STAND UP GUYS
The first time I ever saw a stand up foil ridden like a wakeboard was in 1991 at Mike Mack’s place on the Parker Strip. Mack took a foil assembly from an Air Chair and mounted it to a Rusty surfboard. His first model did not have footstraps or bindings, and it was […]
Every Ride List “Rules”
How does one place rules on such an arbitrary endeavor?
I have been thinking about this list since 2004, and have come up with a few guidelines to impose upon myself when deciding if something “counts” or not.
I’ve also spent a lot of time talking to my uncle Mike Murphy about the list. […]
History of the “Every Ride” List
It all started as a birthday stunt in 2004 inspired by my grandmother, Mary Murphy. She rode her hydrofoil to Catalina Island and back, a distance of 52 miles across open ocean, to celebrate her birthdays from age 79-88.
When it came time for my 40th birthday I decided to try […]
It’s been another amazing year of riding. Here’ the very best from the past year!
@waterskierslife on Instagram
Photos taken using:
GoPro HERO3: Black Edition
GoPole EVO – Transparent Extension Pole for GoPro® HERO Cameras (26″)
Rain-X Glass Treatment(reduces water spotting on lens)
10 – Hurts So Good
Skiers: How many times have you been asked if barefooting hurts your feet? […]
SKY SKI
I think of Mike’s time running Sky Ski from 1997 to 2004 as the golden days of foiling. His shop was in Lake Elsinore, just minutes from our homes in Canyon Lake. Now Mike was free to let loose with all the innovations and new designs that had been bottled up inside him for […]
YOU’RE FIRED
The partnership between Bob Woolley and Mike Murphy at Air Chair was always a strained one. That was unfortunate because each man had a set of skills the other did not have, and together they had what it took to run a successful business.
Mike was the star and front man. He was already a […]
WELCOME TO MY WORLDS
I was impatient for hydrofoiling competitions. Most people recognized me as the top all around rider in the sport since my coming out party at the first Fly-In in 1994, and I wanted to prove it.
Usually when you want something done, you have to do it yourself, and this was no exception. […]
ON THE RECORD
On a trip to the River in 1995 Mike had another challenge for me. He had taken a ride on his foil from Mike Mack’s shop to the Roadrunner floating bar and back behind a sit down Sea-Doo. It was a round trip distance of about eight miles. Just for fun he had […]
LOVE TO CRASH
Over the next few years I was in the midst of hard-core riding. Bob Dunham and I worked on compiling a list of the early hydrofoil tricks that documented who was the first to do a particular move and on what date. I reviewed the list that covered the first seven years of […]
FLY-IN’
The first Fly-In was coming up soon, and I wanted to be ready with even more new tricks. Next on my list was a gainer in the flats. Mike claimed this trick first, but all of the attempts that I saw him do were something shy of a true gainer. His was more of a […]
