A river legend!!!

[cofooter]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid088WurDP7h1iYA9gMV2dgJkmZrU13x8SXkPxLW2TaZi218CgkVNNC6TBnAeS7ZPkVl&id=1683363683&mibextid=Nif5oz

 

[SoCalDave]

For those not on FB.

 

[Justsomeguy]

Unreal. I'm sore just watching. How he pulls some of those off. Unbelievable.

 

[ltbaney1]

awesome video. Mak is a legend. I used to love going to his shop when it was there. i was even more excited when my dad booked me for lessons with him. I had been struggling to get up on a ski all summer. he got in the water with me and grabbed my life jacket and just pulled me up with him.

 

[JBZ]

Mike is the Man
I took lessons from him when I was a kid.
Never got to that level. But I learned some skills

 

[Wave Hi]

That's some crazy leg strength.. pretty awesome...

 

[Duramax]

Awesome

 

[RichL]

Nice!

 

[4Waters]

I've done that.



It wasn't as graceful as that and the boat had to come back around and get me but I've done that


That's impressive

 

[ltbaney1]

Mike is the Man
I took lessons from him when I was a kid.
Never got to that level. But I learned some skills

i was never even close to that level. to be honest its been about 10 years since ive tried to ski, i surfed behind my buddies boat last year just to see if i could do it, and was happy i could. maybe this will be the year i try to ski.

 

[warpt71]

Mike got me up on a ski as an adult not that long ago. Id love to try every trip out but no one wants to ski in my group.

 

[Backlash]

My older cousin and I used to try that on skis when we were young and dumb. I never could do it, but he came close several times!

 

[racektm]

Mike got me up on a ski as an adult not that long ago. Id love to try every trip out but no one wants to ski in my group.

Get a new group??

 

[rivermobster]

For those not on FB.

Thank you!!!

Awesome vid.

 

[retaocleg]

he have a brother? think i worked with his bro in havasu, nick?.......worked as a rigger at conquest for a time............funny as i always told him "nick, nick, he has a big pussy..".........we would all roll at that...........good guy tho......always would reply tommy, tommy..............his bro invented the air chair?

 

[cofooter]

he have a brother? think i worked with his bro in havasu, nick?.......worked as a rigger at conquest for a time............funny as i always told him "nick, nick, he has a big pussy..".........we would all roll at that...........good guy tho......always would reply tommy, tommy..............his bro invented the air chair?

You are thinking Murphy for the Air Chair

 

[rivermobster]

You are thinking Murphy for the Air Chair

Or maybe Denny...

 

[cofooter]

Or maybe Denny...

 

[SoCalDave]

Growing up in small town Tennessee on a private lake we did a lot of skiing and I got pretty damn good at it. It was always a challenge in the start of Spring to see who would be the first one to take on the frigid water slalom coarse and not having wetsuits in the time period I would launch off our dock and pray I didn't go down before I landed on our beach. Those were the days.
Didn't slip on a ski for 20 years and my buddy bought a boat and wanted to learn how to slalom so off the lake Perris in the mid 90's and I drug his ass around that lake but he just couldn't get up on one ski and was adamant about not using 2 and kicking one off. After he almost drowned from being drug underwater he got in the boat and I jumped in the water. The second I slipped that ski on it was like ridding a bike. Jumped right out of the water and within a lap of the lake I was fn done. Have only back on one a handful of time and doubt I'll ever do it again.

 

[6 balls]

First time I ever saw him do his bodyslide on the strip I became obsessed with mastering it…

 

[rightytighty]

He makes finishing a cut and taking the pull of the boat one handed, look simple.

When I was skiing hard and releasing one hand, I damm well HAD to get both hands on the handle before the pull.

Otherwise, bad things invariably happened…

Im not even considering the crash, the slide and the double jointed ankles..

Some people are just different…

 

[rivermobster]

Yep. Pretty sure Denny was the other half.

 

[Mcob25rg]

Skied multiple times last year - 65 yrs old, deep water start, both feet. Haven’t tried yet this year - water is still too cold - never thought I’d have to worry about my heart on first ride of the spring!

 

[twocents]

he have a brother? think i worked with his bro in havasu, nick?.......worked as a rigger at conquest for a time............funny as i always told him "nick, nick, he has a big pussy..".........we would all roll at that...........good guy tho......always would reply tommy, tommy..............his bro invented the air chair?

The 'Nick' you're referring to is Nick Murphy who is the youngest of the three Murphy brothers. Last time I saw/spoke to Nick about 2-3 years ago he was still living in Colorado. And yes, Mike Murphy and Bob Woolley were the co-founders of the original Air Chair.

 

[JBZ]

From Here

 

[TrollerDave]

I know most of us have skipped across the water, whether intentional or not, and know how hard that water can be. But the shape you must be in to do that and keep doing it. For fun. Crazy.

 

[JBZ]

From Here

I have gone down a rabbit hole

 

[4Waters]

From Here

Ahh the knee board,the femur breaker

 

[Keymyster]

Mike got me up on a ski as an adult not that long ago. Id love to try every trip out but no one wants to ski in my group.

No one wants to ski in my group either. Got a new boot put on my ski a couple years ago. Still got my thumb out hoping to ski again.

 

[cofooter]

Ahh the knee board,the femur breaker

Broke an eardrum on one once as well, it's a fall like no other when the nose digs in, haha

 

[mash on it]

No one wants to ski in my group either. Got a new boot put on my ski a couple years ago. Still got my thumb out hoping to ski again.

"Will ski for beer"

Dan'l

 

[warpt71]

No one wants to ski in my group either. Got a new boot put on my ski a couple years ago. Still got my thumb out hoping to ski again.

