Wakeboard Club opposes Ski Area rule

BY Ariana Shah

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This article, as published in the print edition of The Friday Flyer, had inaccuracies regarding what this proposed new Canyon Lake POA rule would prohibit in the Slalom Course area of the North Ski Area in Canyon Lake. The story below has been corrected to accurately state the rule applies to only wakesurfing. Wakeboarding continues to be approved as are the other currently-approved activities there. The new rule is being implemented to prevent, Canyon Lake POA President Chris Poland said, “routinely occurring damage due to the large wakes required for wakesurfing.”)

The Canyon Lake Wakeboard Club is asking the Canyon Lake POA Board of Directors to reconsider its preliminary approval of a revised rule forbidding wakeboarding on the Slalom Course area of the North Ski Area on Canyon Lake.

The proposed rule, LM.9.28, was approved by the board at its last meeting and is now waiting the mandatory 28 days before it can be formally enacted. The board is set to do that at its March 5 meeting next week.

Canyon Lake wakeboarder Ava Hymas uses the wake created by the boat to maneuver on her board

The proposed rule sets regulations for how the Slalom Course is to be used. The course is located in the front section of the North Ski Area just north of the North Causeway. Competitive skiers use the Slalom Course to practice and to hold meets. The rule would prohibit wakesurfing in that front area. Wakesurfing requires large wakes to be created by the boat pulling the wakesurfer. The rule is attempting to prevent damage caused to the area by the creation of these large wakes, Canyon Lake POA President Chris Poland said.

“The rule change only covers wakesurfing, not wake boarding,” Chris said. “Wakeboarders can still use the area as is now the case. The issue here is protecting the CLPOA’s amenity from routinely-occurring damage due to the large wakes required for wakesurfing.”

The Wakeboard Club currently uses the area for its everyday practice and training. The POA Board determined it needed to protect the ski course from damages by requiring wakesurfing to be limited, Kelly Hauger, the Wakeboard Club treasurer, said.

“The front area is ideal because it is deep,” Kelly said. “Wakesurfing requires a minimum depth of 16 feet to produce a usable surface wake.”

Canyon Lake youth, Hank Hauger, gets pulled through the waters of the North Ski Area on his wakeboard, an activity still approved in the Slalom Course area.

The proposed rule would push the club out to the backwater, which is not adequate for wakesurfing, she said.

“The backwater is very shallow, and the wake there is not ideal,” Kelly said. “The bottom pressure there creates a ground effect and degrades the wave significantly.”

Currently, wakesurfing takes place in the front area when skiers are not present, Kelly said. The proposed rule would ban wakesurfing in the front area permanently.

“With the proposed rule, we would not be able to use that area even when no one else is using it,” she said. “We’d be happy to keep the rule as it stands, where skiers have precedence over others to use that area, and wakesurfers only use it when the skiers are not present.”

Skiers need perfectly flat water and usually go out in the early morning or late afternoon, Kelly said.

“The time in between their sessions is when we’d like to continue using that water area,” she said. “We are all water sports enthusiasts, and we should respect the needs of the different sports, especially since we are all POA members paying the same monthly dues.”

In terms of how this rule may affect the club’s events, Kelly said the club isn’t sure yet.

“The club hasn’t had any events since before 2020 due to COVID-19,” she said. “We are hoping to get our dates approved soon for 2021 and we’re hoping to get the green light for our outdoor events.”

Kelly recommends those who would like to voice their concerns or opinions about this proposed rule should contact the POA and to log into the Zoom Board Meeting on March 5.

“We respect and appreciate all water sports,” she said. “We want to see this sport grow. The kids love this sport! It’s a new upcoming sport that needs to be practiced in the right area.”

The Wakeboard Club was founded in 1998. Kelly has been on the board for the past two years and her husband, Steve, is the new vice president.