San tan lakeside/phoenix

[DmaxJC_ski]

anyone work the hookup for a couple sets for a fellow baller? Heading down on oct 9-18. Will ski at firebird if need be, would love to scratch a different lake of the bucket list. Or crystal point even? Will pay cash or beer...... Thanks

[colo_skier]

I'd be interested in any response to this also. I have not been able to get a response from anybody in the Phoenix area. Beginning to think that there are no Ballers in that part of the world.

[DmaxJC_ski]

Firebird (wild horse pass) is a guarantee if you don't mind salt water and the smell of nitro methane... Lol, Ed fisher is a great old guy who will pull you for a set for a reasonable price, I wouldn't mind trying something a bit different that's all

[mwetskier]

wow -some pretty hefty hoa fees and various additional assessments at spring mountain plus kind of harsh penalties and late fees for any thing you do they dont like.

[cragginshred]

My oldest brother lives in Buckeye Az. -not a skier. I had no idea there was a lake there. $349,000. for a manufactured home? What am I missing?

[DmaxJC_ski]

That's a pretty hefty price for a couple sets..... I think I will take my chances showing up and knocking on a door or 2 with a 2/4 of

Cold ones and a bit of cash in my pocket.... Lol

[SusanT]

Hey @scotchipman, thanks for the shout out. Hopefully I can help with some answers since I am an owner at Lakeside and REALTOR that knows the Arizona tournament lakes. First, it is not that we don't have ballers in AZ. We have quite a few and some pretty good ones that consistently ski 39. That being said, the hard core ballers are a bit stingy with their ski time and are not in a big hurry to entertain other ballers. They are not being snotty, they just like to get their sets in and get on with their day. Also, all of the tournament lakes have language in their CC & R's and lake rules that prohibit exchange of $$$ for ski rides. The exception would be Buchli Lake if you get in touch with Dave Buchli. He may consider paid ski rides but not entirely sure. It would just depend on what he has going on at the time.

 

To quelch some Urban Legend @cragginshred, the home at Lakeside that was listed for $349,000 was not a manufactured home. It was a site built home that sold and closed last week as a cash sale. One of the manufactured homes at Lakeside sold and closed for $225,000 last week also. There is a home at Spring Mountain listed for $349,000. It is NOT a manufactured home but a site built home. It has not been built yet. It is listed as spec home to built upon and accepted contact. That would be the first home to be built at Spring Mountain. That lake has some potential. At this point it is all vacant lots with docks only. Unfortunately, that project was a victim of the housing market crash. People paid as much as $425,000 a lotat the top of the market. The developer ran into financial difficulties and the owners have taken over the project. They are making progress with it. It is slow but steady. The good news...consumer confidence is now at 94%, the highest since the crash. I have personally seen an increase in interest and sales of recreational properties in the Phoenix market. I had 2 showings at Lakeside this weekend and another one tomorrow. I am fairly confident one more home will go under contract by midweek. Bottom line, when you are buying on a tournament lake you are buying the private lake skiing experience. The place where you will hang your board shorts & skis is secondary, thus the reason you will pay over $225,000 for a manufactured home in Buckeye/Gila Bend, AZ. And hey, your double wide is in a gated community!!! ;) One more tidbit about Lakeside in Buckeye/Gila Bend... it is the only tournament lake with a full-time on site caretaker and a gas dock. No hauling gas cans and pulling your boat out to fuel up. Also, the lowest HOA fee of all the lakes and NO HOA transfer fee upon sale.

 

@DmaxJC_ski I think Firebird or Buchli will be your best bet for some ballin'. Unless you are already buds with someone at Crystal Point...not much of a shot getting a ride there.

 

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to get the correct info out there about the baller scene in AZ.

[webbdawg99]

"They are not being snotty, they just like to get their sets in and get on with their day. "

 

hmm......

[DmaxJC_ski]

It would seem as though the people of spring mountain has an untapped resource right in front of them to offset some of the losses they have faced. I have seen a few posts regarding people looking for ski time in the phx area and noticed the same result on most of them... I understand that it's not up to the people who have invested interest in the properties to accommodate those that don't have the same investment, for me it's just the common interest in the sport that would present opportunity to skiers. I completely understand the technicalities and legalities of it all and that it just doesn't work. I'm just a canadian that is a die hard that wants to ski whenever, wherever, however. Firebird it is! Nothing like glass saltwater and the smell of nitro in the morning lmao, I grew up skiing on blue/green algae filled lakes that you had to carve the mold of the buoys practically to see them so, I will take what I can get!!!