"Will ski for beer"

Dan'l

Should we put a morning ski group together? Im half serious......

 

[wishiknew]

Yep. Pretty sure Denny was the other half.

What about Jon

 

[rivermobster]

What about Jon

?

 

[Desert Whaler]

Reminds me a funny story . . .
In surfing there's a move called a 'Layback' . . . it's an unconventional 'stall' where you layback and let the wave sort of hold you up.
It's rarely used, as it takes a perfect set up on the wave, . . . but it usually ends up not working and looks like a messy yard sale.
Growing up surfing in the shitty waves of HB . . . if you attempted 10 laybacks, you were lucky if 1 was even close to working.

So fast forward to Havasu mid-late 90's, where a family friend was getting married.
Someone brought one of those Malibu ski boats and asked me if I wanted to try wakeboarding, which was relatively new at the time.
I said sure . . . we go out and I get back there and get up on the thing.
Fooled around in the wake, then got comfortable and started doing some carves.
I did one and drug my hand and realized I could lay back and the pull of the boat would keep me up !
So I did a carve off the wake, then laid back and was skimming on the surface using a bit of sideways pressure on the board, and going so slow it was easy to hold on.
It was the best thing ever !!!! . . . I was laughing so hard I threw my free hand up like 'YESSSS'!!!!!
Then the boat stops . . . I let go of the rope and they turn around . . . they come up to me and say, "Are You allright"!?!?!?! I say 'Yeah' . . . . they reply, "What the fuck were you doing"??? . . . I said, "A Layback" !!!! . . . . they looked at me like I was some kind of idiot !!! . . . . they never asked me to go again.

 

[EarpRider]

I just saw him cruise by my place on his hydrofoil surfboard the other day.

 

[Rayson1971]

I got really good at jumping the wake and stuffing the nose on a knee board.

 

[lenmann]

Is Mike still around Parker?

He taiught my then 6 year old daughter how to ski in the early 90’s and my wife and I spent a number of weekends at his hotel there. We always had a great time and he was a great host.

 

[lbhsbz]

From Here

That’s how I learned how to barefoot….on a yellow hydroslide behind my buddy Don’s Glastron tunnel w/ a 120 Chrysler on it.

The hardest part was transitioning from kneeling to sitting.

 

[retaocleg]

You are thinking Murphy for the Air Chair

yup......nick murphy, i was mistaken

 

[rivermobster]

Reminds me a funny story . . .
In surfing there's a move called a 'Layback' . . . it's an unconventional 'stall' where you layback and let the wave sort of hold you up.
It's rarely used, as it takes a perfect set up on the wave, . . . but it usually ends up not working and looks like a messy yard sale.
Growing up surfing in the shitty waves of HB . . . if you attempted 10 laybacks, you were lucky if 1 was even close to working.

View attachment 1234142
So fast forward to Havasu mid-late 90's, where a family friend was getting married.
Someone brought one of those Malibu ski boats and asked me if I wanted to try wakeboarding, which was relatively new at the time.
I said sure . . . we go out and I get back there and get up on the thing.
Fooled around in the wake, then got comfortable and started doing some carves.
I did one and drug my hand and realized I could lay back and the pull of the boat would keep me up !
So I did a carve off the wake, then laid back and was skimming on the surface using a bit of sideways pressure on the board, and going so slow it was easy to hold on.
It was the best thing ever !!!! . . . I was laughing so hard I threw my free hand up like 'YESSSS'!!!!!
Then the boat stops . . . I let go of the rope and they turn around . . . they come up to me and say, "Are You allright"!?!?!?! I say 'Yeah' . . . . they reply, "What the fuck were you doing"??? . . . I said, "A Layback" !!!! . . . . they looked at me like I was some kind of idiot !!! . . . . they never asked me to go again.

That is freaking hilarious. I really did lol!

 

[JBZ]

Is Mike still around Parker?

He taiught my then 6 year old daughter how to ski in the early 90’s and my wife and I spent a number of weekends at his hotel there. We always had a great time and he was a great host.

Yes he is

 

[Clank123]

So about a year ago I’m having a cocktail at a friend of mines house in Marina Manor and a buddy shows up with this cool fiberglass table.
He won’t say where he got it, but we yank it out of his truck and proceed to have our drinks around it.
He finally admits that he got it from Mike and that it was made by Nick Barron(A Hallett table!!!). It was one of the original tables from Badenochs back in the late 60’s!
He said Mike had 2 left…I had to have one.
So next morning bright and early I roll down to his house and of course he’s out front.
So we cut a deal on one of the remaining ones.
What a piece of River History!

 

[cofooter]

So about a year ago I’m having a cocktail at a friend of mines house in Marina Manor and a buddy shows up with this cool fiberglass table.
He won’t say where he got it, but we yank it out of his truck and proceed to have our drinks around it.
He finally admits that he got it from Mike and that it was made by Nick Barron(A Hallett table!!!). It was one of the original tables from Badenochs back in the late 60’s!
He said Mike had 2 left…I had to have one.
So next morning bright and early I roll down to his house and of course he’s out front.
So we cut a deal on one of the remaining ones.
What a piece of River History!

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Awesome , Dave!!!

 

[rrrr]

I got really good at jumping the wake and stuffing the nose on a knee board.

That was my best trick until I started wakeboarding. Then it became the faceplant after jumping the wake.

 

[Clank123]

Awesome , Dave!!!

Missing ya in Marina Manor my friend.
Have a great weekend!

 

[cofooter]

Missing ya in Marina Manor my friend.
Have a great weekend!

Likewise, Buddy!!! We'll get out there again!!!