Central WI Skier

On 1/21/2023 at 7:02 PM, KRoundy said:

Maybe I have only skied lakes with well-designed islands, but I like them. They especially work if you have skiers who don’t drop at each end of the lake. If I were designing a lake I’d copy the layout of Tate Lake in Eastern WA. It just works. The launch/dock area is perfect for kids or whomever who want to safely swim and play while the boat and skiers are ripping around. It is the north / top lake in this view:

 

Curious where you are building a lake? I have family in Dubuque, Iowa and think about moving out to that area at some point.   Friendship, WI about 35 miles from the Dells

On 1/20/2023 at 6:04 PM, Horton said:

Questions to answered 

1. will the average skier be very skilled or not?  spectrum, newer to course skiing and some college skiers
2. will the average driver be very skilled or not?  drivers will be skilled
3. Is there extra real-estate or is it short?  it will be 2000ft by 275ft.  wanted to go longer but bumped into some wetlands that prevented that.

FYI - islands became a thing with early man made lakes because in those days you had to start at your minimum speed @ long line and spin after each pass for 4 passes and then back to the dock. Then you would do that again until you got to your first shortening. If you never spin (  most of us drop every pass ) islands are a not every really necessary.   

1 hour ago, UWSkier said:

I like islands that are set up so that you are pretty much lined up dead straight into the course after rounding them.  Spring Mountain in Arizona is a good example.  It doesn't require a ton of offset.  If you stay tight to the island, you pretty much accelerate straight in.  Easier on the driver and much more peaceful for the skier out there as they're prepping for their pass.

I'd be interested to hear about your approval process digging a lake in WI.  They're notoriously difficult with approvals historically.  Always wanted to buy a farm near the Fox Cities where I grew up and build a lake.

It took 2 years of dealing with the DNR.

I am in the process of building a ski lake in Central WI (start in a couple weeks), and have talked to a number of skiers with varying degrees of time on a slalom course and want to ask...do people prefer turnaround islands or no turnaround islands?  A quick look at sites it looks like 60% no islands, 20% islands at both sides and 20% 1 island.  Curious because we got into quite a conversation about this topic...I like them personally and have islands at both ends in the plan.  Would love your thoughts.