Is skiing a dieing sport?

[Ron_S]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Most sports now are way too specialized. When was the last time you saw several kids pull out a baseball (not a softball), bat, gloves, and just have unsupervised fun?
Water Skiing too has become specialized. Witness the special ski rigs, skis, etc. My lake neighbor's kids did not ski much, if at all, because the skis were too high performance. This summer I gave them a set of 1950's wide skis they could all easily get up on. They still use the other devices, but now the kids take out the jet ski or small boat and pull each other around and have a ball. Kids can ski with wide skis in small boats with small motors.

 

[SparkieBoat]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

I shot skiing dead about 15 years ago..my kids knee board or tube..I just drive and then go fishing

 

[aldena]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Dying, but not dead. We actually stop whatever we're doing to watch a skier go by. Wakeboarding is easier to do, takes less strenth. At 53, I took my last ski ride, just too much effort. So I tried the wakeboard, and darned if I didn't get right up, and took a 5 minute ride. Don't do any tricks yet, but at least I'm standing on water!

 

[CenturionSkier]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

We have friends in New Jersey and Georgia who still ski on a weekly basis. As was mentioned above, many of us are just hiding where the smooooooth water is! Here in Kentucky, now that I've retired, my son and I still ski every other day or so in warmer weather, on Lake Cumberland from a little used ramp, on a little used cove. I've skied since 1951 and stopped for a few years but now, following heart surgery last year, I slalom harder than ever and still trick ski and barefoot at 67 years old. According to my doctors, there's no reason to quit now, they just rebuilt me. We have a couple of older restored Ski Centurions but you don't need anything special. Just get out and DO IT!

 

[infideltarget]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

anyone who wont take adults out tubing has no clue what they are missing! the kids have a serious blast for sure, but the real fun comes when a consenting adult says "you cant throw me..." oh yeah? I LOVE to watch them as i swing them around a corner at speeds far beyond what the tube maker recommends, and listen to full grown men scream like little girls as the tubes (that's right...two at a time) go skipping across the water, barely touching it. dangerous? no more so than any other watersport. and great fun to video, and watch later! is skiing dying? i can honestly say i have never even tried it, and it is rare to see one out these days. but i do believe it is simply because at one time skiing was the only game in town. so everyone did it. now there are choices, and its different strokes...
just do what you like, and have fun at it!

 

[bradtw191]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

i think so. i am only 20 and have been skiing since i was a little tyke. learned to slalom at like 12 and havent skied on 2 since. i feel real skiing takes more effort than most people are willing to give these days. it took me a whole season to really get good on a slalom. got up my first time wakeboarding and went wake to wake my first day. i feel wakeboarding is taking over cause it easier starting out. i moved to college last year and purchased my first boat this month cause i cant stand not bein on the water. cant wait to go ski

 

[gt2003]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Wow, what a great topic! I'm 41 now and just got my first boat last year. I'm not sure if skiing is dying. I think I'm just not on the lake early enough to see the skiers. I also can't find anyone willing to get up early enough to take me. I like the smooth water! When we are on the water now, the kids tube. We see a whole lot of wakeboard boats but not many folks actually wakeboarding, mostly tubes.

When I was in high school and college I used to ski whenever I got the chance. In college, my roommate had an older ski natique and I remember being impressed at how quickly that thing yanked me out of the water. He had a pair of trick ski's as well as a really, really short wooden ski with a regular binding and the half slalom binding behind that. If I remember right we would get up on a regular ski and the short one then drop the long one. At that point, all bets were off. You could barely see anything due to all of the spray from that little thing. I'm going to break back into the skiing world this year. I think I can find an old slalom ski on ebay that'll work just fine!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[skibrain]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Go for it! The key is finding some ski partners. It has definitely worked for me!

