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WATERSKI MagazineThe Las Vegas locals who ski Lake Mead know they've got it good. Sure, the drive's a bit far. And yeah, dodging busloads of knee-socked tourists scurrying toward the Hoover Dam can be annoying. But those are small prices to pay for having a 247-square-mile ski haven within reach. And when it comes to having fun desert-style, the regulars have it wired.
“Lots of people around here like to hook up a ski boat behind a houseboat and cruise around the lake for a few days,” says John Thomas, a Vegas resident who regularly spends his weekends afloat. “It's like we've got this huge park that was built just for water skiing and hanging out.”
Good thought, but Lake Mead was actually created in 1935 as a hydroelectric power source servicing Hoover and Davis dams. Since then, the place has been synonymous with fun. Houseboat rental operations and marinas dot Mead's 550 miles of shoreline. Echo Bay, on the Nevada side, and Temple Bar, on the Arizona side, both have full-service operations that outfit ski parties with comfortable mother ships.
Mead also represents the best of both ski worlds: Pull into one of the hundreds of small coves that are nestled behind every rocky corner, and you can run the short rope in calm isolation. Or motor down to lower basins like Boulder or Virgin, and join the party next to a flock of inverted wakeboarders “going big” for the crowd.
It's a good idea to bring a wetsuit any time between October and May, as the cool nighttime air can often drop water temperatures down into the 50s and 60s. Air temps are generally dry and pleasant, save for the summer, when there's no doubt you're in the desert.-Tony Smith
