Makin’ Waves
by Michelle Moon Reinhardt

From the calm waters of the Pedernales River to the choppy waves of Lake Travis, as the temperatures rise, the cool waters of the Highland Lakes beckon. From windsurfing to wakeboarding, stay cool this summer by moving your fitness routine, your search for recreation or even your need to simply relax to the lakes.
The fastest growing water sport in the nation is wakeboarding. It’s a sport that got its start 20 years ago right here in Austin. Across the nation, wakeboards outsell water skis 10-to-1. It’s no surprise that the sport is hotter than ever here in Central Texas.
“Austin has always been a hotbed for water sports,” says Christine Bialick, co-owner of Texas Ski Ranch in New Braunsfels. “There really are a lot of talented young athletes here, and they’re so tenacious.”
Texas Ski Ranch offers wakeboarding lessons at its private lake off of Interstate Highway 35 in New Braunsfels. The lake has the only cable system in Texas. The cables pull skiers and wakeboarders around the lake, instead of using a powerboat. This results in easier starts for those who learning to ski or wakeboard.
“The students come straight off the dock into the water,” says Bialick. “Our instructors are able to circle the lake with the students side by side, and give them pointers on when to lean, jump, pull in or pull out.”

And lessons are not just for kids. Although much of the Ski Ranch’s clientele consists of young athletes, the ranch also teaches families, adults and business groups. “Our typical customer is between 10 and 22, but we give a lot of private lessons for people in their mid 30s who want to learn how to slalom,” says Bialick. She says a four-hour pass at the cable lake gives athletes a chance to learn a new skill during a private lesson and then train on the lake for several hours. “By the end of that time,” she says, “you’ve pretty much mastered the skill.”
A one-hour private lesson on the cable lake will cost $50. If you want to learn from the back of a boat, Texas Ski Ranch charges $95 an hour. “But those lessons can be shared,” says Bialick. From the looks of things, Texas Ski Ranch has become a popular choice for water ski and wakeboard lessons, in just its second summer of operation.
Wakeboarding is always evolving, and fusing with new techniques. One new trend is the wakeskate, a hybrid between a skateboard and a wakeboard. The skier’s feet are not buckled into the board, allowing the rider to flip the skate, as in skateboarding.
“Wakeskating just exploded on the scene last year,” says Bialick. “Wakeskating is also less expensive to get into than wakeboarding. You can get a wakeskate for $100 to $125, compared to $300 or $400 for a wakeboard.”
“With our facility here, we have helped refocus attention on the sport of wakeboarding,” says Bialick. “But the athletes, the talent and the love of the sport have always been here.”

One of those exceptional wakeboarding talents is Billy Garcia, who owns Freeride Sessions Wakeboard, located on Lake Austin off of City Park Road. Garcia is a former three-event water ski competitor, who switched to wakeboarding in 1995. “I was so hooked on it, I had to start competing,” says Garcia. In 2001, he dominated the field, winning both the national and world championships for the master’s division.
“What I like about wakeboarding is there’s so much more freedom [than in water skiing],” says Garcia. “There’s no restriction on what kinds of tricks you can do. If you can imagine it, you can do it.”
While Garcia still competes in tournaments, most of his attention is concentrated on his students who are learning to wakeboard.
“There are a lot of good, young kids coming up,” he says. But it’s not a sport only for kids. “There’s a good market for adults; they are the ones who can afford the boats and boards,” says Garcia. “Lake Austin is one of the busiest places in the nation for wakeboard boats, and that’s because the adults are doing it, too.”
Garcia says he can teach an adult to wakeboard in a couple of hours (adding that, for whatever reasons, women are easier to teach than men). A one-hour lesson starts at $75.
There’s a reason there are so many wakeboard boats on Lake Austin — the boats have been specifically designed to make their riders catch bigger air than ever before.
One of the newest models of wakeboard boats is the Nautique 226, which ranges in price from $50,000 to $70,000. In spite of the sluggish economy, “it’s selling very well,” says Roger Duffee, a boat sales consultant with Sail and Ski. “It’s one of our biggest boats. It will carry up to 11 people, and it’s good on rough water, which is good for Lake Travis.” Another feature of the Nautique 226 is the ballast tanks that can be filled with water to add weight to the boat, throwing off a bigger wake, and allowing riders to catch bigger air during tricks.
“We’ve had a lot of people trade in general boats for wakeboard boats, because that’s what they want to do when they get to the lake,” says Duffee.
Another feature seen more and more on ski boats of all kinds is a tower. These tall towers hold the tow lines but, more importantly, they allow riders to launch themselves higher for tricks and jumps. “We used to never see these towers on family boats,” says Del Waters, owner of Ski Dock. “Now, 90 to 95 percent of our boats go out with a tower on them.” More and more boats are also going out the door with cruise control. It allows boaters to set a steady speed when training new skiers, or when practicing moves and tricks.
It’s a feature that Ron Ives, president of Capital Area Water Ski Club, says is “the best thing that’s come along, in terms of training purposes. It takes the guess work out of handling the throttle.”

