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Crusing Behind Your Boat On One Ski

In a previous article, I discussed how to teach a child to water-ski. Moving to the single ski, or slalom ski as it is formally known is the natural progression for the accomplished child or adult water-skier.

The first thing to understand is the rather simple physics involved. The physics that I'm talking about aren't college level gobbledygook. It's really quite simple. If I weigh 180lbs and I'm skiing on two skis, then each ski is supporting 90lbs of my weight. If, however, I only ski on one ski, then that one ski has to support all of my 180lbs.

This fact of physics means that a child that is accomplished on two skis can probably easily make the transition to one ski This goes for small adults also. By the same token, the adult that weighs over 200lbs is going to have trouble getting launched on just one ski.

When I wrote about teaching children to ski, I mentioned that children are intimidated by the boat, so you should use a small one. When skiing on one ski, it's best to use the biggest motor that you can get hold of. Since his weight is only being supported by one ski, the boat needs to pull the skier out of the water as quick as it can. The boat driver can always throttle back after the skier gets up.

The method for launching on one ski consists of several steps to keep in mind:

1) Have the boat pull the rope taunt while you stabilize yourself in the water with your free foot.

2) In this next step, several things need to happen almost at the same time, so it is a very important one. Hold the ski almost straight up and down, but do not lock your knees. I have seen a lot of people try to launch on a single ski with their knees locked. These people have the mistaken belief that if they just hold on long enough, the boat will pull them up. I've seen people use this method many times, but I've never seen it work. The faster they get going, the more their ski wobbles back and forth until finally the skier has to let go of the rope.

Even without having the knees locked, there is no way around the fact that the ski will try to wobble during the launch.

To help control this wobble, I would recommend using a rope made for skiing with two skis. Such a rope usually terminates into a single handle. Ropes that are made for slalom skis are split about six feet from the end, then terminate into two small handles, one for each hand. I prefer the rope with a single handle because you can control the wobble by pushing the ski against the rope during the launch while you are in the water.

Yell for the boat to go.

Put your foot into the rear binding just after you yell for the boat to go.

As the boat starts to move, pull the tail of your ski up towards your bottom, but leave the tip out of the water.

Hold the ski up against the rope to stop the wobble that I talked about before.

3) About three seconds after the boat starts to move, stand up. As soon as you stand up, it is vitally important that you lean back away from the boat and head out to the side. If your right foot is forward on the ski, you should go to the right. If your left foot is forward on the ski, you should go to the left. Following these recommendations will result in an easier, more comfortable ride your first time.

4) On the first tow, I would also recommend not crossing the wake. Try making small turns, but stay to the side.

5) When approaching waves, lean against the boat. When people approach waves on two skis, they tend to lean forward, which is okay; however, if you do the same thing on a slalom ski, disaster will strike, because if you lean forward, the dreaded wobble will start.

Remember that it is extremely important to hold your ski against the rope during the early part of the launch. I consider this tip to be the single most important step to getting up on one ski.

Have fun!

Craig Stanford has been around boats all his life. He started water skiing at the age of ten with the help of his dad and grandfather. For more information about boating sports check out Craig's website at: http://online-boat-info.com/boat/