Chuck Patterson surfs giant Jaws off Maui ... on skis

Chuck Patterson had skied his share of dangerous big-mountain terrain; he had also surfed plenty of large, thunderous waves.

But never, until recently, had he or anyone else donned skis and used them to surf the gargantuan swells at a notoriously treacherous spot called Jaws, off the Hawaiian island of Maui (see video).

 

Patterson, a trained ski racer from Lake Tahoe, who spends part of each winter in Hawaii, traveled to Jaws recently to greet an arriving swell. Dozens of tow surfers -- those who are pulled onto fast-moving swells behind personal watercraft -- were on hand. Patterson was the only one wearing two planks, boots, bindings ... and carrying ski poles.

Patterson clearly proved that with specialized skiing equipment the towering, heaving waves at Jaws can be ridden with style and poise, just like mountains of snow.

"I had a good idea that it was possible, but it really made a big difference having a solid background in skiing and big-wave tow-in surfing to really push it in big waves," Patterson told the Ski Channel. "There's a lot that goes into making it all happen safely even before you hit the water, and after that is when the fun begins."

Like the tow-surfers, Patterson also was towed onto the swells, whereupon he began his descent like an Alpine specialist trying to maintain a perfect fall line.

"Gliding into a 40-foot clean, open-faced wave has a lot of the same characteristics that you find when dropping off a cornice into a steep chute with fresh snow," he said. "Aside from the surface being water, it's almost the same feeling. Once you let go of the rope and glide down the face making turns to stay in the pocket, it's totally addicting."

The session comes 15 months after a Starr Surf Skis testing mission conducted elsewhere on Maui, and in smaller waves, by freeskiers Mike Douglas and Cody Townsend. That expedition was part of a Solomon Freeski TV web series last year. Patterson's Jaws footage will be part of a follow-up episode.

He expects surf-skiing to catch on, and it just might. Tow-surfing, with its specialized equipment, was once just an idea. So was surfing behind large kites, and aboard over-sized standup-paddleboards.

Patterson's next goal? To tuck, like a downhill racer, inside a monstrous Jaws barrel.

-- Pete Thomas

Twitter: @Pete_Thomas

Editor's note: A version of this post also appears on the GrindTV.com surf blog

Comments

[Lars]

What's with the haters? More power to Chuck on this.

Looks like the form with the "poles" need better figuring out. Maybe add a bigger fin to the skis to better "hold an edge", then add a big floaty type thing on the end of the pole to allow for more of a poleplant. Then keep the pole from dragging in the water.

Just my two cents.

[david.dudley11@comcast.net]

yikes. can you say "broken leg"

[Hammahead]

Oh God. I hope they stop. Just frigging surf and stop looking for new stuff. OR looking at old ghey stuff (skiing) and incorporating it into surf. Just surf. And I thought SUPS were bad. Ugh