Wakesurfing?

Arr, my shoulders are sore, which can mean only one thing...I've been waterskiing at Lake Powell! My brother invited me to join him for a day of fun on the lake.

Funny to say I spent a lot more time in the water when I lived in Arizona than I do living in coastal California, but it is understandable when you visit Lake Powell, which is simply one of the most beautiful places on Earth—and not too shabby for skiing, either.

In addition to giving me a ski tow, my brother also introduced me to the sport of wakesurfing, which he's gone crazy for this summer.

It's a little tricky finding the sweet spot on the wave so that you can surf behind the boat without falling behind, but once you do, it's massively fun. Just like surfing, Ocean-style, only no paddling and the ride goes on as long as you want it to.

Though I'd never heard of it before, wakesurfing apparently isn't new. We used to surf/skurf behind our boat on Lake Powell back in the day, but that was always on-rope, and well away from the churning prop of our Sea Ray.

Here, the trick is to load the back corner of the boat with weight and get right up on the stern—we're surfing as close as one to two feet behind the boat. Too much fun!

— September 7, 2011

Andy Lewicky is the author and creator of SierraDescents

Bill September 7, 2011 at 1:57 pm

My nephew introduced us to wake surfing on our trip to WA in August. It is a blast. I'd love to do more of it.

Nate T March 24, 2012 at 9:04 pm

Awesome!