If you have lived in Central Texas for just one summer, you know things are about to get uncomfortably, or for some, even unbearably hot outside. With the danger of dehydration and heat exhaustion this can put a damper on many outdoor activities. Fortunately, the Austin area is home to a number of large bodies of water.  

Here are some tips too get started in the refreshingly cool sport of 
waterskiing.  

What you'll need:
First, you will of course need access to a boat and skis, but there are a few more details you'll want to consider before you hit the water.  

• Water and food if you are going to be out for a while. 
• Sunscreen. Not only are you going to be outside but the water reflects rays back at you intensifying your chances of sunburn. Remember, you can burn even on cloudy days.
• Sunglasses. The sunlight reflecting off the water and other surfaces can damage your eyes if you don't take precautions to protect them as well.
• Towels. Even if it's warm enough to hit the water without one, a towel can come in handy for a number of reasons.
• First aid kit. Accidents can and will happen. 
• Extra gasoline. Gas gadges can die, and sometimes you notice that you are low too late and just can't make it back to the gas pump in time.
• Paddles. In case something breaks down, or you do run out of gas.
• Horn, fire extinguisher, life jackets, and all the other things required by law.

• Start in a sitting position with feet and knees in front of your body.
• Having control of your skis before you begin is crucial to a good start. Use your weight to control your skis. Stay on top of them, and keep them in front of you. Don't tell the driver to go until you are ready. 
• Once you're set and comfortable, tell the driver to go. The crucial thing is to find the balance between letting the boat pull you up and out of the water, without letting it pull you face first back into the water.To do this, think about keeping the skis in front of you as the water starts to push against them. Resist the water with your legs by pushing down on the skis. You don't need to worry about trying to get out of the sitting position in the water. The rope will pull you up and forward. Just slowly stand up. 

• falling backwards: One common problem among beginners is standing up and immediatly toppling backwards. This is because many people lock their legs putting all their weight on the back of the skis. To fix this bend your ankles and push your knees forward. 
• falling forward: Another common problem is face planting. Here the problem is usually one of two things: standing up too soon, or leaning forward at the waist. Be patient, and let the boat pull you up, pinch your shoulders back and don't let them get pulled in front of your knees.

Cutting:
If you want to turn, aim your knees the way you want to go. If you want 
to make a hard left cut, drop your right knee down toward your left leg, and push with your big right toe against the water. This will put your right 
ski on edge. Then make your left ski follow suit by turning your left knee. The harder you drive your knees, the more angle the skis will have and the more speed you'll build. 

Learning to slalom:
Once you've mastered two skis, you may choose to make life more difficult by limiting yourself to one.  

• Once again, you want to start in a sitting position. This time start like you're sitting in a chair, then pull your knees closer to your chest. 
• Some people like to leave their back foot out to help balance. Others prefer to leave it in to help control the ski. If you leave it in, tuck your back foot under your butt. Either way the closer you can keep your body mass to the ski, the easier it will be to stay in control.

• losing balance: The biggest problem most people have is losing their balance and falling to the side. To help stay in control remain in a ball position until the boat pulls you out of the water and then stand up slowly. Again wait till you are ready to tell the driver to go.
• falling to one side: If you are falling to the same side every time, try putting the rope on that side of the ski to help keep it from going that direction. 
• falling forward: If you fall forward, try waiting longer to stand up and pinching your shoulders back.
• falling backward: If you fall backward, bend your ankles and knees and put your weight on your front foot. 

Cutting:
To turn simply roll the ski onto one edge and lean away from the boat. The harder you lean the faster you'll go. 

If you want to try and run the course someday, you'll want to practice 
being on the front of your ski to slow it down in the turns, and having 
your hips up with your hardest pull right behind the boat. This is only 
possible, however, if you have a boat designed for waterskiing. 
  

Insider advice:

• Mid-afternoon during the weekend or on a holiday is not the best time to hit the water. It is the worst, unless you like lots of people and lots of rough water. Lots of inexperienced and/or drinking drivers can also make for dangerous conditions, especially on holidays.
• The best times are sunrise and just before sunset. There's nothing quite like slicing through and skimming over a lake of glass tinted orange by the traveling sun. At these times, the winds tend to die down, often to the point of non-existence. Few people want to get up at sunrise, and as evening approaches, most people are eating or packing up to go home. 
• Find a niche or secluded cove protected from the wind. The best of these areas also tend to be hard to see from the main water ways and therefore are often occupied by fewer skiers. On holidays and weekends such places might not exist, but off peak hours you should be able to find one if you're willing to look.