Site Details
Water Ski Mania is a private water-ski site 2 miles north of Helena, Montana (at 4060 Buoy Blvd, Helena, MT). Viewers are looking south on the image above. The event will be run on the east lake (on the left), which lies north to south . The prevailing winds are out of the west so skiers will have the protection of the trees if the winds pickup.
The site is 2400’ long with no turn around island, affording the skiers the maximum length to the advisory buoy (by rule) and more than 15 seconds of skiing. Also, the starting dock will come with a stable regulation tower for starts.
If you have any questions about the site, ask skiers who have skied here, such as Keith St.Onge, Ben Groen, Keenan Derry, Fred Groen, Ashleigh Groen, Mikey Caruso, Georgia Groen, Doug Jordan, Jerry Kanawyer, Joe Lovato, Eric Coryer and the list goes on.
Tournament Dates
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Site Familiarization is 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
ABC Board of directors meeting 8:00 am to 1:00 pm on site
Judges/Drivers/Scorers Meeting 5:00 pm on site
Thursday, August 22, 2024
Skiing Starts 8am
General membership meeting and
pizza feed at 6:00pm
Friday, August 23, 2024
Skiing Starts 8am
Saturday, August 24, 2024
Skiing Starts 8am
Sunday, August 25, 2024
Skiing Starts 8am
Awards Banquet, Closing Ceremony 5:00pm
Live music 7:00pm to 10pm
* All junior events will be skied on Saturday and Sunday.
Tournament Supplied Boats
The site is at 4000 feet above sea level and has hosted barefoot tournaments annually since 1995.
The elevation does raise a performance issue for the boats. Skiers will get 45 mph but don't expect any more.
There will be 3 Barefoot Sangers provided. Each of the boats will have a super fly high with a 2-meter leader.
The Rocky Mountain Barefoot Club would like to thank boat owner for generously donating the use of their boats.
2024 Barefoot National Waterski Championships host hotel
Delta Hotels by Marriott Helena Colonial features a location off the Interstate with easy access to various destinations including Carroll College, Montana State Capitol, and Waterski Tournament Lake is only 5 miles away. Located just 3.8 miles from the hotel is Helena Regional Airport.
Hotel Information
Delta Hotels Helena Colonial
2301 Colonial Drive
Helena, Montana, USA, 59601
Telephone: +1 406-443-2100
CHECK IN: 03:00 PM CHECK OUT: 12:00 PM
Free high-speed internet, Pool, Fitness center, Pet friendly, Parking, Airport shuttle, Coffee/tea in-room, Local restaurant dinner delivery and Room service.
To receive the special tournament rate please click here and reserve your room today.
Helena Regional Airport
Flying into Helena is very convenient via 3 major airlines and their hubs. The Helena Regional Airport (HLN) is less than 3 miles from the ski site. The hubs with direct flight to Helena are:
- Delta Airlines via Salt Lake City (SLC)
- Alaska/Horizon Airlines via Seattle (SEA)
- United Airlines via Denver (DEN)
Another airport you should consider is:
- Bozeman Montana (BZN) is 1 hour & 15 minute drive from the lake and is closer to Yellowstone National Park.
Delta Air Lines offers Support
Delta Air Lines is pleased to offer special discounts for USA Water Ski & Wake Sports to the 2024 U.S. Barefoot National Championships. The code is good for discounts on Delta flights into the Helena, MT (HLN) or Bozeman, MT (BZN) airports from:
August 16 - August 30, 2024.
There are a couple options to take advantage of this discount.
1. Please click here to book your flights.
2. Please check back to book your flights online! Using this link will automatically insert the discount code.
3. You may also call Delta Meeting Network® at:
1.800.328.1111*
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. (EST)
and refer to Meeting Event Code MN39L
*Please note there is not a service fee for reservations booked and ticketed via our reservation 800 number.
Entry Fees
Getting to the starting dock!
The entry fee is $170 per skier, if paid before June 1, 2024, then the entry will increase to $200.
Site Familiarization will be $25 and will increase to $30 on June 1, 2024. Skiers can use these direct links to get started.
The tournament is limited to the first 100 paid entries. Site familiarization will be limited to the first 64 scheduled appointments.
Awards
Medals will be given to the top 3 places in events & divisions, as well as the overall champion plaque for each division.
Which one are you taking home?
Camping and Parking at the lake
This year there are a couple options, we didn't discuss (or offer) last year. There will be limited dry camping on site, located in the field just north of the homes on the east side of the lake. You can use the hose to fill up a water tank (but cannot attach), no electric or septic hook up.
One of the additional services available on Friday will be a septic pumping for the trailers. When we have the portable toilets serviced they will offer to pump trailers. This service will be cash only and paid to the servicing company.
There are also websites like https://RVShare.com which offer RV rentals and will even deliver the trailer to the site, set it up, and remove it when you are done.
Camping on site will be free of charge and the number of slots is limited. Please make a reservation for camping in advance by sending a message using the chatbot on this page after you have registered.
For other camping options around Helena, MT Click Here.
August Weather
Here we had a little storm rolling in as Francois was skiing. Typical weather in August is dry. The high temperatures will average in the mid to upper 80's and lows in the upper 50's. Because Helena lies in the shadow of the continental divide, the low humidity makes for cool nights.
About 2024 U.S. Barefoot Waterski Championship
At 2024 U.S. Barefoot Waterski Championship, we would like thank our generous supporters.