Is skiing a dieing sport?

[hostage]

When I go out to the lake, I never see anyone ski, it is mostly tubing and wake boarding.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

I see plenty of people skiing, it just depends on who it is. Many of the younger crowd like to wakeboard because it's the new watersports fad (I don't mean that in a bad way), but skiing is probably more popular I think. Tubing will always be the most popular because it requires the least skill. Now I do believe people running the slolam course is probably dwindling since you have to go in search of a ski course or buy/build your own in order to practice.

 

[skibrain]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

I don't know if the larger category of "towed water sports" is on the increase or decline.

If you add up all of the tubing, wake boarding, wake surfing, wake skating, skiing, hydrofoiling, etc, does it total more or less than the amount of waterskiing 40 years ago basically before anyone was pulling tubes or wake boards?

Further complicated by the PWC phenom. You can sort of go get your skiing thrill riding around by yourself. Lots of options.

As a segment, definitely less skiing. Is it dying? I don't know.

People new to boating often THINK it requires very specialized equipment. Can you ski behind a bass boat, walleye boat, a flats boat, a runabout, a fishing boat, an inflatable, etc. or do you need to have a "ski boat?" Most of those would work just FINE. Gear has become so specialized that the "correct" form is considered incorrect for anything else. (Example: gone bicycle shopping recently?) Is 90 hp enough power? Do I need a pylon?, do I need a ski bridal? Do I need a wakeboard tower?

Skiing in ANY form is fun skiing. Get out there and let 'er rip.

 

[BigBoatinOkie]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Skiing is still very much alive around here. I'd say it is definately less popular now because of all the other options we have today, but it seems like it's a pretty equal mix accross the lake. I will say this though, if you see wakeboard boats on the water, there's a pretty good chance that the slalom skiers will be somewhere else looking for smooth water. There's a narrow neck on our lake that is very sheltered from the wind, and it's a great place to find smooth water. In the mornings, there will usually be several boats towing skiers, but as soon we see the first wakeboard boat round the point, the skiiers vanish like the wake boat was carrying the plague because nothing destroys good skiing water like one of those. I don't mean to talk down about the wake boarders, just saying that the two disciplines don't really work well together in the same area, and depending on where you hang out and what the water is like, you may see mostly one or the other but rarely both. As for the diehard slalom boys, well, they've usually skied the morning glass and left before most folks even hit the water, I've heard Skibrain say it himself. As Haulnazz said, tubing can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of skill and in water conditions that are less suitable for other sports, so it's gonna have more participants. Wakeboarding has been around for quite a while now and it'll be around from now on as it should be, but it's still very much a fad. Personally, haulin' azz is what floats my boat, so I'm primarily a skier. I think the wakeboard boys will eventually get back to skiing one of these days when they can't take the jumps anymore.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Seems to be in my neck of the woods. I would say 90% are tubing. I rarely see a skier. Jets skis are on the downswing too. Used to see them all over the place. Now they're being replaced by ATVs. They open snowmobile trails for the ATVs to ride. You can see 20 in pack all eating dust except for the lead dog....

 

[75TowerOfPower]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

In our area it's the same where you can tube whenever and most wake boarders are out in the afternoon. One lake we go to a lot we see more skiers through out the day than wakeboarders.

Each time we got out we always ski and usually teach everyone in the boat to do so as well. We love skiing and then when our hands hurt or we fall enough times we relax in a cove for a bit then hit the tube since the lake gets very choppy after the morning session. I would like to try a wake board and think it would be fun but I will always be cutting wakes and throwing walls. And I guess this probably all sounds weird coming from a 24 year old guy.

 

[CallMeSme]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

I was in Lake Havasu, AZ a few weeks back and didnt see any skiiers, only a few wake boarders.

 

[mr300z87]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

My Friends and I used to slalom (with no course) all the time back in the 80s my one friends even still has his 79 Ski Nautique. I have just purchased my first boat in 20 years and plan on doing as much skiing as possible next summer. Or at least as much as my 44 year bones will allow. It has been about 7-8 years since I was last on a slalom ski regularly. Tried it once back in august, ended up on 2 skis. Bad conditions (could not get up on 1). You will see one more slalom skier on the New Jersey coast in the summer of 2011.

Time to relive my HS and college days.

 

[markernineteen]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Without a doubt ! I've never ridden a jetski but they look like even more fun , besides you use less fuel and you don't have breathe boat exhaust . I see more jetskis and fewer skiers everywhere I go fresh and salt . dieing dying dyeing ?

 

[dwco5051]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

It seems to be so on the lake I work. I have gone up to two weekends in a row and not seen a single skier. Lots of tubing and wakeboards. Back in the seventies when I had time to ski 4 or 5 days a week all you ever saw were skis. Even the local university seems to have disbanded their ski club since they haven't set up their slalom course for two years.

By the same token it seems like there are more snowboarders than downhill skiers some days at the slope in this area.

A guess it is a sign that I am getting a little long in the tooth when I start thinking about the world changing around me

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

The jetski is not a substitute for waterskiing. I own a jetski and have for years, but in no way do I look at it as a substitute for a watersport. Actually, I have tubed, slalomed, and pulled wakeboarders behind my jetski. the jetski is just easier to drag around when it's just me or just two of us.

Most people who ski like to do so in the early hours since the winds are usually calmer, the party people are still sleeping it off, and wakeboarders rarely get up before 10am.

 

[skibrain]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

... in the early hours since the winds are usually calmer, the party people are still sleeping it off, and wakeboarders rarely get up before 10am...

[thumbs up]

 

[BigBoatinOkie]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Skiing isn't dying, just taking a break. Everything comes back into style.

 

[jfw432]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

I think water skiing is becoming less popular but I also think that pretty much all sports that require any kind of skill are on the decline. Stand up jetskiing, wakeboarding, waterskiing, etc. all require effort to get into and unfortunately it seems like no one wants to learn anything new anymore so tubing and the big couch jetski's are drastically increasing in popularity.

I'm probably being a jerk but I've had quite a few friends ask to go tubing behind my boat and I've told them all no. I'm more than happy to teach them waterskiing, wakeboarding, or even kneeboarding but not tubing. If I had little kids, I wouldn't mind letting them tube but not adults.

 

[convergent]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Anyone comparing the situation today with the situation 30 years ago is going to of course conclude that water skiing is on the decline because now you see people doing other things. Those other things weren't very popular back then. Even tubing was pretty rare because you had to use a tractor tube and they didn't last long.

I bought a boat this year after being out of it for a very long time. I have four kids and have taken out 3 of them pretty regularly. Two of them like the slalom ski best, and one likes the wakeboard best. They all do both and just have a preference. My wife and I have skied a bit this year and neither of us has successfully gotten up on a wakeboard yet. We've taught a lot of their friends to do one or the other... some take to skiing right away and some take to the wakeboard easier.

Personally I don't think either of them is going anywhere any time soon. Wakeboarding is the current fad and is probably benefiting from a surge in snowboarding that I'm sure is sparking similar conversations about whether snow skiing is going to die at the hand of the snowboard.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

You shouldn't dis-allow tubing behind your boat, but you may compromise with them. Say, if you let me teach you how to waterski, THEN I'll pull you guys on a tube. Tubing is a ton of fun for adults as well as kids, especially if you have a 2-3 person tube where it adds some hand-to-hand combat on the tube!

 

[BigBoatinOkie]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Actually, there is some skill involved in the tubin that we do. The skill is in deciding when to let go just before the handles rip off.

But seriously, as Haulnazz said, tubing is a great amount of fun for all. You can create some pretty insane g forces and speed on a tube. We do it all, combo ski, slalom, kneedoard, tube, jetski (couch type), except none of us like wakeboarding. It's all fun and we just do whatever were in the mood for at the time. I think it's good to at least learn each sport so you can be flexible depending on water conditions, mood, and level of fatigue.

 

[skibrain]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Our solution when it's too windy to ski:

I often wonder why my abs are sore after a couple hours of sailing
(apologies for getting off topic)

 

[convergent]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

I'm probably being a jerk but I've had quite a few friends ask to go tubing behind my boat and I've told them all no. I'm more than happy to teach them waterskiing, wakeboarding, or even kneeboarding but not tubing. If I had little kids, I wouldn't mind letting them tube but not adults.

You just reminding me of one outing that may change your mind on that one. My daughter who's in college brought a couple of friends to go tubing one day and one of her friends kept losing the bottom to her bikini!

For some reason there was a wakeboat with a bunch of guys in it that kept following us around all day!

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Dying.....no. More alternatives to be tried out.....yes.
My family prefer to ski over anything else we have available.