Storage Blog

Barefoot Skiing - A New Fad for the New Generation?

Nobody talks of barefoot skiing anymore.  None of our tenants at All  Seasons Storage bring up the subject.  I have never seen a barefoot skier on the Needles strip of the Colorado River.  It seemed to be a forgotton sport.  However, we were just at our vacation house on the Colorado River in Parker, Arizona when one night, the kids approached all of the adults and told us that they wanted to learn how to barefoot.....

I was the only one in the group who had ever tried to barefoot and I had not been successful with it.  We called my brother, Uncle Butch, in order to give the kids some pointers.  At the ripe age of 52, he is still going strong with it!  However, before I pass on his pointers, do you know the history of barefoot skiing?

• It originated in Cypress Gardens, Florida on March 6, 1947.  Richard Downing "Dick" Pope, Jr. was the first recorded person to ever barefoot ski.  He stepped off of his skiis using a training boom alongside the boat.
• In 1950, Cypress Gardens held the first barefoot competition with Pope and Emilio Zamudio as the only 2 barefoot skiers in the world at the time.
• During the 1950's the following barefoot techniques were invented:

1. The Two Ski Jump Out
2. The Beach Start (invented by Ken Tibado - 1955)
3. The Deep Water Start ( Joe Cash - 1958)

• The tumble-turn maneuver was invented by accident in 1960.  It was during a double barefoot routine when Terry Vance fell onto his back during a step-off and his partner, Don Thomson (still on his skis) spun him around forward, enabling Vance to regain a standing posture.
• 1961 - Randy Rabe became the first backward barefooter by stepping off of a trick ski backwards.
• During the 1960's, Don Thomson developed both back-to-front and front-to-back turnarounds.

Equipment is extremely important with barefoot skiing. The following is required equipment:

• Boat - The ideal boat is one that can go fast and has a small wake!  The boat must be able to go 30-45 mph while pulling the skier.  For a current list of boats approved by the American Barefoot Club, visit http://barefoot.org/TournamentBoats.asp
• Handles and ropes -A normal 75 foot nylon tow rope can work however most skiers use special ropes made up of Ploy-E or Spectra to reduce the spring.  Barefoot handles have plastic tubing around them in order for the skier to be able to wrap his foot around the handle (avoiding rope burn).

Recommended "special" equipment includes:

• Barefoot Wetsuit - This is a fitted, neopreme, padded wetsuit which has a built in flotation device (eliminating the need of a life jacket).
• Padded Shorts
• Boat Boom
• Shoe Skis

And so after the kids were all educated by Uncle Butch, we asked them what had made them decide to try "barefoot skiing"? They showed us the following video on You Tube.....This is amazing!  It makes it look so...........easy!  Have you ever tried it?  What are your tricks of the trade?