SnowBrains Asks Skier Chuck Patterson: “Will Wave-Skiing Catch On?”

Learn all about Chuck Patterson’s wave skiing experience in this video

The folks here at SnowBrains have been friends with Chuck Patterson for a long time.  He’s an absolute athletic beast.  Chuck has spent big chunks of his life in Tahoe, but the ocean is where his heart is.  Chucks’s been a professional skier, snowboarder, kite surfer, wind surfer, regular surfer, big wave surfer, stand up paddle boarder, and most recently:  a Professional Big Wave Skier.  

We’ve all seen him charging down faces at Jaws in Maui on water skis.  It’s impressive and most of don’t exactly understand what he’s doing out there as it’s so far from our everyday reality.

Chuck is constantly busy with travel and training to perform at his high level.  We got a quick interview with him this week and just asked him our one quick question:

SnowBrains:  “Chuck, will wave skiing ever catch on with the general public?”

Chuck:  “Wave skiing is one of those crazy off the wall kind of ideas that with the right equipment, skill level, knowledge and passion; works insanely well. You have to be an outside the box kind of thinker.

Having grown up snow skiing my whole life and chasing XXL swell across the globe tow surfing and surfing; combining the two was a no brainer. 

Do I think that wave skiing will ever become a legitimate sport?? Probably not, because of the major risk involved if and when you take a wave on the head.

One of the big problems is that using ski boots and bindings in the water makes it almost impossible to release from the skis during a crash because the water is so soft and forgiving compared to the harder surface of packed snow. 

Besides having the skills to ski or waterski at a high level; your knowledge of the ocean and big wave surfing is paramount to making it all come together. 

That being said; as an athlete, no matter the risk, your passion to do the impossible will always win out because that’s what we live for.

Enjoy the ride…..”

And we all know that the underlying reason Chuck charges big waves on skis …because it’s damn fun.  Can you just image skiing down a big wave, hooking a left, and getting shacked by a 20 foot barrel?  No?  Yeah, we can’t imagine it too well, either.  Would be an unreal sensation, though.  Keep charging our there for us Chuck, we love watching ya.  Thanks Chuck.