[colo_skier]

@SusanT Thanks for the clarification of the ski scene in Phoenix. So how does one figure out if they want to be part of the "private lake skiing experiences"? Just wondering from a property sellers point of view what tools would I have to infect others with the craving? I have heard it from a few that being on a ski lake is always not everything it's cracked up to be as there is always some group of owners that are not getting along with others. Also if there is no easy way to allow others to ski then it would seem a little limited in encouraging purchase by participation. Is there a bunch of public water that people can get the slalom bug from? Not making any comments on things just wondering how things in the Phoenix area work out. I have some ski buddies here in Colorado that are from the Phoenix area so I can ask them instead. I know they skied there but not sure were. It wasn't a private ski lake and it was many year ago.

[DmaxJC_ski]

Getting back to my comment earlier, I didn't know how it would be received but now I'm pretty sure, from my perspective and meeting many of the elites, being to Florida etc, even @Horton‌ himself, it doesn't matter what level of skier you are, it's just the exposure to the sport, good, bad or indifferent It's great to watch people ski and just have that common thread of interest, I have only personally ran into private lake, no public/non members type thing a few times, but for the most part people are very welcoming to those who are into the sport. Like I said before, having no invested interest In these places I understand, but from my perspective that shutout mentality from Certain places seems odd. That being said, coming from Alberta and not having the year round climate and opportunity like the warmer states do, its a mentality to ski as much as often as you can and do what you can to expose the sport and give opportunity when you can. Long story short, we all want to ski as much as possible on the most pristine lakes we can when the opportunity is given.

[disland]

Come to Princeton Texas, We like to get our ski rides in also but we always have time for guest ballers.

[crashman]

gotta love Indiana- biggest decisions our HOA has to make is whether to make annual dues $100 or $150- and whether to turn the well back on if it gets too dry after it's too cold for all but one member to ski (the answer= yes). It may not be the most beautiful place on earth but we gots lots of wata and soil just made for digging ski lakes.

[Horton]

@DmaxJC_ski Come to Bako

[skihard]

You can come to the Houston area too! Before you head to Bako make sure @Horton hasn't sold his boat!! LOL

[DmaxJC_ski]

I sure appreciate the responses, looks like my bucket list of places to ski is getting longer by the day, I'm committed to this phx trip now, but looking for somewhere potentially in March/April ish. This is exactly what I'm talking about,'it's about skiing and getting people on the water and having a good time. The sport needs exposure and appreciation which in my mind lacks severely, especially up north here! Cheers everyone

[Skoot1123]

Come to my lake - (when it fills). A beach is separated from the main lake by a dock. No great coaching or "great" boat, but we love being on the water and would like others to enjoy the experience as well!

[SDNAH2OSKIER]

Haha AZ. I looked at a house in crystal point long time ago. Snobby would be a massive understatement. They wouldn't even let me ski the lake when I was looking at a house and a lot. No offense but they were idiots. I think I heard the word exclusive about a 100 time and I definitely felt excluded. ;-)

[SusanT]

OK, so lots of name calling and finger pointing. @SDNAH2OSKIER, were you looking at a house with a REALTOR, owner or REALTOR/Owner? Unless the REALTOR was an owner, they would not have the authority to take you for a ski ride. That being said, if the REALTOR were doing their job and performing to maximum standard of care, they would have made arrangements for a ski ride provided that you were pre-approved for the $$$ to make the purchase. Personally, I have never refused a ski ride to a prospective, serious buyer. Please keep in mind that there are quite a few skiers out there that pose as buyers, thinking they can get a free ski ride. In your defense, anyone that over uses a word deserves a slap. Especially when the word is use in a derogatory manner. Personally, I have never sold a ski property yet without the offer of a ski ride. I have also given ski rides to many people that did not end up buying.

