Skiing on Waves- Behind the Scenes

So now that the video is out and it's getting passed around the internet faster than a joint at a Phish show, it's time to get a little bit behind the scenes of the action.

In order to accurately delve into the world of wave-skiing, I will interview myself. Well technically I'm interviewing myself but most of these questions and comments are plucked right out of internetdom. So here we go, Cody Townsend on Cody Townsend.



Why did you use ski boots and ski bindings?

To put it basically, ski boots and ski bindings were the safest and highest performing set-up we tested, and trust me we tested nearly everything out there. Most waterski, wakeboard and water-centric bindings didn't have the capability to come out of the bindings and skis as easily as ski boots come out of bindings. Nor do the water-centric stuff have nearly the drive and control of a alpine set-up.

Do boots sink like cement shoes or what?

Surprisingly enough ski boots float on their own when tossed into salt water. So no they don't sink you like a mafia boss' enemy.



Why no poles?

Cause how could have we held onto the tow rope with poles in our hands? Skiing on the waves was difficult enough without throwing joysticks into the mix.

Was it difficult?

Extremely. I couldn't have predicted it would have been that difficult at first. It was super awkward at times, really hard to maintain speed and incredibly hard to make rad turns because the design of our skis was so off the mark for enabling good turns and such. But at the same time there were moments when it felt like we were just out skiing down a mellow slope on any ole mountain.

How did the locals react to the endeavor?

Surprisingly the locals on Maui were friendly and supportive of our project. Maui is place that is quite open to innovation in the ocean and the fact that they accepted some fruit booters into the line-up truly proves that.




What skis are those?

We used two main type of skis, Wakeskis and some skis that were custom built for us by Starr Surfskis. They definitely did the trick in the fact that we were able to successfully ride waves but ultimately the designs were waaaayyyy off. If I could scrap it all I would in a second and go through a full redesign. I mean that was the ultimate challenge to the whole project, no one had done it before so we had to figure it out on our own with little time and a slim budget.

When are you doing it next?

Well to be honest probably never. I would definitely give it another go if I had the chance but the logistics and challenges of skiing on waves are pretty immense and costly. Plus we aren't trying to start a new sport here, just seeing if it could be done.



[just because all surf movies have girls in bikinis as B-Roll, I might as well oblige on this post. Elyse looking to the future]