Watersport Trends & Popularity

[JohnnyB]

Yeah...about 5 years ago we were vacationing in N Wisco on a 120 acre lake. I was getting up at 6 everyday to foot and slalom. Toobers and their Maristar usually came out around 10 and ran til dusk....every day.

Final 2 mornings they were putting the kids in wetsuits to start tubing at 7am.....ugh!



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[86Skier]

At 57, my wife and I both still slalom ski, wakeboard and surf. She insisted we keep our ‘91 ProStar when we bought our XT22.
Due to hamstring issues, she has gravitated towards surfing. My 23 yr old daughter has RA and can only surf any more.

My 26 year old son and his fiancé both slalom and surf. Three - yes, THREE - of his friends have purchased 80’s ProStar’s of their own in the last 12 months and all slalom ski.

On our Lake Powell trip last summer, 7 of the 8 twenty somethings slalom skied almost every day despite the presence of an XT22 and an XT23.

They even planned their own “slalom trip” later in the fall. I don’t think water skiing will make the comeback that snow skiing has but it’s certainly encouraging to see a group of kids still getting jazzed about a slalom boat.







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Honest question: why isn't there a "like" button on this forum?

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[Mark rsa2au]

Our family has been skiing since the '70s and when I learned to ski there was only double ski's for learners, slalom for the more experienced, barefooting for the adrenaline junkies, and after a few beverages( remember it was the 80's) we would try to ski on anything flat - old doors, wood planks, surfboards etc..

Our kids grew up on the boat with the rule that you ski first in the morning then board/tube/surf later - my kids all slalom first by choice. We now hit the water about 7ish for the morning ski run and make sure it is considered a privilege for the youngsters to be invited and the options are barefoot first, slalom second, and spectators are excess weight... Photos and videos are posted on our closed chat group and it really does get the kids excited to see a good slalom pass with walls of spray, but the footing wipeouts seem to be the real highlights.

Nowadays it is an era of instant gratification and few people want to take the time to learn. I will drive all day teaching someone a new skill on the water, but time and fuel are precious commodities, as are suitable water conditions. There is definitely a place for tubing and boarding or whatever else takes their fancy - the way I look at it, the more people using tow boats the bigger the market, the more choice I will eventually have, and the more innovation the sport enjoys.

Each to their own.. just remember I own the glass water on my lake at sunrise.. LOL!

[chrislandy]

I've got an entirely different view.

Traditional slalom skiing is definitely on the up, more and more tournaments again, especially in Europe. The new world wide Pro-Tour went live this year.

It just needs a bit more of a push at grass roots and get the kids having fun, they are the sport drivers in 10 years time.

Lake restrictions are actually a good thing IMO (length/ballast/wake size) as along as implemented properly (an ask I know!) it will push people back to smaller boats (outboards, I/O & tournament inboards) and therefore back to pairs / mono / kneeboard / barefoot etc

Tricks seem to be a dying art, too slow a learning curve (and 20 falls a set), most places don't have a jump anymore and wakeboarding kills your knees and back.

You won't often find a long term wakeboarder over 50 but you'll often see an 80yr old ripping as few turns on the slalom ski or line stepover on the tricks

[slalomjunkie]

I've got an entirely different view.

Traditional slalom skiing is definitely on the up

The USAWS Active membership is down, so idk how you think slalom is on the rise. Must be California math

[MasterCraft Ranger]

In my marina, I can count the number of direct drives on one hand.

At the launch ramp, it’s 85% fishing boats and surf boats.

In my loose group of Marina friends representing a dozen boats, only two families even own a ski. People walk by my ProStar all day long. The ones that stop, all want to reminisce about their glory days. I tell them we still ski and that I’m happy to pull them. No one has taken me up on the offer.

I’d love to see more skiers on the water but in the Phoenix area, I just don’t see it. Having three dedicated ski lakes in the area also impacts my perception.


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[slalomjunkie]

IHaving three dedicated ski lakes in the area also impacts my perception.

And the wait for your rotation at Buchli's? Fugggeddabouditttt.....

[MasterCraft Ranger]

And the wait for your rotation at Buchli's? Fugggeddabouditttt.....

Or the salt water experience at Firebird...


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[Mark rsa2au]

The USAWS Active membership is down, so idk how you think slalom is on the rise. Must be California math

Ummm, he is based in the UK, and specifically mentions Europe...Must be a geography thing...

Glad to see their numbers increasing, I am not in the competition scene here in Australia but on our lake there are still a lot of really good slalom skiers, but the lure of the social/visual/party aspect of surfing/wakeboarding is strong.

[tex]

Public lakes in Texas....I just ride my foil. Mostly tubers and surfers. I will break out my wake skis on occasion but usually just drive. Our semi private site is mostly slalom with a few jumpers followed by tubes, wakeboards, and trickers

[86Skier]

Public lakes in Texas....I just ride my foil. Mostly tubers and surfers. I will break out my wake skis on occasion but usually just drive. Our semi private site is mostly slalom with a few jumpers followed by tubes, wakeboards, and trickers

Man I wish I had access to a jump when I was younger... I'da killed that thing.... or it woulda' killed me trying... but always wanted to try it.

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[tex]

Man I wish I had access to a jump when I was younger... I'da killed that thing.... or it woulda' killed me trying... but always wanted to try it.

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By far my favorite thing to do on the water. Loved my days of skiing in pro shows where I jumped some years averaging 29 jumps in a day. That being just in shows and not in-between shows for fun! Sucks being 56 and the knees telling you to pick out a trick ski soon! Hard to find a trick ski for a fat ars like me!

[chrislandy]

Ummm, he is based in the UK, and specifically mentions Europe...Must be a geography thing...

Glad to see their numbers increasing, I am not in the competition scene here in Australia but on our lake there are still a lot of really good slalom skiers, but the lure of the social/visual/party aspect of surfing/wakeboarding is strong.

The USAWS Active membership is down, so idk how you think slalom is on the rise. Must be California math

As Mark says, not in the US. You guys have to stop thinking so local!

the IWWF has over 40 scoring skiing comps this year in Australia, and in 2019 over 200 registered comps in Europe (traditional skiing)

[88 PS190]

Hard to find a trick ski for a fat ars like me!

Before his passing Dave Goode developed a new trick ski just for that - https://store.goode.com/goode-mk1-trick-ski/

A 54" trick ski and from what I've heard he got the edges tweaked so they don't catch very easily plus you can go slooow like 14/16 so the edge catches are less brutal. Heard with a hardshell these are a HOOT. If they weren't a grand I'd be selling my D3 and getting one.

I will say the sentiment around traditional slalom is better than its been in years, the community is way more inclusive the tournaments are more friendly. Its a different sport than it was and that's a good thing. 15 years ago there were a lot of *****s about.

[tex]

Before his passing Dave Goode developed a new trick ski just for that - https://store.goode.com/goode-mk1-trick-ski/

A 54" trick ski and from what I've heard he got the edges tweaked so they don't catch very easily plus you can go slooow like 14/16 so the edge catches are less brutal. Heard with a hardshell these are a HOOT. If they weren't a grand I'd be selling my D3 and getting one.

I will say the sentiment around traditional slalom is better than its been in years, the community is way more inclusive the tournaments are more friendly. Its a different sport than it was and that's a good thing. 15 years ago there were a lot of *****s about.

I have a friend who has ridden one and loves it. Hard to shell out that kind of cash but finding a 43 or 44 can be tough!