WaterSki Magazine

I gazed into Andy Mapple’s intense blue eyes and dreamed of the possibilities. Away from our loved ones this past February, we swerved head-to-head in beautiful San Bernardo, Chile, the first stop of the Nautique Big Dawg World Tour presented by O’Brien.

A Tropical water ski adventure lures us and two pros to a beautiful oasis in Central America.

At just 21, Nate Smith is doing what most guys take decades to figure out, if they ever do. He knows how to use the boat to maximize his performance, which is one reason he’s run 41 off eight times this year.

I almost love photographing skiing as much as skiing itself. It’s a passion that’s intensified over the last few years. There’s so many different ways to capture the sport.

Skiing can be violent sport as you probably know. The strains and stresses put on your body can definitely take its toll. Tired of the pain? How often do you complain about lower-back spasms? The time is now to ease your muscles. Crazy water ski crash shots included!

Party yourself into dehydration. Polish off that bottle of Courvoisier, and then dawn-patrol it.

Bob LaPoint is like a big ole bear. In fact, I often imagine him wrapping his massive arms around a tree trunk and ripping it from the earth. The five-time world slalom champion is known for disfi guring pylons and yanking boats out of the course. But he’s also a thinking man, and on and off for the past 30 years he’s been applying that brainpower to designing skis.

The bald eagle, the great American symbol of strength, spent years on the endangered species’ list — but no more. A ban of the pesticide DDT led to a boost in the number of mating eagle couples. Also, increased visibility in the form of news reports and Web cams pointed at eagles’ nests have kept the raptors at the front of the public’s mind...

The 2012 Malibu Open hosted more than just record-breaking runs. This year saw the first annual WATERSKI Awards ceremony, where editor Todd Ristorcelli honored ten of the world's best water skiers.

Scroll through all six WATERSKI covers from 2011, vote for your favorite and let us know in the comments below what you look for in a great cover shot.

Watch the 10 best water ski videos of the first half of 2010. From water ski how tos and a set with Andy Mapple to an inside look at the Malibu Boats factory and pro skiers charging the legendary waves of Maui, there’s plenty here to keep you glued to your computer screen...

The year is officially halfway over and to celebrate the first 6 months of 2010, we decided to take a look back at waterskimag.com’s top ten posts from the first half of 2010. From ski and ski boat reviews to water ski how tos and world records, all of them are worth a second look.

WATERSKI editor Todd Ristorcelli recaps all the action from WATERSKI's 2010 Fantasy Camp, including some epic short-line skiing from Malibu Boats skiers Will Asher and Thomas Degasperi.

Watch WATERSKI editor Todd Ristorcelli and up-and-comer Dorian Llewellyn ski the new Sans Rival SR1, a brand-new carbon-fiber slalom ski out of Europe. Then listen to Franz Oberleitner break down the Sans Rival SR1's construction and performance.

This month at Inside Edge, WATERSKI’s exclusive new high-end water-ski website: Ski Like Will Asher The 2009 world champ identifies some of the most common slalom skiing mistakes and shows you how to fix them...