Falling, Recovery, and Landing in Skiing

Falling and Recovery

If you water ski, there are times when you will fall. At low speeds around 20 miles an hour it does not matter much how you hit the water. But at higher speeds you should know how to hit the water safely. The safest way to hit the water at 35 miles an hour or faster is with a somersault or roll. After you have dropped the tow-line handle, fold your arms in front of your face, tuck your head behind your arms for protection, and roll up into a ball before hitting the water. With proper practice this way of falling will become almost automatic. Also, try to fall to the side of the skis to avoid hitting them during the fall or when you come up for air.

The next problem is to recover the skis and get them on again. The first few times you may find yourself engaged in a mad scramble with two skis that won’t stay where you want them. There is a simple way to manage this: get the skis close to you, parallel to each other, and facing in the proper direction. Pull your knees up against your chest, and take a deep breath. Duck under water, face forward, and slip one foot into the binding. Reach out for the other ski, and repeat. You will find that you will sink only a few inches under water, and if you are wearing a life belt, you do not even have to duck your head under water to get the skis on. Go out in water that is shoulder deep a few times and practice putting on your skis so that you will know how. Then you won’t have to put up with the caustic comments of a boat operator who is circling around waiting for you to get set.

There are times when you will want to get out of your skis. You do not have to reach under water to free your foot. Merely bend your knee, kick straight down, and then pull your knee up again, fast. This will almost always pull your feet out of the bindings, if done quickly enough, and the ski will float to the surface.

The Landing

Landing is just about the least of the problems in water skiing. Release the tow rope and you will sink into the water. Use the technique explained above to free the skis and carry them into shore. However, most skiers who end a run erect prefer a more spectacular finish. If there is a landing ramp or gently sloping beach, the boat can head you toward it, then swerve off. When you drop the handle you should have enough momentum to carry you right up to the ramp or beach on your skis. Or if there is no ramp, you can glide in parallel to the beach for a stop in shallow water.

The “sit on dock” is another effective way to come in. Have the boat come in close to the dock and in a course parallel to it. At normal skiing speed, you can figure that your momentum will carry you about 20 feet after you drop the rope. With the right timing you can glide in to the dock, then turn just as you reach it, and sit down. If you find yourself coming in too fast, you can cut your speed by sitting down on the skis and dragging your hands in the water for a somewhat less graceful landing.

Tags: water sports

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