Posted on 10/09/2005 7:25:34 PM PDT by george76
Waterskiing on a six-foot stepladder is no different than riding a bike: Even after 10 years, Wicklund said, he still has the knack ...and the balance.
He hadn’t put the ladder in the water for years because the ladder he used to use was no longer fit for duty, and because he didn’t have a boat driver he trusted enough to drive for him.
But this summer Wicklund decided to try the ladder trick once again, this time with his son behind the wheel of the boat and with a new oak ladder he’d crafted himself beneath his feet.
“I had no trouble at all. It was just like I’d done it a week ago,” ...
Climbing the ladder involves a complicated sequence of weight transference to keep the weight on the ladder constant and equally distributed as he ascends it. Meanwhile, he must maintain his hold on the ropes connecting him to the boat that’s pulling him.
“If you just start walking up the ladder, you’re going to be in the drink,” he said. “That’s something I had to figure out myself when I first was learning this thing.”
Concluding the ladder stunt is no easier than climbing up,...
“...you have to wait for the right specific moment to jump,”... You don’t have the option of jumping off anytime you want. I could get hurt.
He has water-skied on his bare feet for more than 40 years.
At 62, Wicklund said his interest in ladder-skiing has been renewed by his latest experience, and he doesn’t foresee stopping either that or regular water-skiing anytime soon.
He still hopes one day to cruise the waters of Lake Powell on a 7-foot ladder.
(Excerpt) Read more at lakepowellchronicle.com ...
Amazing!
I remember going to Cypress Gardens in Florida many years ago and those water skiers were so amazing with what they could do on water skies. And the girls, well, they were gorgeous!
Anyone else here ever go to Cypress Gardens?
Warning... Don't try this at home!!!
My bathtub isn't big enough.
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