Wake skiing

Well you said "...to embark in something that takes almost no skill, like surfing and wake boarding", which is just insane. You must be just turning down free boats and sponserships at a cyclic rate if it's that easy to you. Its that mentality that holds sports back. You are like the old racers who talked down on the freestyle movement in snow skiing. You need to respect that they both take talent, just because its not for you doesnt mean its a worthless throw away sport. I love slalom skiing, i also like wakeboarding. I even have fun taking out my friends who can do neither of those on a tube. And retaining walls, they bounce off the waves off without disipitating them. I just think it's funny that Airtique is so concerned about losing lake front yet still has a boat that gets loaded up with ballast and surfed behind. Pretty hypocritical. I also like the condiscending tone that they cant afford property on the lake. News flash, if you can drop close to six figures on a boat, chances are you can buy some property on a lake.

Maximal691 wrote: Quinner, I think you must be joking to think that only waterskiing takes skill and practice. If you're being serious you must live a pretty sheltered life. Airtique, my family does have lake front property. If you're so concerned about erosion you should probably invest in a retaining wall if you lost 6-8' of shoreline already. I like the mentality you have about not ***************ting in your nest. It's ok for your son to make wakes as long as it's not in your backyard... Just someone elses..

Really??? Where did I say that?? The point I was trying to make is trick skiing takes a great deal of skill and balance, as a result it takes practice which usually equals a time commitment should you wish to really excel. Sadly this is something more and more people simply have no interest in. Based on what are some of the most popular events on water these days, tubing followed by wakeboarding while surfing is probably gaining the most new riders, which are substantially easier to do, to the point of requiring almost no skill whatsoever with something like tubing.

I was also very surprised to see +1 valents comment that trick skiing is lame, wow. Throughout my involvement in show skiing the best trick skiers were generally the best all around skiers. While my son was in show skiing I sent him up north to train every season and they typically spent close to 70% of that time on trick. IMO trick skiing can be the foundation for just about any event on the water, but then again, apparently I lead a very sheltered life

Regarding your comment of adding retaining walls, seriously?? That is probably the WORST thing you can do to any body of water, that stuff should be banned!! Have you ever seen what happens to a wave when it hits a wall??

And I hold my statement that trickskiing is pretty much dead. When was the last time you saw it on tv? Or anywhere for that matter. That stuff went the same way as trick Rollerskating.

quinner wrote: Maximal691 wrote: Trick skiing is pretty much dead. Like anything else that takes real skill, work and talent, It is unfortunate that most would rather load up their boat with unneeded ballast creating a huge wake, tearing up the lake, eroding the shoreline, etc. etc. to embark in something that takes almost no skill, like surfing or wake boarding.

   CQ..you are my new best friend!! My sentiments exactly!! I usually write my opinions on this stuff off to the fact that I'm long past my prime and I just don't get it. All my skiing life the goal was for flat water and smooth lakes and boats that provided the same. Nothing is more disheartening to me than looking out on glass water and then seeing some loaded up "wake" boat come along just as you are ready to take a ski or run.
    If some of these style boaters were ever fortunate enough to become lakefront property owners many would change their minds in a hurry. My adult son is a boarder and wake surfer [sadly] in addition to other disciplines but he knows to go far down the lake away from not only our property but any of our neighbors who might recognize his boat. Our lake was formed back in the TVA days and the shoreline was stable all these years until the past few with the advent of these surf monsters. I've probably lost 6'-8' of shoreline over the past four years and there appears to be no end in sight.
    Nothing better on a quiet evening on the lake than a monster v-drive pulling a couple tubes or a six year old on a board with the tower speakers blasting out rap music!! We all know it is nearly impossible to learn anything without some blaring music.
     Well, that was my rant for the day!!

Mdvalant are you still interested in selling yours?

You guys got me interested in trick skiing. Found this video, has a catchy beat as well:

I'll watch and drive swivel all day, you can have your sausage fest!

I'd put swiveling right up there with tricking. I swiveled once with M3Fan on a cold October day. My foot cramped up immediately after shoehorning it into the binding. Miserable, yet humbling experience. I was all over the damn place. I nearly pissed my pants (in the drysuit) watching Joel get up and ride it completely crouched down dragging his back leg around the whole time. He couldn't stand up. That night we went to Magicman's halloween party and drank away our sorrows. Johnny tried it too, I know there was video of it but not sure if it's around anymore.

When I first learned what trick skiing was everyone was just using 1. I tried it and thought the same thing as you, WOW, this is not for me never gonna happen... Months later I saw an eBay ad for a pair of trick skis. OH, so this is how you learn to trick ski. Made sense, you don't learn to slalom ski right off the bat either. I just never thought of using 2 trick skis.

mdvalant wrote: I think more uninterested is. Guess I could try it

Well that explains it. I think you'd gain a lot of respect for trick skiing if you put more time into it, especially on 1 ski.

mdvalant wrote: never have skied the slalom course either, although I would LOVE to give that a shot just to say I can do it!

I'd LOVE to watch you attempt your first pass as well.

You can slalom and barefoot rather sloppy and still make a pass. Gotta be fearless to jump, but trick skiing requires a lot of patience and a certain amount of eloquence to be successful, neither of which can be faked.

Hollywood wrote: mdvalant wrote: If I thought trick skiing was just as much fun/exciting to show others thats what I would have done. but...trick skiing is about as lame as tubing...IMO Wow, as accomplished of a skier you are I'm rather flabbergasted by this. Clearly you do not have the patience to trick ski, which is probably why you don't think it is impressive either. I think any trick skier enjoys watching other trick skiers, no matter their level. Not all skiing is for show either. I got a couple friends trick skiing this summer and it was possibly the most fun I had on the water all year.

I don't think having the patience is the correct term. I think more uninterested is. Guess I could try it but there are so many other things I would rather be doing. Sorry to knock it without being any good at it. (I can spin on one and two and do wake 180's) but that's beginner stuff compared to some of the greats. I dunno, just wasn't for me! I'm weird though, 90% of you guys have probably attended a 3-event tournament once in your lives...I never have, never have skied the slalom course either, although I would LOVE to give that a shot just to say I can do it!

mdvalant wrote: If I thought trick skiing was just as much fun/exciting to show others thats what I would have done. but...trick skiing is about as lame as tubing...IMO

Wow, as accomplished of a skier you are I'm rather flabbergasted by this. Clearly you do not have the patience to trick ski, which is probably why you don't think it is impressive either. I think any trick skier enjoys watching other trick skiers, no matter their level. Not all skiing is for show either. I got a couple friends trick skiing this summer and it was possibly the most fun I had on the water all year.

If I thought trick skiing was just as much fun/exciting to show others thats what I would have done. but...trick skiing is about as lame as tubing...IMO

get a trick ski, much cheaper way to go about it

the wake skis would be fun at a cable park

Maximal691 wrote: I have a hard enough time getting my friends to pay for their own beers, let alone skis.

If I can get gas money from my friends/family then I'm happy.

I have a hard enough time getting my friends to pay for their own beers, let alone skis.