WaterSki Magazine

It is safe to say 2009 was Zach Worden’s breakthrough season. The 18-year-old kicked off the year by recording the second-longest jump at the Moomba Masters then went on to a handful of top-six finishes at the Masters, Worlds and Pro Tour...

After sitting out most of the 2008 season with a chronic ankle injury, pro slalom skier Chris Rossi rebounded strong this year by placing in the top three at six pro events. His worst finish was fourth...

Barefooters have always been known as…well, the crazy and extreme renegades of the water sports world. If you’re a hardcore footer, we don’t mean that to offend, but rather to give props to those willing to do just about anything behind a boat at top speeds...

After winning the Masters and World Water Ski Championships in a single season, what’s next on the list for a pro slalom skier? We decided to ask Will Asher, who cemented his place among slalom skiing’s elite with wins at the 2009 Masters and Worlds...

Call them crossovers or multisports, these seven boats from our 2009 Boat Buyers Guide excel as do-it-all watersports performers. Since they're designed to tow a variety of watersports, the boats on this list are perfect for families who not only love to water ski and wakeboard but wakesurf and tube as well...

If you're an avid waterskier at the tournament level — or you aspire to be — and you want to practice behind the same ski boats used in competitions, your next ski boat is on this list. These four ski boats — the Malibu Response LXi, MasterCraft ProStar 197, Moomba Outback and Ski Nautique 196 — are all tournament-worthy models that excel for competitors looking for top performance in shortline slalom waterskiing, with the ability to pull all three events...

The Connelly F1 has been dominating the water ski tournament scene for years. It is known for its smooth and predictable performance. Moderately sharp forebody bevels work in conjunction with the large sweet spot to provide a smooth, non-critical turn...

Two decades have passed since Thomas Gustafson's Australian friends Grant and Andrew Barnett — whose parents built the man-made Lough Earn Lake near Woodford — invited him to live and ski in Australia for a summer...

Weighting your boat It is very important that one weights their boat correctly if they expect to wakesurf and actually stay on the wake after throwing the rope. Here are four things to keep in mind: Remember, your boat needs around 1,800 pounds of extra weight on top of the stock ballast you already have in place to produce a beefy wake...

Carly Clifton shares the dos and don'ts of water ski blister prevention. By Kari Wilberg You don't need to be a professional water skier to get gnarly blisters on your palms. Duct taping your hands before hitting the water can prevent those painful suckers, but only if the tape is applied correctly...

1. Start by sanding the ski with different degrees of sandpaper grit. Begin with an 80-grit, then move up to a 120-grit and end with a 220-grit. If this is a ski you will continue to use, make sure you don't sand to the point that the contours are affected...

They're always running at the front of the pack, but now Correct Craft is trying to pull way ahead with their new Ski Nautique 200, the next evolution of the older 196 model. But don't call this an upgrade; it's a ground-up rebuild that significantly improves on the 196...

Scot Ellis is far from burning up his jumping and ski-flying fuse. In fact, he plans to stay around as long as he's welcome on the dock. By Arlyn Hernandez, Photo by John Mommer I was 4 years old....

If you're in the market for a budget-conscious craft, you might want to check out Standard Boat Co. With an MSRP just under $30,000, Standard promises to provide everything you need and nothing you don't in a high-performance tow boat...

Shopping for the right boat propeller can turn into a technical nightmare. Fortunately, with the right guidance, it doesn't have to be! We asked two experts, Eric Johnson from OJ Props and Jim Thelen from Acme Marine, for the scoop...