skihard

Fortunate at my site. Places will sell quickly. I would think it's more about location and the people who live there?

Seems fair agreed. But why are countries sending professional atheletes to compete? I believe the Olympics should be for a countries best amatures to compete against one another. If you are being paid as a professional in any given sport you should be disqualified from being able to compete.

One can always try CHALLENGES??? lol

We moved south only a few months ago. Currently building home on a private lake(s). Should be moved in at the end of this month or early next month. We (family) only skied at lakes that were located a minumum of 20 mins away to as far away as 10 hours on vacations. Didn't have access to a course other than some lessons from T$ while down south working. First and foremost the community we are lucky enough to be moving into has wonderful people. We couldn't be happier with the welcoming and support we have received from the people at our site. We can do almost anything we like within reason at our site it seems? Just no big wakeboard boats as the waves kill the shoreline and aren't so nice to docks! I am at our lake as much as I can be during the build of our house and am ALWAYS disappointed when I have to load up my cooler and such and head back to the house we rent until we can move in. Meaning - I can't wait to be able to come home, ski, tube, barefoot, etc, and then be able to sit on my dock in front of my house enjoying cold beers with good friends and neighbors without having to worry about DUI or water cops coming to tell us to settle down. Chances are if that happens at my house it will be a neighbor telling me and others from the lake to keep it down. :) If I want open water I can/will pull my boat out and drive it to wherever to enjoy the day. But as was noted above - those days are very few and far between now and will probably be even less in the future. My only regret is that at my age now - I wished I could/would have done this many years ago! I'm new to the bouy chasing game and it shows when I watch and ski with the gang at my lake. But I don't care I can only get better and kudos to my lake site gang that they accept my poor abilities and allow me to join them! It's a GREAT LIFE!!!!!

Try Jim Thompson he has some great contacts in the ski home industry in Texas.

I can't predict what will happen out there in the pro world but I can predict that this guy is going to spend way more money on gas this year than he did last year after he gets moved into his lake house in just over a month! :)

Windows taped & covered, exterior primed and ready for paint on the outside, cabinets done this week, almost ready for interior paint! House on ski lake should be complete in about 4 1/2 weeks! Damn I'm getting some excited. Going to put new shingles on the boat house this weekend and if the weather permits that Nautique 196LE might get dropped in the water for a ride and rip too! :)

Just got home from Christmas with the family and wanted to go skiing today.........didn't happen. Harsh solid west winds, cold rain, and just purely miserable day today! Looks like -2 tonight so off to put the trouble light into the engine box for the night!

I'm the only skier in the house therefore I CHOOSE THE TUG! :)

Been away for Christmas vacation with the family but want to go as soon as we return to Texas. Hoping weather will be nice Sunday! :)

This trruely is an interesting thread and many many great opinions have been expressed. One could toss a bunch of ideas into a hat from here, contemplate the results, naorrow it down to 3 or 4 key points and say "HEY THIS IS WHY?" As a dude who grew up as a youngster in an area that really didnt have great skiing opportunities, then moved to a sweet lake country and tourist area, only to move away from, and back too the area due to growing up and working......................... I don't honestly believe that we can identify WHY our sport is dying in only 3 or 4 key points, but rather a whole bunch of issues! I have said in earlier posts; costs, resourses, access, friends, boat costs, etc I am now a guy who has been both fortunate and lucky enough to be able to build a home on a ski lake (5 weeks and we are moving in) and the I look back and reflect and think really I am doing this because I WANT TOO!!!!! Simple I WANT TO SKI! I am a terrible skier compared to the folks on my lakes that ski! Don't believe me - just ask them. Difference is I DON'T CARE I WANT TO SKI!!!!!! And you know what - I will get better and i know that. But I won;t get better without doing it!!!!!! I don't own a $60+ ZO boat. I have a 10 year old boat with SGPP and I'm happy! One day this year I hope to round 6 bouys consistantly at 22 off and maybe I will enter the tournament that my site puts on to SUPPORT it! Will I be a National competitor - NEVER! But I will be a guy who learned to love a sport who continues to play and support a sport I love because it's fun! As soon as something loses it's FUN appeal and becomes to expensive you can expect to lose A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE!!!!!!!

Sure is a unique idea for people without access to a course as well as including all skiers and even kneeboarders into some open water friendly fun for sure.

Chuck Norris has counted to infinity........TWICE!!!! :)

I'm with @Chef23. There are too many good deals out there for things without buying brand new. Heck for $60K I could get a damned nice boat and a truck to pull it with! Probably all new accessories for teh boat too! :)

@ShaneH - are you not still skiing now?