I've been skiing since I was 8. Turned 50 last fall. 14 years ago when our kids were 6, 8 & 12 I sold a motorcycle and bought a used boat. I decided it would be more family friendly. My criteria for the boat was cheap. light enough to pull behind the mini van. and fast enough to barefoot behind.

My next goal was recruiting friends willing to get up early morning to ski. I found a couple regulars and thought we were really going at it when we got out early a.m. six times that first year. Over the course of the next 5 years I continued to ski at the same lake. Traded from a $2500 boat to a $5000 boat, and then my original friends each bought a boat (nicer than mine). Long story short, we've had a blast with low-dollar boats, the kids are nearly grown, I sold my boat 2 years ago for about what I had in it. AND my ski networking is all coming back my way. I have 6 regular ski buds with late-model inboards calling to invite me to ski 2-4 times a week during the summer.

I no longer own a boat. I skied 70 days last summer. At age 50 I am slaloming better than I was at age 20. at age 30. at age 40...even improving since two years ago.

 

[gt2003]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Very nice SkiBrain. I'm ready to get back on the water soon. I'm looking for an older pair of wide skis to start the kids out on since neither of them have been on water skis before. I'm also looking at a used slalom for me. I'll have both before long! The weather is warming up nicely and I'm getting the itch to break out the boat!

 

[h20skiluvr]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

On our river, there is has been more of a transition than a "dieing-out". There is still alot of activity, although now, there are more water activities to choose from. My son doesn't even know how to ski, he went straight to the Wakeboard and loves the tricks and air. Both daughters ski, and my oldest is "old school" like her dad and prefers to slalom. My wife will do both but likes the the "excitement" of the wakeboard a little more. I remember the 80's and skiing on the river in my teens, not the same numbers- but there were no wakeboarders then. I don't want to seem selfish, but if it is dieing-out- that's just more glass for me!

 

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Someone brought the thread back to life. Anyway I love to Salom Ski and Havent gotten into wake boarding. I kinda feel like old school because at the lake today I didn't see one Skier. I will be getting a Wake Board soon so I can go switch back and forth, Ski and Wake Board.

 

[h20skiluvr]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

That was me David who brought the thread back to life. I love to ski and recently joined the Iboats forums; I've been checking out all the threads, love to talk all things boating or skiing!

 

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Welcome to Iboats. Wealth of Info here. I will be the one sking at 6:00am in the Morning and enjoying the Glass Water before the Wake Boarders with their Wake Board boats trashing the smooth Water. Gosh forbid me I might equip my boat with a Tower. That will only happen if my Kids get into wake boarding and want big air.

 

[skibrain]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

 

[Ithica DB]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

Wake up very early or go out late you will see a few skiers out but our lake is too crowded for skiing mid day. I love to ski but don't trust my wife driving so I just pull as many as I can find that want to do it. I hate pulling the tube to much work for me but it is popular.

 

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

I would love to ski that Glass.

 

[sw33ttooth]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

when i go to the backwaters near my house i useually see about 30-40 wake boarders and boats lined up over a 1/4 mile or so beached they pretty much take over that half of the river and power boats from 30-45 ft own the rest i've tried to tow my nefew there but with constant 2 foot waves there is no prevale on another lake i go to i see waverunners towing tubes sometimes 2 tubes almost never see skiirs i wanted to buy a set of skis to try but me being the only one in my family that would/could skii its not worth my time to buy and store them and of course on 90-100 degree days you get rednecks on lake michigan with 50 horse ob's towing blow up matresses its kind of embarassing but when it gets hot people get wierd. heres some pics of me with my last boat getting crazy at about 30 mph.




my dad says he doesn't like to drive my boat, but once i get on a tube apperently he is lying

 

[WINTERSUX]

Re: Is skiing a dieing sport?

I've skateboarded , still snowboard and wakeboard, 2 years ago i slalom skied for to first time, got up second try. Lots of fun but it won't replace wakeboarding. i do want to get some used skis tho. what size? i'm 5'10" 185#'s