This pro athlete has more wins in more sports than most people will try in a lifetime. As a pro stand up paddle surfer, Chuck has placed first over 10 times in the past three years. He is also a pro tow surfer, kite boarder, skier, surfer, and snowboarder. Growing up a skier, he quickly transitioned to surfing in the summer, and always dreamed about what it would be like to combine the two sports.

Patterson finally tried out the idea ten years ago, using water skis to navigate the waves. “I did a day of it and got some really good size surf and some good lines,” Patterson said, but he wasn’t impressed enough to try it out again. “I talked to Shane [McConkey] and said it was doable but I never really pushed it after that.”

That changed last year after he found out about Jason Starr’s surf skis, and saw that Mike Douglas and Cody Townsend had been skiing on waves. He mounted downhill bindings on a pair of Starr’s skis, packed his swim trunks and ski boots into the car, and headed out with some friends in homes of catching a few good waves.

“I got 10 or 15 really good waves and after that I was completely hooked, it’s the most rad thing ever,” Patterson said, while acknowledging that it seems ridiculous.

The consensus is that skiing waves is equal parts surfing and skiing. Patterson likes to use ski poles to stay more balanced. “It made all the difference for me because your body posture is a lot more comfortable and it feels like you’re skiing,” he said.

Not one to take things easy, Patterson went out a couple weeks after his first try to see if he could ski a barrel wave. Long story short, he could. He reworked his setup for next season, and is excited about the possibilities that the sport could hold.