Water temp 53.5 Air temp 58 Sunny and beauty afternoon in south Texas = SWERVED! :)

@Shane - who's assessment?

Everyone of you who make this sirt a reality deserves credit and thanks....... @Horton @MattP And anyone else involved!!!!! I'm too new to know everyone and can only comment on those I see on here! But I am a fan and supporter! Damn it all! I'm even going to wear one of my BOS t-shirts tomorrow just because! :)

It's 52F here today and I don't know what the water temp is..........I just want to go for a set!

@ED - HELLO???? lmfao I don't know why but as soon as I seen your "HELLO" I sat here at my computer and bust a gut! That's some funny sh*t! :) I too was going to get a portable course until fate brought me to an opportunity to get a lot and build a home on a ski lake. I think the biggest issue with portable courses and local laws is that the owners of these courses want to leave them in the water too long! Put them in the water - ski your asses off, share it with others for a couple passes, then remove it when not in use! Hence the term "PORTABLE" and yes those who don't know - seek out Ed!!!!! @MattP I fall into the 30% range on your scale and as I previously noted in an earlier post on this subject it IS POSSIBLE - I didn't start this gig again with a %50,000 boat and a $2000 ski. I started and upgraded as I could! And FWIW - our new home we are building is the first NEW home we have ever had and it is by no means a mansion! But it's ours and I will get to ski LOTS! :)

I have never met you personally yet Horton but you impress the hell out of me with the fact you've installed an operating and fully functional beer and ice fridge prior to the work being finished! GOOD ON YA!! Like me - my house is being built currently but now that there is power in the boat house - I too have a frige filled with beer! :)

I often wonder about classifying the "Blue Collar" dudes and dudetts? Until my family was transfered south we ski'd on open water. The costs of boats is in my mind a non factor - where I moved from there were more Malibu's, Moomba's, Supra's, and Air Nautiques hitting the water every year. And to do what? Not ski they purchased high end high $$$ boats to wake board and surf. And the people doing this are "Blue Collar" guys. I know this because it was my boating buddies that were buying these big wave making boats. I asked a buddy of mine on a wim why he invested over $75,000 in a big wave maker instead of less money into a good open bow ski boat and he never hesitated one second when he said "Nobody likes skiing as much anymore. They want to play on wakeboards, surfboards, tubes, and listen to loud music on the water. The other advantage is I can put 10 - 12 people on my boat and go out for the whole afternoon without coming back to the dock!" From a guy who is now lucky enough to have a dock and his boat just feet from his deck I can understand that totally coming from my past. And looking back on it when we did go to the lake to ski it was usually JUST the skiers. The big boats would join us when they wanted too. Full of people ready to have fun together as a group. I see even less and less open water skiers too. Whether behind a proper DD boat or an outboard family boat. Skiing itself as a whole; two skis, single ski, slalom skiing is going by the wayside to wakeboarding and surfing. That is where "Blue Collar" went!

@Wish - great video I enjoyed watching that! :)

It will be a great boat and he will love it! Simple prop change and go!

It is a challenge to say the least! My wife and I sacrificed a lot to get where we are today. And for me that meant no skiing for over 16 years. I was able to get back into the life style (and introduce my wife to boating) by starting with an 89 Supra tsm Comp. We used it for two years then we upgraded to a newer open hull Moomba Outback so my daughter could bring friends with her to the lake. Then through luck I got transferred south and was fortunate enough to be able to buy on a private lake and build a home. Not a mansion but a home. Sold the boat when we moved and now have my Nautique 196LE. Like others on here I did what I could afford? A new boat........just asking my wife might cause a divorce LOL. However I am fortunate enough to have a partner who may not have the love for the sport and lifestyle I do but she does enjoy it a lot and supports it even though she doesn't ski at all. I'm in no way shape or form "Upper Class" by pay scale. It took us a long time to get where we are and have what we have...........2 new ski's in the last 6 years and some ropes and gloves. I did save enough money to get some new bindings this year. Oh I mean new to me as they are 2012 Radar Stradas. There will always be people who can afford or are willing to finance the farm for new boats and guys like me will wait for them to want the newest ones so I can afford an upgrade. At my age I think 1 more boat after this one and my comp boat days are over. I agree 100% with @fu_man that people are being out priced - but I also believe like others on this forum that you can still ski and get involved in the sport if you are willing to do it with "OLDER or USED" boats and equipment.