Ives has been competing in the three-event water ski competition since 1987. Three-event combines slalom, trick and jump skiing in one competition. The Capital Area Water Ski Club trains at Frameswitch, a private lake on Highway 79 near Hutto. Lessons on the private course are provided every Tuesday evening throughout the summer. Organizers charge $15 for each set, which includes six passes through the course. “We teach anyone, beginner through professional,” says Ives.
Chad Epps, owner of Executive Water Sports in Austin, has taught hundreds of children and adults to water ski and wakeboard in the last five years. As well as offering day-long camps for children ages 5 to 14, he offers private lessons for adults wanting to learn how to two-ski, slalom or wakeboard. “I like to start with two skis, because if you can learn how to ski, then you can learn how to wakeboard very easily,” says Epps, also a former competitive water skier. In 30 minutes, Epps says he can usually teach someone to ski, and sometimes adults learn even faster. A single, one-hour lesson runs $100.
With private lakes offering a complete package of lessons and equipment, and nationally recognized teachers right here in Austin, there’s no reason to limit your fitness activities to the air-conditioned gym this summer. You don’t have to invest in a boat, or even equipment, with plenty of rental centers and instructors. This summer, plan to combine fitness with fun, and try some of the hottest summer sports around.

Lakeside Parks

Westlake Beach on Lake Austin
This privately owned park on the banks of Lake Austin is open Wednesdays through Sundays, with roped areas for swimming and wading. Admission for adults is $7; children ages 1 to 11 are $4. Shaded tables and barbecue grills make an inviting place for a picnic. Check out the facility at www.westlakebeach.com.

Resort Ranch of Lake Travis
Near Spicewood, 250 acres of rugged, private lakefront property offers hiking, horseback riding and water sports. Campsites start at $15, with cottages costing $150 a night. The private ranch has a full-service marine, and rents pontoon boats, jet skis, paddleboats and watersport accessories. Visit www.resortranch.com.

Windy Point Park on Lake Travis
Windy Point Park is a privately owned park with great lake access — ideal for people who want to swim or scuba dive. The 1100-foot beach has a steep drop off that caters to scuba divers. Several sculptures are sunk underwater to attract fish. There’s no motorized boat access, but you can launch a canoe or small sailboat. It’s $10 a day to enjoy the beach and an additional $10 to camp for the night. Find out more at www.windypointpark.com.

Boat Sales

Pace Bend Park on Lake Travis
Pace Bend Park is a county park located on the upper reaches of Lake Travis. Waverunners are available to rent, and there’s sailing and horseback riding. The huge beach is great for swimming and you can camp for $15 a night. Take Highway 71 to Highway 2322, then go right and travel 4.6 miles to the park’s entrance. Visit www.co.travis.tx.us/tnr/parks/pace_bend.asp to find out more.

Volente Beach Park on Lake Travis
Volente Beach Park features a water park on the edge of the lake. Along with a sandy beach, there are water slides and a kids’ activity pool, with a small waterfall. Don’t miss the hot tub, big enough for the whole family. You can rent waverunners and ski boats at the lake’s edge. The cost for children over 2 is $12.99 and adults are $15.99. The park is open every day through the summer. Visit www.volentebeach.com.

Sail and Ski
(512) 258-0733
www.sailandski.com

Ski Dock
(512) 918-2628
www.skidock.com

Austin Boats and Motors
(512) 263-2811
www.austinboats.com

Boat Town
(512) 892-2220
www.boattown.com

South Austin Marine
(512) 892-2432
www.southaustinmarine.com

Boat Rentals

Beach Front Boat Rentals
16120 Wharf Cove
Highland Lakes Marina
(512) 258-8400
What’s Available
Wakeboard and ski boats with towers are $220 for four hours or $400 for eight hours Save 10 percent Monday through Thursday. Waverunners with 90 to 120 horsepower engines are $50 to $55 an hour.

Day Break Boat Rentals
5971 East Hi-Line Road
Emerald Point Marina
www.daybreakboatrentals.com
What’s Available
Ski boats are $220 for four hours and $420 for eight hours. Save 10 percent off Monday through Thursday. Waverunners, houseboats and pontoon boats are also available.

Dutchman’s Landing Marina
17900 Easy Street
(512) 267-4289
www.dutchmanslanding.com
What’s Available
Small ski boats are $45 an hour. Chartered large ski boats are $55 an hour and come with a driver.

Just for Fun! Boat Rentals
5973 Hi-Line Road
Emerald Point Marina
(512) 266-9710
www.justforfun.net
What’s Available
Ski boats are $220 for four hours or $400 for eight hours. Waverunners, pontoons and party boats are also available. Save 10 percent Monday through Thursday.

Lakeway Marina
103A Lakeway Dr.
(512) 261-7511
www.lakewaymarina.com
What’s Available
Ski boats with towers are $75/hour and come with a driver. Runabouts are $55/hour; and Waverunners are $60/hour.

Making Waves Personal Watercraft Rentals
Mudd Cove in Pace Bend Park
(512) 301-3796
www.makin-waves.com
What’s Available
Stand-up jet skis and Waverunners are $35 to $65/hour; ski boats are $55/hour. Two hours for the price of one is offered on all rentals before noon, Monday through Thursday.

Water Sports Lessons

Water Skiing & Wakeboarding

Executive Water Sports
Chad Epps
(512) 732-0755

Freeride Sessions Wakeboard
Billy Garcia
(512) 343-6870
www.freeridesessions.com

Frameswitch Ski Lakes
Hutto, Texas
Dr. Jeran Hooten
(512) 451-7766

Texas Ski Ranch
New Braunsfels
(830) 627-2843
www.texasskiranch.com

Skiing Event

Three-Event Water-Ski Tournament
National Collegiate Water Ski Association Competition in trick, jump and slalom
October 16 to 18
Aquaplex in Austin
www.utexas.edu/students/waterski