Anyone waterski in Cancun?

[Boody]

Wife and I are going to Cancun in March, found www.waterskicancun.com. Thinking about taking the skis, but that is quite a hassle if its not really worth it.

They say they have a pick of three courses depending on the wind. The boat is a Mastercraft Sportstar?? I think thats an open bow Prostar but not sure, probably older, but it has perfect pass.

Has anyone skied there, is it worth dragging the skis all the way to Cancun?

Thanks

[skibug]

I would Fed Ex the skis and not worry about lugging them.  I beleive with the cost of checking extra baggage, the cost is about a wash.  Plus they will probably handle it with more care.

[Thomas Wayne]

Here's a trick to consider.

When I went to Houston earlier this month I put My slalom ski into a regular waterski bag and then put that into a larger snow-ski bag (which is designed to hold two pairs of snow-skis).  The additional room in the outer bag allowed for towels, wetsuit and vest - which formed lots of extra padding.

Most airlines consider golf clubs and snow-skis to be exempt from their oversize baggage fees, so I only paid for an extra bag ($25 on Continental).  To avoid the awkwardness of lying to a counter agent I initiated the conversation by asking, "Are skis exempt from oversize baggage charges?"  Invariably they said they were, and failed to ask if I was referring to anything other than snow skis.

TW 

[Old MS Accout]

Skis (Water or Snow) are expempt from size (within reason) but not weight. You must stay under 50lbs. (NWA)

A word to the wise from a 25 year Airline guy. If you dont have your ski in a hard shell case, we will trash it and wont give you a dime for it. Trust me, we will wreck it, loose it or run it over. Even with a hard case I have seen some damage but it is your best bet. The towel wrap will help you wipe off the rubber marks when you get your ski at the baggage belt.   

 

[Deke]

Well MS, I'm glad somebody finally cleared that up.  By the time it is all said and done you could probably just buy a new ski when you get there!

I have travelled with a hardshell case and thought I was smart by loading it up with other gear.  It's easy to go over 50 pounds, trust me.

[scoke]

 

For the last two trips, I printed out baggage claim policies and brought them with me. Several times now I have had to pull the documents out and show them the exact paragraph stating their rules.

 Southwest Airlines: there are seperate paragraphs for snow ski vs water skis. both are exempt from extra fees unless they exceed weight/length issues.

 Us-Airways: seperate paragraphs for both. both fall under normal bagge, $15 check baggage.

 

[Old MS Accout]

The key is to stay off el cheapo airways and stick NWA. OOPs I mean Delta.

[waterski]

I skiied with Scott about 3 years ago.

 

Scott is a great guy and knows the area down there well.

 

The site is ok and it is true that the boat is of an older vintage. I found the salt water to be very different. I normally ski 28off and into 32 off, but down there I had trouble 15off 32mph, after taking 4 months off and I also did not bring my ski. So recommendation 1, is if you are going to ski bring your own ski.

 

I would say it is not a place to ski four sets a day and hang out, but it is worth it to ski a couple of sets and do what you will the rest of the day, especially if you are like me and jonesing for a run or two.

[slalom frog]

I just skied there on Christmas day.  I only brought my trick ski because I did not want to travel with the size of my slalom ski.  It was worth the effort of bringing the gear.  The site is fine, the boat is fine and Scott was a nice person.  It was my first time skiing on salt water and it was quite a change from skiing on fresh!

 I would not travel without a hardcase for my slalom ski.  I always try to buffer the tail and the tip of the ski a little from the ends of the case.  I also make sure that the ski can't float around in the case, often by putting my other gear in the case.

[miski]

I skied w/ Scott last April and had a great time - have reservations again 4/3-4/7 this year. Not sure if it was salt water or time off, but was skiing ok by 4th set on second day. Definitely use his freshwater to hose to rinse your gear afterwards and when you get home, take apart everything and clean/silicone to avoid getting crusty.

I only saw/used one course (all the way south-east in lagoon). Was a little choppy, but it was really windy off the gulf when I was there. That course is a ways down from the dock - so I was typically paired up with another skier and we went out for 2 sets apiece each time. I was skiing early afternoon, so it helped keep me sober until later afternoon :)  This year I have 9am which might hurt a little...

On bags - I've only flown with my ski 8 times (6x on NWA, 2x on Delta). I just use my Obrien bag w/ life jacket, wet suit, towel & rope on top, bag padding on the bottom - haven't even used a fin protector as bag has large foam block w/ slice for fin. Sounds like I've been lucky - haven't had one issue - but do get TSA notes underneath ski every time.

 

 

[Old MS Accout]

Just hope your luck dosnt run out on your way to nationals. Not good to show up with cracked ski.

[miski]

I could show up with a cracked ski at the Nationals and it wouldn't even phase me!

Now if they busted up my lawn chair I would be bumed.... :)

[TWB]

MS,

I've heard of one of our crew members taking his ski with him on trips.  Do you have any experience with that?  Just wondering what the TSA would say if I tried to bring it with me on a long Florida layover.   

 

[Old MS Accout]

I think if you can figure the storage on the AC part, you can bring it through the emp entrances at the hubs.

You see guys with guitars and stuff like that all the time. I would talk to the head cheese at the emp entrance and see what he says.