"The stoke is the really positive mental feeling that you get when you learn something new," says Terry, one of the founders of Trifecta, a new surf-snow-skate attraction that's opening on Orchard Road. He wiggles one hand with thumb and pinkie extended in a hand sign you'll often see from surfers to express the euphoria they get from surfing and being in the flow.
For all three founders of Trifecta, Alex, Daphne, and Terry, it is also the feeling they get when they go "screaming and hollering" down a mountain on their snowboards. And it's the sensation that they want to help us all chase in wave-less, snow-less Singapore.
That's where Trifecta comes in. You'll be able to do the impossible here, which is to surf, skate, snowboard and ski all in one day – and in tropical Singapore too. Slated to open on October 28, the facility is set to be the new stomping ground of adventure sports enthusiasts all over the island.
Elsewhere in our October health and wellness series: A breast cancer survivor goes topless sharing masectomy scars to inspire others and A fourth-gen hawker keeps her family legacy alive through physical and emotional challenges
Many of us will be familiar with skateboarding as a sport even if we don't ride ourselves. After all, our island has a number of skate bowls and endless concrete for riders to cruise and practise tricks. But without mountains and waves, Singapore just isn't the place for churning out snow sports and surfing enthusiasts.
That was a challenge for Alex when he first fell in love with snowboarding while on a trip to Canada more than 10 years ago. "I wanted to go back, but I could not find anyone," he shares. "I made a couple of trips out by myself, and in 2013, I was really desperate, so I started asking friends everywhere if they knew anyone who snowboarded or skied."
Alex was lucky enough to get introduced to a group of 15 people who were in a similar situation. "No one knew each other, but we had a really great time. That sparked the idea for The Ride Side – that people from all walks of life can come together and be united by passion for the sport."
No one knew each other, but we had a really great time. That sparked the idea for The Ride Side – that people from all walks of life can come together an be united by passion for the sport.
In 2015, Alex and Daphne started The Ride Side, with Terry joining in 2020. Through the business, they retailed board sports equipment, accessories, and apparel, and also organised snow expeditions to places like Japan and New Zealand. In the first season, The Ride Side brought approximately 90 Singaporeans overseas – and with numbers doubling with each season, they knew they needed something more.
"With our trips, we could only introduce so many people a year – 200 or 300," says Alex. "This year, we're doing a bit more than 1000 for one winter season, but that's only a fraction of people in Singapore."
Covid-19 sealed the deal. Overnight, The Ride Side saw retail revenue fall to zero and snow trips brought to a halt. "That was a really scary time for The Ride Side," says Alex, who says that it hit home that they needed something in Singapore to keep growing board sports and keep the business afloat.
Trifecta: a gateway and training ground
Enter, Trifecta. As Terry shares, "Trifecta is inspired by this thing in the sports world where a rider wants to do the impossible: which is to snowboard, skate, and surf – all in one day. It's usually very hard to find a place that has an ocean with waves and mountains of snow very close to each other."
Soon, you can make this a reality in Singapore, at Orchard Road of all places. And there's some pretty nifty technology that the trio have brought in to make this possible.
Terry's the one who spotted a cool German technology that uses patented deep-water pumps to produce tall and deep waves. What this means? Real surfboards can be used in Trifecta's pool, something that's not possible with shallow sheet waves like the one at now-defunct Wave House Sentosa. Then there's the mind-boggling VR technology, that once up and running at Trifecta, is able to shift the terrain under your feet to match onscreen GoPro footage taken at mountains around the world.
It's not about mimicking real waves or snow, but about giving beginners a taste of the sport at an accessible price point and in a safe environment. Meanwhile, more advanced riders have a training ground to hone their skills before hitting up the real waves and slopes.
When asked if it feels the same as real surfing or snowboarding, Alex and Terry are frank that it's not identical. But that's missing the point. For them, it's not about mimicking real waves or snow, but about giving beginners a taste of the sport at an accessible price point and in a safe environment. Meanwhile, more advanced riders have a training ground to hone their skills before hitting up the real waves and slopes.
"A typical ski trip costs about $4000 to $5000. If you don't know whether you like the sport yet, it's very difficult to fork out the money," says Alex. "And the same goes for surfing. It's a sport that takes months and years to perfect. Trifecta makes it easy for people to try, and the improvement we see on the stationery machines is really encouraging."
"That's what we want – for people to go out there, see the natural elements, and perform at a much higher level than anyone could do previously if you spent just one week a year overseas," he adds.
A gathering point for the community
Whether you're planning to ride or not, Trifecta could soon be your next favourite hangout too. Alex, Terry and Daphne have spent many years meeting countless people in the community, and there's a palpable sense of love and respect for fellow adventure sports enthusiasts and all the diversity they bring to the table.
This comes through in Trifecta's design, which is meant to embrace everyone – riders and spectators alike. Take the hybrid skate bowls, the last piece in Trifecta's trio of board sports offerings. This section of the attraction is completely free to access, and Terry envisions curious members of the public milling in to watch skateboarders riding and practising tricks, and perhaps becoming curious about the other sports at Trifecta too.
It's not all just about riding, but it's also about creative expression and self-discovery.
"After meeting so many people in the community, we realised that they share interests in rock climbing, bouldering, yoga, wakeboarding...We want Trifecta to be a home not only for board sports but for the wider circle," says Alex.
This encompasses street art, fashion, and music too, which Terry explains is deeply intertwined with board sports culture. "We recognised it's not all just about riding, but it's also about creative expression and self-discovery." And true to their word, the founders are opening Trifecta with an epic, month-long Trifecta Launch Festival. The celebration will feature art exhibitions, craft workshops, film screenings, and an epic music festival.
Making surf-snow-skate a part of life
Ultimately though, The Ride Side team hopes to make Trifecta a part of your daily routine. Imagine popping in for a morning surf, catching a bus to work, and coming back to Trifecta afterwards for a sundown drop into the skate bowls. As Daphne shares over email, it could be "similar to going to the gym".
If you're still in two minds about it, then there's a snowboarding concept that's great to keep in mind. As Daphne shares, "'Full send' is about committing fully to something and leaning into it despite the fear of the unknown and falling back into the comfort zone."
It's a philosophy that has no doubt gotten Alex, Daphne, and Terry here today, on the cusp of opening Singapore's first surf-snow-skate attraction – and perhaps one that will get you through the door and on the slopes, waves, and bowls at Trifecta.
