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WATERSKI MagazineIt's been nine years since my husband and I left the fast pace of the Washington, D.C., area and headed south to search for warmer weather. Our business requires us to be near a major city, so our choices were limited. We settled in Atlanta and resigned ourselves to a long commute to a decent ski lake. Being a former U.S. Nationals competitor, I needed a lake where we could use a slalom course and where the water didn't look like traffic from I-75 emptied into it. Amazingly, we found what we needed just 30 minutes north of Atlanta on Lake Allatoona.
Allatoona is run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which means it has well-planned launches, marinas, beaches and miles of untouched shoreline along its 12,000-acre surface. Most of all, it's a great retreat from the rush of city and suburban life.
For slalom-course skiers, the most convenient launch is “Blockhouse,” near the site of the Atlanta Water Ski Club. The Corps has allowed the club a specified cove and declared it a no-wake zone any time a skier is in the course.
There are some weekends when we just want to free-ski with friends and family. That's when we head to an area known as Galts Ferry. It's a large expanse of water with picturesque views and a nice beach for taking a lunch break with a big group of skiers. You can wade in the water and wait for your turn behind the boat. This is also the best place to wind down the day. Just anchor the boat, fire up one of the grills in the picnic area and watch the sun set over the rolling hills on the opposite side.
