too cold to ski?

[superwooter]

howdy,
i just purchased my first pair of skis and they should arrive tomorrow or friday. currently in south mississippi, the daily highs are in the low 70's. i'm not sure about the water temp though. just wondering what some of your experiences have been with late fall, winter, early spring sking. i noticed that the posts in this section of the forum has almost dropped off completely in the last couple weeks. i'm sure this is an indication that not many people ski this time of year!
thanks in advance,
wooter

 

[Knightgang]

Re: too cold to ski?

I bet the water is to cold for this...Unless you want to put on a wet suit and try the ski launch off of the dock so as to not get wet. However, if you fall, you are out of luck...

 

[superwooter]

Re: too cold to ski?

I did a bit of research. Surprisingly the water temp at the local lake is low 70s. Much warmer than I would have thought. An hour down the road in the bays of the gulf of Mexico, the water is actually near 80. I have a shorty wet suit. Does this sound like suitable skiing conditions?

Wooter

 

[Knightgang]

Re: too cold to ski?

Water near 80 mightbe fine, but once you get wet, that 60- air temp will get cold quick. If you are that pumped, then go for it. You can always stop when it gets to cold for you.... Take plenty of towels and maybe a blanket in the boat to get warm. Hypothermia is nothing to take lightly....

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: too cold to ski?

Stretch on a wet suit and go.
Worst you get is a cold.
Just do it in the middle of the day and dont spend all day in the water.

 

[Subliminal]

Re: too cold to ski?

HA!

Some folk are lucky if they can hit waters that are 70-80 in the middle of the summer...much less november.

Last year we skied the deleware about this time of year. No wet suit. The water was in the 60s and it happened to be in the low 70s that day.

Funny, though, there were full-sized trees floating down the river and the water was murky brown...must have been right after a storm.

You ever see the movie 'Old School'? Remember the scene where Luke Wilson is in the back of the taxi and asks the driver where the seat belts are?

 

[199q]

Re: too cold to ski?

haha that's awesome! I would ski in the winter too, but I have my boat torn apart for a transom / stringer replacement.

do you have the proper ski pole? I have just been skiing from a transom mount.

 

[superwooter]

Re: too cold to ski?

no, i just plan to use the transom eyes. i'm going to pick up the tow harness with the pulley and a ski rope this weekend. hopefully i'll have a few warm days here to try it out before it actually starts to get cold.

 

[tawood]

Re: too cold to ski?

The first week of august my family and I always rent a place in the northern lower michigan on Burt, Mullet, or Black Lake (they are all connected). This year, we waterskiied several times and the air temp NEVER got higher than 65, and the water temp was about the same. Up there, were used to cool temps, although that was a bit too cold. Usually, air temps are around 80 for that time of year, and water temps around 70.
We were wearing wet suits, by the way....although some were "shorties"...brrrr.
Tim

 

[199q]

Re: too cold to ski?

no, i just plan to use the transom eyes. i'm going to pick up the tow harness with the pulley and a ski rope this weekend. hopefully i'll have a few warm days here to try it out before it actually starts to get cold.

that works well, and is what I do. however if you have a chance to ski behind a tournament style ski boat with the proper pylon, give it a shot. its a pretty awesome experience.

what ski did you get?

 

[superwooter]

Re: too cold to ski?

i picked up a pair of o'brien celebrity combos used on ebay. they came in yesterday but i haven't had a chance to open the box and check them out. the pics looked good though and the seller had a 100% positive feedback with over 1100 transactions. so i'm pretty sure they're fine. i read a lot of reviews and it seems these skis should be fine for both entry and intermediate skiers. i consider myself to be intermediate, although it has been 9 years since last time i ski'd. i'm really looking forward to getting out on the water (obviously by the subject of this thread). now i'm just waiting on some help with the carbs on my mercury... but that's in another thread!

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: too cold to ski?

When I was young and dumb and full of --- I skied with a full wet suit in water that had chunks of ice floating in it. It was a thrill when I first jumped in but a full wet suit kept me warm after only a number of seconds. Used the ice as slalom buoys. Fast forward 45 years later? I would not do it now!

 

[smclear]

Re: too cold to ski?

get a dry suit and don't worry about it. Ski in any temps.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: too cold to ski?

Go for it, If it gets too cold then stop. Plenty of towels, warm clothing and blankets on board though as previously said.

 

[skibrain]

Re: too cold to ski?

Sounds like your temps are similar to our prime ski season in MN!

We ski from late April thru October...sometimes through November Nov 29 my latest). Almost all of our skiing through the season is early morning (6:00 a.m. to 8:30) so it is always a bit cooler. Rarely does our water ever get past the mid to high 70s. even in August.

Dry suits, then full wet suits, then shortie, a month of no wetsuits and then we're pretty much back in the neoprene. Head and hands get really cold and are the limiting factor. I hope to ski tomorrow afternoon.

Late September sunrise with my old boat
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL680/2877032/8416268/113258784.jpg

October

November

my buddy Chris

 

[jkust]

Re: too cold to ski?

x2...those are the height of the ski season temps here in MN. Our season is so short you go when time allow not when the temps are at their peak which is for about a week.

 

[Dave.Mishchenko]

Re: too cold to ski?

I was out 3 weeks ago in water that was 8 Celcius (47 F). Once I had a full length wetsuit and gloves I'll head out again. The water in the lakes around Vancouver, CA peaks around the high 70s so I wouldn't mind your temperature at all.

 

[skibrain]

Re: too cold to ski?

Another big plus of off-season skiing is lack of other boats.
Go for it, and enjoy the new skis!

 

[likalar]

Re: too cold to ski?

Here in N. Calif, there's the annual new years day Frozen Bun Run in the Delta waters.
Great fun for all ages of skiers and the spectators:

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/strange/news-article.aspx?storyid=99106

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: too cold to ski?

You guys enjoy that. I will be in the frozen north in front of a gas fireplace with a well stocked fridge !!!