Barefoot water skiers get towed by airplane

July 30, 2014 | Wakeboarding
Airplane water skiing: is your body ready for the challenge?

A group of water sports enthusiasts has enjoyed an unusual session of barefoot skiing behind an airplane.

If everything's possible, why not give it a go? Have you got a friend who owns an airplane? If so, then ask him for a ride. He drives the plane, you ride the wake.

Keith and Lauren St. Onge, David Small and Ben Groen have been towed by a plane in Florida. They say it doesn't hurt at all, although you get physically exhausted for three days.

A ramp was installed to add drama to the whole stunt. Did you know that barefooting requires the skier to travel at higher speeds than conventional water skiing (30-45 mph/50-70 kmh)?

The necessary speed required to keep the skier upright varies by the weight of the barefooter and can be approximated by the following formula: (W / 10) + 20, where W is the skier's weight in pounds, and the result is in miles per hour.

Barefoot water skiing was invented by A.G. Hancock, back in 1947, in Florida. Since then, many bones have been broken performing tricks at high speed.