Convincing wakeboarders/former skiers

[strickmd]

Anyone have some suggestions to get some wakeboarders to give skiing a shot? I've got a group of friends that prefer wakeboarding because they think skiing is boring and 'all you do is stand behind the boat.'

 

Part of it might be they've never skied behind a true ski boat, just an ancient outboard (they actually wakeboard behind it and it's pretty sad)

 

I've also got family that doesn't seem as into skiing as my cousin and I are. Our parents all used to ski, none of them have shown an interest in recent years, and they rest of our cousins haven't shown much of an interest either.

 

We've got a solid ski boat ('91 PS190), so any suggestions how I can convince people to give skiing a shot?

[lpskier]

Encourage your friends to learn difficult wakeboard tricks, particularly those involving big air. After they really hurt themselves enough times, water skiing will seem more appealingly.

[Orlando76]

Ask them to introduce you to a 70 year old wakeboarder. If they think skiing is slow and boring have them sit near a turnbuoy at a tournament or ski lake where the buoy is 12’ from the shoreline and have them watch 38 or shorter skier come around..... then ask them if they still think skiing is boring.

[oldjeep]

If they are guys just suggest that you don't think that they could ski if they wanted to. That'll guarantee at least one run.

[MISkier]

I wonder if some really good from-the-boat video of a scrambling super shortline slalom pass would help. Not the pass that makes it look effortless, but a good skier at 34 or 36 scrambling to run it - ripping across the wake and slamming some turns to hook up quick and shoot back across to the next buoy. If the camera is zoomed in enough, it should look very intense, very fast, and requiring a high amount of agility and athleticism.

 

On second thought, that may convince them not to do it. Wakeboarding would seem to be safer and easier - especially the way 90% of them do it.

[klindy]

Since you and your cousin like to ski, I’d say you need to burn some gas and double your time on the water. Go ski 3 sets instead of one. Since you’ll have the boat, they won’t be able to wakeboard. But you’ll always invite them to some along and ski whenever they want. Eventually you’ll peal a few other off the group.

 

Or, put in a jump ramp. That should be appealing to a few and nothing boring about jumping!

[ALPJr]

 

[Bruce_Butterfield]

Show them some video of a few high end trickers. Watching Erika, Adam Picokos or Aliaksei is far from boring.

[Jmoski]

Bet them a hundred bucks they can’t run the course by the end of the season.

[BraceMaker]

Some of the new skis might help,

 

I've been taking way more sets since I picked up my Omni just due to being able to slow off for rough water.

 

Even considering picking up that freakish big ski for this summer to ski the bay

 

[strickmd]

Thanks for the input. I've debated picking up a trick ski just to try it out anyway, might be a way to transition them over to slalom.

 

One of them has busted ear drums and gotten at least 1 concussion from wakeboarding, so I'm hoping the older we get, they might consider slalom the safer route.

 

Guess I could always 'accidentally' leave the wakeboard on the pier and only take skis next time

[strickmd]

@BraceMaker I'm probably not good enough to really be able to tell a difference between quality skis, we've got an early 90s Jobe and mid 00s Obrien and they feel a little different, but idk what that tells me or what the differencea mean

[BraceMaker]

So my brother in law has an old obrien ski and a moomba vdrive boat. I dont bother skiing when I'm there I just drink beer on the boat.

 

Just not even fun to ski it. A trick ski wont help anyone get into slalom skiing. There are things out know like the HO hovercraft and the radar butterknife that IMO would make a v drive tolerable or skiing crap water fun.

 

[strickmd]

Ok, yeah on our lake if you're not one the first couple boats on the water in the morning, your not gonna get good water the rest of the day, so a ski that would make choppy water usable would be nice. I'll have to start watching ski it again

[6balls]

@Jmoski I'd bet them $100 every day and twice on Sundays.

 

Maybe first get them running buoys on their board...I've seen that at collegiate tourneys actually looks pretty fun.

[parkerc2112]

What’s the difference between a wakeboarder and a vacuum cleaner?

Where the dirtbag is attached.

Regionals

t-shirt

[ShererSkier]

Just invite them to hang with you while you and your cousin ski. Ask if they want to, if they don't, don' make it a big deal. Just have fun skiing and tear it up! I have some friends that aren't in the mood to ski often but when they hang with my bro and I and watch us ski, talk technique and have tons of fun they usually end up wanting to try it. We're always trying to improve and run a better pass and I think that how into skiing we are, no matter how we're skiing, is what draws people into trying. It's all about having fun after all, so make that the biggest point!

[DaveD]

Wear a "Chicks dig big spray" tee shirt around. That's usually all a guy needs for motivation to try something.