Barefoot skiing, also commonly called as barefooting, is a sport that involves skiing barefoot on water without the use of water skis. The sport, which is faster in nature than regular water skiing, originated in Florida, United States, and is currently practiced at a recreational and competitive level also in Australia.
Competitive barefoot skiing consist of three main types of events, which are:
- Tricks – Competitors are required to perform as many tricks as the can in two 15-second runs. Each trick is awarded points based on the degree of difficulty. Points are also awarded for the start trick performed by the rider to get up on their feet.
- Slalom – Competitors are required to cross the wake as many times as possible in two 15-second runs. Skiers can cross the wake on one or two foot, in either forward or backward direction.
- Jump – Competitors are required to jump using a takeoff ramp and the objective is to travel as far as possible and land perfectly on their feet. Each skier gets three attempts and the one to jump the farthest is the winner.
There are also events that have recently emerged that combines all the above three events into a single competition.
Similar Sports
- Water Skiing — riders are pulled along behind a boat skimming atop the water wearing one or two skis.
- Skiing — Traveling over a surface (snow, water, grass) on skis
- Sandsurfing — attach a skateboard deck or other similar object to the back of an ATV or vehicle with a watersports tow rope (not a competitive sport).
Related Pages
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports