Sky ski?

[DeepCMark58A]

Wondering if anyone here has any experience with sky skis, is it fun? Looking for adding another toy to pull around the lake.

 

[alldodge]

I used one several years ago, didn't do very well. They were the rage at the lake some time ago, still see one every once in a while. There is a learning curve and need to relax which I didn't do it enough to get comfortable

 

[sangerwaker]

Tried it once unsuccessfully. Was a guy on my mom's lake that was awesome. Fun to watch, but not for me. They are expensive.

Got a pair of trick skis? Those are a lot of fun and slow speeds so low impact.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Not sure I would want to try that. did the whole wake trick skis thing 15 years ago. that didnt end so well....

for sale..... lightly used O'Brien trick skis..... will trade for hotrod parts LOL

 

[sangerwaker]

I say you spend more time in the water than on it when trick skiing!

 

[DeepCMark58A]

I think I will let my grown children but the water toys, I provide the rest. When they show videos of older folks doing it I figure heck I could do that, neglecting to ponder if I would survive the learning process.

 

[sangerwaker]

Trick skiing is easy, as long as you go slow enough. Go too fast and those things are rollerblades on ice. Now, learning tricks, that's not as easy. If you can waterski, trick skiing is very doable. Nobody said you needed to slalom trick ski and do wake 360's. Only need to go about 13-15 MPH for trick skis.

Wipeouts are generally losing your balance. Even if you catch an edge doing a surface turn, you're going slow enough the impact is pretty minimal.

Just be sure to stretch well beforehand. I tore a hamstring last spring because I was anxious to ski and didn't stretch first. Never needed to do that when I was younger.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Faceplant or wipe out on skis and you come out of the bindings, may have water in an orifice or two, may have your swim trunks 30 feet away, may have to swim for both the trunks and the ski now floating in the weeds..... may even have mud in your face from crashing in shallow water. But you are generally OK

With trick skis, since you lace them up..... You're not coming out of them, when you wipe out, you exit the water 6" taller and with dislocated ankles and getting back to the surface takes a bit with a chunk of composite bolted to your feet. Simply made worse because I have to rely on in-experienced drivers at the helm.

 

[sangerwaker]

Not sure what kind of trick skis you have had, Scott, but that's not been my experience.

If you have the newer type lace up biddings, you can't lace the upper lace too tight so it does release in a fall. I have those on my new slalom ski and new combos I bought last year.

Like these:



I've always used older tricks with the adjustable rubber biddings that come off pretty easily in a fall, like these.




I agree with you on inexperienced drivers. It's always a great joy for me to have someone just hammer it on a barefoot deepwater start and I get bounced three feet off the water when I hit the stern roller.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I have the rubber bindings on the standard skis. The trick skis have buckles similar to snow bindings. The very short-lived version before the current bindings

Best shot I can get without moving the drill press and engine hoist to get them down

 

[sangerwaker]

Don't fasten the velcro around the ankle. Better to have binding a little sloppy than to not have it come off in a fall. Too great of risk for ankle injuries.

I was worried about that with my new slalom bindings. First experience with the new high tech stuff. Everyone said to leave em a little loose. The fit on the sole of your foot is awesome. Even with the upper laces loose they don't move around, even in a hard carve.

Not even January 1 and I am dreaming of softer water here.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I'm going to sell the trick skis as my trick knee says I'm an idiot considering keeping them

 

[rallyart]

Hi DeepC,
Sorry I did not see this thread before Xmas.

We have had an AirChair for many years. It was the original but SkySki is more popular now by quite a bit. Both are great. My wife is 63 and still rides. Our kids, in their 20's, all enjoy it. My wife rides at about 16 mph GPS and my kids between 19 and 21 mph. You can ride as slow as about 13 mph and be up on the foil. If you are brave and athletic you can do spectacular tricks on them but normally we just tow and launch into simple jumps. That might mean up to six feet in the air so it's still pretty cool. You can do this behind any boat as the wake does not have to be big, although that can help. You need a no stretch rope, not a ski rope. We have started many new riders. Some do really well, but others take a while getting the feel for it. Small movements make life easier. Often the aggressive athlete has more trouble starting to learn than the more passive type.

You can ride in very choppy conditions easily, or if there are many wakes from other boats. It is, by far, our most popular water toy and probably gets used daily in the summer. (and yet I would have to say we are not great at it). They definitely flush the sinuses if you happen to fall the wrong way.

They last forever but take up quite a bit of space in the boat and are heavy. I hop this helps. My family is very happy we invested in ours 14 years ago.