no wake vs huge wake

[beast 496]

What happened to the day's of an inboard not having any wake? I mean I grew up not wanting any wake or at least as flat as possible. Slalom skiing is not as popular or even barefooting. I just can't believe young guys and gals don't want to learn how to barefoot. It is all about slow going wakeboarding or surfing. go figure that all of the effort to build inboard ski boats to have 0 wake and now to have a huge wake. I guess I am too old. Al

[moombamania]

Beast.... Not to old, just old school. I was a slalom skier behind an I/O for years, dreaming of a competition wake behind a dd.

started riding a "Skurfer" back in the day and really started to enjoy the heck out of it along with my knee board. Well, now I wakeboard WAY more then I ski so that flat wake needed ballast and a tower.

Your no-wake is still out there. IMHO just be thankful the Skurfer craze caught on and grew as it rejuvenated an industry with a whole new market share and a whole new inboard design with big wakes and big space in the v-drive.

[KY Steve]

Its not just happening on the water, the dynamics are also changing on the snow.

I'm a Generation X'r and was a teenager when boards were born. Addicted to both on water and snow but I do pull out the slalom once a year to prove I can still do it.

[Supra-in-steamboat]

Second KYSteve. I guess Tony Hawk, Shaun White, and ESPN are responsible.

[sybrmike]

I'm with you, Al. The closest thing to a wakeboard when I skied collegiate club was a slalom trick ski - some of the same tricks, but remember both bindings faced forward. It was all about 38' off, 180' jumps, & high point trick runs. Thought kneeboards would never catch on - best used for stepping off into footing (our old outboard couldn't pull a deepwater start).

I still love dipping an elbow on my old Jobe & my Social Security eligible parents still slalom, but my kids wanna learn wakeboarding & surfing. Hopefully my old DD Saltare will be able to satisfy all our needs (if I can ever get her back on the water).

Old school rules, but guess we gotta roll with the times - lest we're relegated to our rockers on the front porch yellin' at those dang young whippersnappers to "get off my lawn!"

[Kip]

We do close to as much skiing as we do wakeboarding. I have really started to slalom more this year, it is definitely a rush to go from about a dead stop when you lay the ski over to rocketing across the water in a matter of feet.

The dual purpose of our Supra is one of the main reasons I love it. I can crank the wake plate down and put everyone in the front and have a good ski wake, or crank the plat up and pile people in the back for wakeboarding.

[jaywidhalm]

I'm with you guys...I learned to slalom as a kid, and still love it...and for the record I'm 31. I do wakeboard as well, and am learning to surf...but I agree that slalom skiers are a rare breed these days! I do like the versatility of the V drive, as well as the space. The wakeplate makes it a great "dual purpose" family friendly boat. Not the best pic...but oh well!!

[87SunSportMikeyD]

I feel like I was part of the crossover 'generation'. Here is my candid story because I am bored. When I was 10-12 I was skiing non stop. Learned to drop and deepwater slalom start. Learned to rip it up back and forth across the lake. But that was it. There was nothing else to do on the slalom ski besides make sharp turns. It got kinda old for me.

I started messing around on the slalom ski, learning to jump the wakes when going slower. I never got into trick skiing and our old i/o (76 Glasstron 16.5' 135hp Volvo Penta - this was in the early 90s) either didn't have the power or else I never had a great teacher to teach me to step off. But honestly I can't really say going 40 on only my feet sounds THAT entertaining, you mostly hold the position or wipe out big time.. all imho.

This was about the time I saw my first wakeboard magazine on the shelf at a book store and saw a skurfer in a store. After seeing the Flight 69 and Byerly and Gator doing flips and 360s I was sold. I begged my dad to get me a board. He said the twin tips with full wrap bindings were too expensive (doh) so we went home with a Connelly Blade with surf wrap bindings. It took me two weeks to get up and a year and a half to learn to jump the wakes with no teachers and old equipment. Now I have taught so many people I feel I could be an instructor for beginner to intermediate riders.

So in summary it was the variety that wakeboarding brings that brought me over. Freedom and expression on the water to do a great variety of tricks. Ability to tweak and add your own style. Not to mention big air - how can you not love big air?!? But I love and respect all the water sports, so peace to all.

[werlinda]

Very good topic. Im 29 and love to water ski. I slalom all the time and you still get the looks from people on the lake when you do it and and can spray the babes laying out on the rafts doing it. I still double ski for fun too, just double skiied with the old man this weekend. Good time.

Kneeboards, painful. Wakboarding makes me want to slalom.

Whatever your age is there are still some of us out there that live to water ski only. My dad and fater-in-law still barefoot and are both over 50. That is something to see!

[mapleleaf]

I def. have to get out the slalom a few times a year, wouldn't be the same without it...... Hadn't thought about the fact we probably board more now then ski......its all good in my books.......