Water Skiing Biomechanics: a study of intermediate skiers

Looking at the current technology of water skiing equipment, it isn’t hard to trace its roots. Ralph Samuelson successfully skied on Lake Pepin in Lake City, MN in 1922. He was the first recorded person to water ski. His skis consisted of two pine boards with leather bindings (Winkler, 2009). From this modest beginning came the old style flat bottomed and square tailed skis that were standard for decades. The 1960’s were a time of many changes and water skiing was no exception. Affordable high performance boats became readily available, fueling the sport. With this increased power and speed came the demand for skis with improved performance. Manufacturers rose to the challenge, developing the features commonly associated with today’s best performance skis including: tapered tail profiles, high wrap bindings, concave bottoms, drop through fins and beveled edges, Figure 1.