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WATERSKI MagazineTo be honest, the Golden State doesn't rate too high among hard-core skiers and wakeboarders for quality water. It touts only a handful of five-star lakes, and most of those are victimized annually by summer drought. So why do people continue to flock to northern California's Lake Shasta? Two words: family vacation.
As a summertime holiday destination, Lake Shasta ranks high among skiing families who are looking to get away from their elliptical, six-ball, once-a-day, wait-your-turn ski sites. On Shasta, it's always your turn if you're willing to do a little hunting among the hundreds of coves within the six designated sectors: Lakehead Area, Gilman Road Area, Salt Creek Area, O'Brien Area, Jones Valley Area and Shasta Dam Area.
As the largest man-made reservoir in California, the lake offers 11 marinas along the 370 miles of shoreline of Lake Shasta National Park. Wooded flats, steep, rocky hillsides, secluded creeks, an occasional waterfall and thousand of acres of mountainous country surround the lake. The night life is what you make of it: Party types can meander over to the marina for a frosty beverage at the local pub/restaurant, whereas family types can tackle more idyllic pursuits like roasting homemade s'mores over a wood fire. It's the perfect bucolic summertime getaway. That is, any time other than mid-September.
From September 11-14, more than 3,000 boat-towing, Skylon-riding wakeboard junkies will head for the normally placid Lake Shasta waters for the annual super-event known as Boardstock. Haven't heard of it? Well, take a fun Saturday afternoon with your friends, multiply by 3,000 people, add 200 ski boats, divide by 50 houseboats, mix in the best wakeboarders in the world, spice it up with two tons of food and drink, and smother it with five million gallons of warm Lake Shasta water in the California sunshine – and you've got Boardstock '97.
Started in 1996 by Jobe and Wake Boarding magazine, Boardstock has morphed into a full-fledged annual phenomenon. Though it's a wakeboard-only event, you'll probably find a few renegade individuals testing their cross-over skills on Air Chairs, kneeboards and slaloms, probably under the cover of dusk. If you're looking for peace and quiet that particular weekend, try a Buddhist temple. Otherwise pack up your boat, grab your camera and join the masses. – Heather Lee
