EVEN A SKIER CAN SURF.

I ski. A lot. If the water's not hard here in Minnesota, we try to ski every day. We start when the ice goes out in May and then get shut down in October. It's non-stop beacuse we know winter's coming again. Chasing bouys is an addiction. Admittedly, it’s a healthier one than many we know of, but carving turns around little plastic water-borne balls is one “habit” I hope never to have to kick. I’ll do it as long as I am alive and kicking. But this past weekend while away I didn't ski but surfed with a boatload of family and friends. Some had never surfed and took right to it. Others were very good and could ride endlessly without eating it. Those along ranged from 24 to over 80 years old and everyone had a great time. Surfing, swimming or hanging out created some great memories. Hours seemed like minutes. With smiles all around and the whole boat was awash in laughter. The word "fun" seems too inadequate, a puny description. Unlike skiing, just about anyone could drive. With Zero Off set at 10.8mph, you just had to hit the throttle and steer anywhere. We used a new Gekko REVO 7.1 with about 2000 lbs of ballast and a bunch of people and the wave was massive. Even a hack surfer like me found it easy and I can't wait to go again.

So, while I'm not giving up skiing any time soon, it's easy to see why surfing is exploding.