▁boat , ▁or ▁in ▁some ▁local ities , ▁the ▁entire ▁time ▁the ▁sk ier ▁is ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁boat . ▁The ▁sk ier ▁and ▁observer ▁should ▁agree ▁on ▁a ▁set ▁of ▁standard ▁hand - sign als ▁for ▁easy ▁communication : ▁stop , ▁speed ▁up , ▁turn , ▁I ' m ▁OK , ▁sk ier ▁in ▁the ▁water , ▁etc . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁Water ▁ski ing ▁was ▁invent ed ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 2 ▁when ▁Ralph ▁Samuel son ▁used ▁a ▁pair ▁of ▁bo ards ▁as ▁sk is ▁and ▁a ▁clothes line ▁as ▁a ▁to w ro pe ▁on ▁Lake ▁P ep in ▁in ▁Lake ▁City , ▁Minnesota . ▁Samuel son ▁experiment ed ▁with ▁different ▁positions ▁on ▁the ▁sk is ▁for ▁several ▁days ▁until ▁ 2 ▁July ▁ 1 9 2 2 . ▁Samuel son ▁discovered ▁that ▁lean ing ▁backwards ▁in ▁the ▁water ▁with ▁ski ▁tips ▁up ▁and ▁pok ing ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁water ▁at ▁the ▁tip ▁was ▁the ▁optimal ▁method . ▁His ▁brother ▁Ben ▁to wed ▁him ▁and ▁they ▁reached ▁a ▁speed ▁of ▁. ▁Samuel son ▁spent ▁ 1 5 ▁years ▁performing ▁shows ▁and ▁teaching ▁water ▁ski ing ▁to ▁people ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States . ▁ ▁Samuel son ▁went ▁through ▁several ▁iterations ▁of ▁equipment ▁in ▁his ▁quest ▁to ▁ski ▁on ▁water . ▁His ▁first ▁equipment ▁consisted ▁of ▁bar rel ▁st aves ▁for ▁sk is . ▁He ▁later ▁tried ▁snow ▁sk is , ▁but ▁finally ▁fabric ated ▁his ▁own ▁design ▁out ▁of ▁l umber ▁with ▁bind ings ▁made ▁of ▁stri ps ▁of ▁le