With over 20 years in the Water Skiing industry, exposure to Barefooting was inevitable. I put together this article to explain Barefooting to anyone who has never had the opportunity to see or try the sport.

Barefooting is skiing behind a boat travelling at such high speeds that the surface area of the skiers’ foot is enough to keep them on the surface of the water. 

Barefoot skiing relies on the physics of water surface tension. Just like skipping a rock on a lake, when the stone has enough surface area and speed, it will bounce on the water surface until it loses that speed and drops into the water. Barefooters start in the water with their feet wrapped on top of the rope. As the boat takes off, accelerating to over 60km, the skier will come to the surface and skim along on their backside. From here, the skier will gently place their feet on the water and use the surface tension, increased by the boat speed, to stand on top of the water.

Barefooting has developed into a competitive sport similar to Tournament Water Skiing, though a little smaller in the way of competitor numbers. There are three events, Trick, Jump, and Slalom. A Barefooter achieved the fastest speed any human has skied on water.

How Fast Do Barefoot Skiers Go

World Record by boat is 218km/135mph, by Helicopter, 246km/153mph. The average range is 60-80km/35-50mph. The minimum speed for Barefooting is around 40km/25mph, due to the physics of water tension and the effect of speed on the surface area of your foot.

Is Barefoot Skiing Dangerous

Not really, but there will always be an exception to the rule. It is a little less dangerous than regular skiing as you don’t have a ski to get caught up in. You are going much faster, but without the gear, you just end up tumbling when you catch a toe. Tumbling isn’t all that bad, mainly just disorienting, if you took it to the face first, then there might be a red mark. If one of your limbs gets caught funny while tumbling, there is the chance to do some joint/ligament damage, but breaking bones is rare.

The Barefoot Skiing Competitions

In Tournaments, there will be three events, Jump, Trick, and Slalom. To begin doing any of these events will have taken some time behind a boat to practice. There are in addition, head to head, tournaments, and endurance races. While you are starting, most governing bodies have a badge system. You can get badges as you progress from shortline to long line, Being up for 30 seconds and as you increase, i.e. 5-minute badge. Going backwards and achieving tricks. This does make getting into the sport quite enjoyable. It clearly outlines progression goals, giving you another target to aim at as you get better.

Slalom – In this event, Barefooters must cross the boat wakes as many times as they can in 2, 15 second passes. They can be forwards, backwards, one foot or two, but they must completely clear the wakes before returning. The world record is 20.6, set by Keith St. Onge in 2006

Tricks – as with Slalom, 2 runs of 15 seconds are given to perform as many tricks as possible(Including any tricks done as they get up onto the water). One foot, Tumble turn, backwards, and side slides are a couple of examples of tricks done.

Jump– Barefooters are towed into a small fibreglass ramp at 40+mph. They have 3 attempts to go as far as possible. There are two techniques used in Jump. The first is where the jumper will keep their feet under and in front of themselves. They land on their butts and have to bounce back up to their feet(Distances 6-11m). The second form is called the superman. When they hit the ramp, jumpers extend to get as much height as possible, this sends their feet above their heads while fully extended. They then use the rope to pull their body back underneath themselves to land on their feet. The world record is 29.9m/98.1 ft, and set by David Small.

Figure 8 – One boat, two Barefooters, one on either side of the wake. The boat drives in a figure 8 shape. Head to heads, run until the last Barefooter standing wins

Endurance – Individuals or teams of Barefooters compete in races up to around 70km/45 miles. Barefooters take turns, first across the finish line wins.

The Barefoot Skiing Progression

First, Learn To Barefoot Ski On The Bar

The Bar is an attachment that connects the ski pole of a boat protruding at 90° out the side of the boat. It can be used to teach any form of skiing. To begin Barefooters will hold onto the Bar as the boat speeds up, dragging along on their stomach. Once up to speed, skiers pull up and rotate themselves to be skimming on the side of their hip. From the hip they can spin to their butt, holding their feet held up.(The spin is a skill that will come in handy later) Then, ever so gently, lowering their feet to the water. Once feet are skimming nicely, they transition weight from butt to their feet. The position makes them look like they are sitting on a toilet.

Learn To Barefoot On The Short Rope

The short rope is getting a ski handle, which is 5ft long, and attaching it to the Bar. This is the next pregression, as it removes some of the stability given by the Bar. Barefooters use this to learn how to get up while on a rope, but still having the support of the bar close(Also used for learning new tricks before doing them on the long-line). When you move to the long-line you will need to deal with the rope swing and bounce. To begin on the rope, Barefooters wrap their feet over the rope until they are on top of the water, and then place their feet down, removing the need to spin like they did on the bar.

Getting On The Long-Line

The move to Long-line from the short is a substantial jump in difficulty. Core strength and balance will play crucial roles in how quickly someone gets up on a long line the first time. The weight of the rope and the drag it causes will alter the pull you experience. On the bar, that pull is very stable, while way out the back of the boat, it will be in constant flux. Any movement of the body will cause the rope to sway and bounce, which can pull a barefooter out of balance. Staying still and smooth will stop the rope from moving, and make it easier to keep stable.

What Gear Is Required For Barefoot Skiing

• A Boat – Capable of speeds over 60km
• A Bar – Great for learning, and for learning/practicing new tricks
• High Tower – You will often see these on Barefoot boats. It makes the pull come from higher up which reduces drag and makes it less tiring.
• Rope and Handle
• Barefoot Suit – This is basically a wetsuit with the life vest sewn in. Gives great butt padding and flotation, while keeping excess tags that could catch the water to a minimum
• Helmet – With the high speed tumbles taken it means that concussions are higher in frequency than breaking something