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Les on crossing the boat wakes for the first time on two skis. Everything below follows the video.
The short answer. Crossing the wake takes commitment and position, not speed or strength. Give yourself room, pick a spot in the distance and keep aiming at it, build a moderate amount of momentum, stay low with your weight neutral over your feet — and once you have committed, do not change direction.
Coming back in is the part that catches people out. Come in slowly and the rolling water on the inside edge of the wake will swamp your skis.
Who this lesson is for
This is the next step after directional control. Les assumes you can already:
- get up successfully
- follow the boat in a straight line
- hold your posture
- move left and right, close to those wakes
What you have not worked out yet is how to cross the wakes without falling — or you have worked it out on paper and you are simply scared to give it a go. Both are normal. If any of the four above is still shaky, go back to getting up on two water skis and turning on combo skis first.
Get this one sorted and the whole area outside the boat wakes opens up.
Step 1: Set your rope length so the wake is as smooth as possible
Before you work on technique, work on the water you are about to cross. The wake changes shape along its length, so where you sit on the rope decides what you have to get over.
- If the wake where you are sitting has rolling white water, shorten the rope a little.
- Or add a little, to get you further behind the boat where the wake is more gentle, more consistent and smoother to cross.
Les calls that a great bonus rather than a requirement. If your boat throws a crumbly wake all the way along and there is no smooth spot to find, the rest of this lesson still gets you across.
Why commitment is the whole thing
Crossing the wake is like any other activity that involves a bump, a climb and a descent. The two ways it goes wrong are the same two you would expect:
- Going out — you get close to the wake, get caught on the climb, and then struggle, struggle, struggle.
- Coming in — you arrive too slowly and the rolling white water swamps your skis.
Both are the same mistake wearing different clothes: arriving without enough commitment to get all the way through. You need to be able to point your skis and get across.
Step 2: Pick a spot in the distance and keep going to it
Choose a point in the distance before you start moving, and aim at it. As you go across the wake, you keep moving to that same point.
The reason is rope tension. Holding one direction keeps the tension on the rope consistent, and consistent rope tension is what keeps you stable all the way through the crossing. Wander, hesitate or change your mind halfway and the tension goes with it.
Step 3: Give yourself room for the run-up
Start behind the boat and pick your direction. Say you have decided to go left.
Before you head left, move a little bit to the right first. That gives you more space to generate your run-up and get your direction sorted, rather than starting your crossing already halfway up the wake.
Once you have some room between you and the wake: turn your skis, pick your location, and go.
Step 4: Generate a moderate amount of speed — then commit
Les is specific about how much. A moderate amount. We are not going for any world records here. You want enough speed and momentum to get you up the wake if there is a bit of a climb, across it, and out away from it.
Once we have committed, we keep going. We do not change our direction. That is the single instruction that makes the difference between crossing the wake and getting stuck on it.
Step 5: Stay low, stay neutral
Through the crossing itself:
- Knees a little bit more flexed than normal — a little bit lower.
- Body balanced and neutral on top of your feet.
- Do not lean back. There is no need to lean forward either. Just neutral.
Then continue through: over the wake, down the wake, onto the flat. Keep going in a straight line, still aiming out at the spot you picked. Stay low, be committed, and you will have it sorted.
Step 6: Coming back into the wake
The angle on the way back in is a lot more gentle, because of the shape of the wake. That sounds easier and is exactly why people get lazy about it.
The problem is the rolling wave that forms part of the wake. Come in slowly and it can come down on top of a ski and rob you of one of them.
The way around it is the same recipe as going out:
- Start from a little bit wider.
- Point your skis back into the boat wake.
- Be very committed — drive through the wake into the middle.
- Keep that direction.
Just because you made it inside the wake does not mean you stop and cheer. Not just yet. Keep going until you know you are stable and settled, then celebrate.
Commitment and direction. That is the lesson, in both directions.
Common questions
How do you cross the wake on two water skis for the first time?
Give yourself room by moving away from the wake first, pick a spot in the distance to aim at, build a moderate amount of speed, and commit — once you have started, do not change direction. Keep your knees flexed and your body neutral over your feet, and carry on over the wake, down it and onto the flat water outside.
What should I be able to do before I try crossing the wake?
Get up successfully, follow the boat in a straight line, hold your posture, and move left and right close to the wakes. Crossing the wake is the step after those, not a substitute for them.
Does rope length make crossing the wake easier?
It can. The wake changes shape along its length, so adjusting the rope moves you to a different part of it. If the wake where you are sitting is rolling white water, shorten the rope a little; or add a little to sit further back where the wake is more gentle, more consistent and smoother to cross.
How fast should I go at the wake?
A moderate amount of speed. Not a world record — just enough momentum to get you up the wake if there is a bit of a climb, across it, and out away from it.
Where should I look when crossing the wake?
At a spot you have picked in the distance, and you keep moving to that same point the whole way across. Holding one direction keeps the rope tension consistent, which is what keeps you stable through the crossing.
What body position should I be in crossing the wake?
Knees a little more flexed than usual so you are slightly lower, with your body balanced and neutral on top of your feet. Do not lean back. There is no need to lean forward either.
Why is coming back into the wake harder than going out?
The angle back in is more gentle, so it is tempting to come in slowly. Do that and the rolling wave that forms part of the wake can come down on top of a ski and rob you of one of them. Start a little wider, point your skis back into the wake and drive through to the middle.
What if my boat's wake is rough the whole way along?
Finding a smooth spot with rope length is a bonus, not a requirement. If it is crumbly all the way along, the same process gets you past it — room for a run-up, a fixed point to aim at, moderate momentum, low and neutral, and no change of direction once you have committed.
Where to go from here
Working through the beginner series in order: getting up on two skis, then turning and directional control, then this one. There are more lessons in the how-to guides.
Learning is a lot easier on gear that suits the rider — see the combo ski range, or run the numbers on the combo ski size calculator. If rope length is the thing holding you back, have a look at the ski ropes and handles we carry. And everyone in the water needs a properly fitted life jacket.
Not sure what is going wrong out there? Come into the shop at Moorooka in Brisbane, give us a call or send us an email — tell us what the skis are doing and we will talk it through.
Presented by Les at Waterskiers World — Australia's dedicated towed water sports retailer, family-run for over 20 years from our Brisbane store and online. Talk to our team.