 

A few of you ballers have also attacked us AZ skiers for not inviting every Joe that calls us because "they will be in area and would like to get a few sets in on a tournament lake." Turn the table for a moment. This is our home and even though it is a weekend home for some of us, it still is our home. Do you welcome everyone "passing through town" to come and hang at your house for several hours or all day? Yes, I get that you want to ski as many places as possible but when you ski on a rotation system and you have family and regular friends, adding one more person can take a big chunk out of your ski time and your day. Trust me, we have all let a fellow skier we have never met come out for a ski set. Unfortunately, we have also all had the experience of the person that did not know when to leave and then thought they had an open invite whenever they would "pass through town." It's not that we don't like you, we just like our families and close friends better. My family has 4 skiers and quite frequently we have friends or extended family with us on the weekend.

 

To address @cragginshred, when you are purchasing a home on a ski lake, you are purchasing the private lake experience. The home is a secondary item. That is why a manufactured home will fetch $225K.

 

Your best bet for a few ski sets is Firebird Lake with Ed Fisher fsd2@cox.net , (602) 482-7571. They can do "for hire ski sets".

 

OR you may want to contact https://www.facebook.com/groups/waterskiing/ https://facebook.com/groups/waterskiing/ This group sets up a portable course on the public lakes very early in the AM to get good water.

 

As for Spring Mountain, it does not look skiable at this time. I did a drive by last weekend and the water level is so low you could not get your boat around a turn island without damage.

 

Hope you get your ski sets in while in AZ.

[BWHITE]

I had great hospitality from Dave Buchli for a set and could have skied at Lakeside if I had some time to wait. Too bad that double wide sold...I was hoping to take another look at it! Lakeside is a beautiful ski site. There is hospitality everywhere in the ski world if you don't think you have a right to it.

[ntx]

@SusanT‌ Very well said. FYI I will be in your area soon. I like to drink and eat. I like my beer ice cold Bud Light and my steak medium rare. See you soon. Do you have a pool in your back yard? I like to swim too.

[SusanT]

@ntx What would you like for desert? I will be sure to have 1000 thread count sheets should you decide to spend the night.

[skier2788]

In response to the would you invite every Joe blow that passes through town comment YES! If anyone is ever in the Fort Collins Loveland Colorado area and wants a set hit me up. Even if you are from AZ. :)

[The_MS]

(Most) Ballers are always welcome in S Canada as long they as bring IPA.

[skier2788]

@MS come ski with me and I will take you to New Belgium, Left Hand, Oscar blues, and fort Collins Brewery.

[The_MS]

@skier2788 Sounds like a plan if we can include Odell. May never make it to the lake.

[SDNAH2OSKIER]

@SusanT‌ I was properly represented and funded and was interested in buying a house and an adjacenct lot. I asked to take a couple of passes with my own boat at a time of their choosing and was told the hoa would not allow it. I subsequently met two of the owners and was happy that they were not my neighbors. I was relatively young with a fairly successful business and it wasn't the first or last time I was mistreated by people when I was buying "things".

 

 

 

All that said, I am happy to tow a fellow baller if I can accommodate them. If you think you have a lot of visitors you should see it here, hell even you zoners come here! Lol

[kfennell]

@SDNAH2OSKIER‌ You couldn't do that here either, whether we wanted to let you or not, don't forget about insurance etc. But I more then know what you are talking about trying to be young in this sport!

[skier2788]

@MS oh yeah of course. Plus I can show you a few others that aren't on the national scene but just as good. I think 27 micro brews within 20 miles.

[crashman]

@SDNAH2OSKIER‌ I can't imagine not skiing a site before buying. I skied many sites last year as I was looking to buy- some wanted me to bring my own boat and some wanted me to use theirs. The guy I bought my lot from sold it because the lake did not work well for his activities (foiling) and he didn't try the site out first. He was a little bitter at the closing.

[6balls]

Would think a serious buyer should be able to ski, and that guests of owners should be able to ski if slots allowed. Having said that if I'm looking at someplace like SanTan...I don't think I need to ski it to make/break the purchase...what could possibly happen on my ski run that would make the go vs. no go decision? The water is too fast/slow? I'd get used to it when it became my home site.

I don't understand the private lake residential scene so I won't judge. It seems like a dream set up unless there are a lot of skiers all wanting the same times...and it does seem that on some of them there are HOA conflicts among members.

 

I'm in control of my courses/sites locally and could run an all day ski clinic without impacting any other owners or skiers. With that...any ballers thru Litchfield, MN let me know and we'll work out a pull. @colo_skier visited as did @andyb from the UK in the last few years. We had a great time.

[webbdawg99]

@6balls Come to Whitestone

[6balls]

@webbdawg I should be able to ski again next spring after missing a year with the neck surgery. The Mooney needs some exercise and looks to be a nearby small airport...would be fun and thanks for the invite!

[ntx]

@scotchipman‌ I wonder how many will fork over 50.00 for a set. My guess is not many. My experience is that many offer closer to 15.00/20.00 Unless you are private lake owner, few understand the economics of lake ownership. Different parts of the country costs can be very different. I know the cost to keep Crystal full of water would make some think twice about ownership. When water cost each owner over 6000 a year, I think they earn the right to use the phrase exclusive.

[cragginshred]

If your in the Yosemite area look me up you and your family can have a ride or two even if you you are not buying a house! Year round of course.

[liquidz]

$50 is a bargain!

[MISkier]

I've paid $50 per set before as an out-of-town visitor and did not feel it was a big problem. That was to ski on a course behind a ZO boat at a small lake that we basically had to ourselves. The conditions and driving were very good. Heck, I got to ski on my vacation where I might not have otherwise.

[Chef23]

I don't find $50 for a set to be excessive if someone is running a business. I might find it a little steep if it was a private party doing a favor for someone. I have paid $50 or more per set in multiple spots when I was just looking to get wet in the off season without a problem at sites like Palm Beach Water Sports or with Lucky.

 

I have skied some other sites as a guest of the home owner and have usually paid about $20 if anything.

 

I have hosted people from out of town for a pull at my place and for first timers I don't take money but that said I don't live in an offseason destination so people aren't looking to ski with us all the time. If I lived in FL or AZ where people were coming for vacation during the offseason I would probably feel different.

[jipster43]

I'd imagine it costs AZ property owners a ton of money to keep water in those lakes.

[jwroblew]

If you look at the cost of a new boat and you are looking to just cover the depreciation of the new boat your looking at almost $2 a pass plus about $1 for gas for each pass. So at $3 bucks a pass 6 passes is going to be $18. If someone is willing to pull an out of towner on their private lake I would hope you would be willing to fork over at least $20 if not more to say thank you.

[webbdawg99]

$2 a pass? That's much higher than what we've calculated it to be. We run approximately 4 sets of 6 passes per hour of boat use. So you're saying that we depreciate the boat by $48/hour? That's at least 3 times higher than our highest estimate. At $2/set, a 1000 hour boat will have depreciated by $48,000. That math doesn't work.

[h2oski]

Our club figures about $20-$25 per hour for depreciation. We also meter boat time, many of us now ski 6 passes in 10-12 minutes.

[DmaxJC_ski]

I've paid up to $75 a set. I do pay $65 on a regular basis. Here in alberta nothing is cheap so I kinda just look at it like this.....

 

Professional driver...

Private world class lake to yourself...

Worlds best towboat...

And some coaching from a very well established skier.

 

All for $65

 

To me that is a hell of a deal, considering where I'm from $65 would just get you 24 beer with barely enough change for a Big Mac.

When comparing to golf, or downhill skiing, hell even for my daughters to dance competitive is 10G a year!

You can't put a price on that feeling you get when your bustin glass and chasin buoys as far as I'm concerned

 

[SusanT]

@BWHITE There is another property available at Lakeside. You may want to check it out next time you head to AZ, if it is still available. I have someone coming to check it out next week AND they will get a ski ride.

@webbdawg99 Hmmm...ski in our bindings first before you make remarks about being snobby. When you are on a private lake and on a rotation system, you may not be able to just show up take a set and leave. If it is a busy day at the lake, I am getting my set first and so are my family members. The HOA at Crystal, Santan and Lakeside do not permit "for hire skiing", so we cannot charge for ski rides. Dave Buchli can since he owns his his lake. He makes the rules. Quite honestly, if you want a set on a private lake, you should give him a call. It is my understanding that he will gladly pull you for $50.

For all of you complaining that "we owe it to the sport" to give you a ski ride...really??? Again, I have non-owner guests ski with me frequently. I have also had skiers "come out for a set" that I have never met. Some have been great and others, I wish I never did meet them. Over time, I just am not in a big hurry to have a stranger invade my family space. My weekends at the lake are sacred family time and I don't feel compelled to entertain strangers so they can "put a another notch in their slalom line" of a private lake they skied. If you truly are on a mission to ski as many lakes as possible, we do have 2 tournaments a year at Lakeside, as does Crystal and Santan. Usually those tournaments are back to back. One Saturday at one of the lake and the other on Sunday at another one of the lakes. You would have the opportunity to ski two of the private AZ lakes in one weekend. Just check the Western Region website and plan your trip during those tournaments. Lakeside has a tournament in May and October. Hey, you may end up making friends with one of us snobs and get invited out to ski again.

That's all I've got to say about that!

 

[SusanT]

I guess you missed the point @Brady. I am not here to start a pissing match. Honestly, my bindings do fit a bit differently. I am on a lake with only 21 owners, in a climate that gives us year round skiing, thus we get several "ride seekers" on a regular basis. If you have read all my posts, you will see that I DO take skiers out. However, it needs to fit my schedule. I am not at my lake during the week, as it is an hour and a half drive from my primary home. I will not drive out there midweek unless I have the time in my schedule to do so. I am there most weekends but that is not a guarantee I will have time for guests.

 

YES, my family time is extremely important and sacred to me, as I went through a lot of struggles to get a family. My kids will only be young for a very short time and they are my first priority. I have a career that can be demanding on my time so I do have pretty heavy boundaries on my personal/family time. My husband feels the same way.

 

I don't know anything about you. I do not know if you are married, have kids or whatever. I do know you love water skiing. I love skiing as much as the next guy or gal. My closest friends are skiers, therefore I have frequent ski guests so it is not always convenient to entertain a new found ski acquaintance. The logistics of a private tournament lake may require an hour or longer wait between ski sets. If my new ski friend shows up and expects to take a set, they may need to wait that hour before they ski. Then I need to wait an hour, then one son has to wait and hour, then the next son has to wait an hour, then my husband needs to wait an hour. Are you getting the picture on how this works?

 

This is my last post on this topic as too many ballers are taking this personally. Yes, I welcome other skiers at my lake home. No, it is not my obligation to "give back and grow the sport" on my dime and time. For the record, my dime = $12,000 a year to carry and maintain my little ski paradise...and that is with owning it free and clear.

[Brady]

@SusanT all I can say to that post is WOW! Enjoy your "sacred" family time. Any baller is welcome to come to Utah for a pull from me and about 20 other BoS'ers. I will pull myself away from my family time to take 10 minutes out of my day, and then hopefully spend 2 hours having a drink or dinner getting to know a fellow baller better. My experience of ALL skiers I have met and skied with over the last several years is graciousness, class, appreciation, and it was a pleasure to get to know them. Susan, I will make sure I never ask you for a ski at Lakeside, but if you would like a pull in Utah, the door is always open, and I will gladly share with you my "bindings" because quite frankly, as a whole, all of ours are pretty much the same....

[webbdawg99]

@SusanT Know your audience before making comments. I live in a private, gated, 2 lake community. And guests are always welcome.

[Brady]

@SusanT You say you are not going to start a pissing match, yet that is all you are doing....You also act as if you are "elite" by continuing to mention that you live on a private lake. Big friggin deal. I have skied on numerous private lakes, and you are demonstrating a sad point that a very few people seem to think....that you are above others. Quite frankly, I am surprised you have time to post on BoS because of the time commitment it could take away from your career and family and precious ski time!

[mwetskier]

@Brady -if you re read what @SusanT wrote you will find she does not live on a private lake. she lives and hour and a half away. also i think you are unfairly characterizing her as ' snobby ' by mocking what she sees as important family and personal values. to me it feels like you think she ' owes ' a pull to any any skier who asks just because the stranger likes skiing too. that seems like saying you like a freshly mowed lawn and she does too so she owes it to you to let you come and borrow her lawn mower.

[ForrestGump]

Wow! No offense meant, but it seems that you guys are putting words in @SusanT 's mouth. I didn't take anything she said as being Elitist. Only that it's not her responsibility to open up her slice of heaven. And you know what, I can support her in that. Were I in her or others positions, I might feel the same way. Just because someone won't open their home to me, you or the easter bunny in no way makes them snobby or elitist. Hmmmmm...... Michael Dell won't let me come swim in his pool when I'm in Austin. What a class A jerk!