harris and Ben Greenwood. I feel like those guys are pushing wake riding in their own way.  They both have such a unique style, and I think it will be cool to kind of collaborate into one section. Stuff like that is what we’re looking to do. Same thing for Monster. Monster has such an insane team in wakeboarding that there’s going to be the opportunity for us to do some big stunts and hit some big rails. Guys like Watson and Shane will really shine in that kind of section. That’s kind of the idea.

Any other projects you have locked up? I don’t want to give too much away but we’re definitely looking to have a really cool double-up section with the Fox team riders. We’re going to have helicopters and high reaches and the whole bit, so it’s going to be quite the production. We’re excited to get going on it.

Check out bfyproductions.com for more information and for updates on the Defy project.

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