Grannies And Geezers No More

A Move toward Extreme Watersports

Nowadays, tamely water skiing behind a powerboat is like wearing a sign proclaiming to one and all that you’re a geezer. And those big tubes? Puh-leez! Those are for kids and grannies!

Wake boarding, cable boarding, and wake surfing are all the rage now, but there is still hope for those of us who have enough trouble keeping upright on plain old skis. If you want to look cool on the water, what could be cooler than being on the cutting edge of the latest tech?

If you want to get noticed at the lake, I can’t think of a better way than by taking to the water on an AquaSkipper. Made with aircraft aluminum and fiberglass, the AquaSkipper’s hydrofoils keep you above water while your own muscle power propels you across the surface.

To get going, you just stand on the platform, hold on to the handles, and hop up and down. Sure, you’ll run out of breath pretty quickly at first, but can you think of a better way to get in shape and have fun at the same time?

The AquaSkipper weighs just 26 pounds and is easily disassembled for transport. They say that you can get it going up to 17 miles per hour! You can buy one right now for around $500 at www.jumpusa.com/aquaskipper.html. Or, give them a call at 1-800-JUMP-USA.

The Wake Trainer by Extreme Watercraft is a small remotely-controlled watercraft that lets you water ski solo — solo as in all alone: no boater, no spotter. In fact, no boat!

The skier basically tows himself behind this little craft, using controls built into the handle of the tow rope. There are two kill switches built into the device, and it will go up to 40 miles per hour, powered by a 70 horse 2-stroke.

The Wake Trainer costs about $7,000, and you better check with your local authorities to see if it is legal before buying one.

The Extreme Watersports Web site is under construction, so not a whole lot of information was available at press time. Keep checking at www.extremewatercraft.com, or you can contact them by e-mail at sales@extremewatercraft.com.