Long considered the blue ribbon event of water skiing, slalom is arguably the most mentally challenging of all tournament disciplines.
Competitors must navigate a standard six buoy course, scoring a point for each buoy. A full pass is completed when a skier travels through the entrance gates, around all six buoys and out the exit gates.
After each successful pass the rope is shortened to increase the degree of difficulty. The winner is the skier who rounds the most buoys on the shortest rope length. At the Moomba Masters, competitors regularly ski into rope lengths shorter than the distance from the ski pole to the buoys, requiring precision timing and perfect technique.
Slalom can be a heart breaking event, especially on the challenging Yarra River where currents and tides play havoc with conditions. Winning a Moomba Masters slalom title is one of the hardest feats in tournament water skiing, and it is a prize cherished by the world's best slalom skiers.
Powered by the Ski Nautique 200, boat speeds are maintained with precision using the Zero Off speed control system. Mens maximum speed is 36mph (58kmh) and Womens is 34mph (55kmh), but cutting across the wake the top skiers are reaching speeds almost double that of the boat speed.
Currently, Chris Parrish (USA) holds the Men's World Record with 1 and 1/2 buoys at 9.75m (43 off), and the Womens World Record is a three way tie between Kristi Overton-Johnson (USA), Karina Nowlan (AUS), and Regina Jaquess (USA) with 1 buoy at 10.25m (41 off).
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