Flyboarding lets you fly like Iron Man

Craig Smith had seen videos of flyboarding and thought it looked like fun.

However, when he had the chance to try it himself, it was way more fun that he ever expected.

“It was amazing,” said Smith, a 21-year-old student at Montana Tech in Butte. “It was just an awesome experience.”

Flyboarding looks like something out of “The Jetsons.” It involves standing on a board, hooked up to a jet ski. Water shoots out of the board making the flyboarder hover above the water.

“I can’t describe it,” Smith said. It wasn’t like anything he had experienced before.

Flyboard of Montana in Whitefish describes flyboarding as “a jet-propelled license to fun.” The board is similar to a wake board, but is hooked by a hose to a jet ski.

Smith was with his friend Lorissa Renfro on their way back from a hike in Glacier National Park, when he talked Renfro into trying the sport at Whitefish Lake.

“It was kind of one of those spur-of-the-moment things I was really glad I did,” Renfro said.

Flyboarding was totally different from water skiing or wake boarding, she said.

“I just kind of felt like Iron Man,” Renfro said. “It was just a bizarre feeling hovering above the water.”

Justin Heyne opened Flyboard of Montana in Whitefish three years ago.

A friend of his traveled to Costa Rica, tried flyboarding and brought back a DVD.

“I had not seen anything like it before,” Heyne said. “It looked really fun.”

After talking to his friend, Heyne decided to open a flyboarding business in Whitefish. It’s turned out to be a success.

“We’ve flown 4,000-plus people,” Heyne said.

People don’t need any experience to try flyboarding, and it’s much easier than it looks.

“Most people fly in five minutes,” Heyne said.

Before hitting the water, they watch a short safety and instructional video. Then, someone from Flyboard of Montana gives them some pointers out on the lake.

“We’re with them the whole time,” Heyne said.

“It looks a little scary and intimidating,” Smith said. “It’s really not. It’s easy to pick up.”

It took Renfro five or 10 minutes to get the feel for it.

“I was surprised by how quickly you could pick it up,” she said.

Before long, Renfro and Smith were pulling tricks like 360s and dolphin dives.

“It looks very intimidating, but it’s easy,” Heyne said. “Everybody gets it.”

And most people end up learning to do a trick or two.

The Flyboard was invented by French jet ski champion Frank Zapata in 2011. By 2012, the first ever Flyboard World Championship was held in Doha, Qatar, with 50 professional flyboarders competing from 20 countries.

This year’s world cup will be held in Dubai in December, and Heyne plans to attend.

Flyboarding as a sport is still new and little known but is growing.

“It’s getting really popular and more mainstream,” he said.

In addition to offering flyboarding outings, Flyboard of Montana also sells flyboarding equipment so people can do it on their own.

“We’ve been selling a ton of boards,” Heyne said.

Flyboard of Montana will operate into October, or as long as people want to go out, Heyne said. “Flights,” as they’re called, include dry suits when needed.

Flyboard of Montana lists its prices as $150 for a 30-minute flight, $250 for an hour, $750 for four hours or $1,500 for eight hours. However, the company offers late-season discounts and discounts for Montanans.

“We’re into the local Montanans getting out and trying it,” Heyne said.

For Renfro, flyboarding was definitely worth the money.

“I would do it again in a heartbeat,” she said.

“If you’re a thrill seeker by any means, this is definitely something you need to try,” Renfro added. “It definitely satisfies the urge to do crazy things.”

TO KNOW MORE

For more information on flyboarding, visit flyboardofmontana.com.