Ski season is in full swing now and the public lakes are crowded with boaters and private ski clubs are gearing up for tournament season.

     A few weekends ago I took a trip to our family lake house for the day. I took the boat just to run it but with some hope of running the same open water pass I’d been making for over 35 years. What I found was that trying to ski on a public lake now is near impossible in this area. I didn’t really expect a smooth water run but the amount of boaters, jet skis and wakeboard boats was far more than I was expecting and much more than our cove can handle. And where we were once one of the few docks in the cove now there stands about 50. All are 750-1000 sq. ft floating wharf like structures bobbing endlessly creating a roller manufacturing system unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

     Only one other ski boat was there and he and I both attempted to wait at the end of the cove watching for an opening. I started my run with no boats in sight, before I could finish four turns, two jet skis and a wakeboard boat came around the point to create unskiable conditions.

     My counterpart faired even worse. After suiting up he dropped off the platform and it was as if the green flagged had waved on a boat race. They came from all directions and it actually got a little scary with so much activity going on at one time. Neither of us attempted to ski again that day.

     I have no problem with the other boaters and jet skiers in general as they have as much right to the water as anyone. It was just a shame that a couple of skiers couldn’t rip a few sets in front of 50 docks and a pretty good size crowd. There’s nothing quite like seeing a good slalom run down a two mile cove from the dock, boat or patio deck. It’s just something that everyone stops to watch.

     This past weekend I stayed home and skied my club lakes. I was able to have an unusual ski day of skiing two different club sites the same day. Afterward while talking to the guys about my public lake trip and this past weekend we all had a sense of nostalgia about our past ski adventures.

     In the 1970’s, 80’s and early 90’s when we were skiing public lake slalom courses we would ski early morning on weekends and late evening weekdays and usually have good success alternating with the other skiers and their boats. We would tie up together and talk skiing while waiting our turns in the course and only dream talk of being able to ski a private lake. Just once in a while would have been a dream come true back then.

     Now, I ski with two different private ski clubs. One lake is not private but it has no public landing so only property owners and ski club members use it. It’s unusual in that no property owners ski but one owner allows us to use his ramp. We club members have to bring our own boat and ski from the boat but it is an ideal set up for enjoying a day or evening of skiing multiple sets undisturbed. Usually it will be only two or three skiers and one boat as we alternate days there.

     The other club I ski with is quite different. It is totally private with only a few property owners and the boat is provided. The atmosphere is different as well. It is much more serious and has a training facility air about it. For some reason when I ski there I get more intense and always ski one or two buoys better than the other site. We ski off a starting dock and usually there is someone waiting for their set right behind you. It is fast moving and much like a tournament setting.

     Years ago while sitting in the boat awaiting my turn on the public lake course I would never have dreamed that I would be skiing not one but two private sites several days a week. And with having a family place on a public lake I still get the full day lake outing with the family a few times a year.

     Private lakes are the best way to go for slalom and jump training, but it comes with a price. The people on those 50 or so docks the other week will probably never be able to witness firsthand what a fantastic and adrenaline pumping sport this is.
If they only knew what they are missing.

 
Gordon Slingerland

Gordon is a regular contributor and can be found carving buoys in his spare time.

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