The beautiful Trophy Lakes, South Carolina welcomed skiers from around the world to compete in the 2018 Malibu Open. This year, the Malibu Open teamed up with the local community to host the Johns Island Summerfest on Saturday. The festival featured two of Charleston’s top local bands, a kid’s zone, helicopter rides, and local food vendors. The lake saw fans from Canada to California to Charleston, and they were not left disappointed.

Friday, we kicked off the day with 16 skiers in the Pro Women Slalom followed by 30 Pro Men Slalom skiers that battled it out behind the 12-time world record setting Malibu Response TXi. This qualifying round was neck-in-neck with skiers having to go 41” off to make it to the semifinals. The afternoon saw a fan-favorite Pro Women and Pro Men Jump. For those who need a refresher, the jump competition features skiers on two extra-long skis who ride over a ski ramp in attempt to travel the longest distance. Skiers are given three attempts to hit the ramp and the winner is determined solely off distance, no style points needed. For reference, when skiers hit the ramp, they are generally going around 70 mph and can travel anywhere from 175 to 250 feet.

Saturday, the skiers brought the speed to Trophy Lakes. We saw Junior Slalom, Pro Women and Pro Men Slalom semifinals and finals, and determined the winner in a head-to-head show down. Malibu Boat’s Regina Jaquess (USA) skied into 1st place followed closely by Malibu’s Manon Costard (FRA) in 2nd and Whiteney McClintock (CAN) in 3rd. Nate Smith (USA) scored 1st in the Pro Men’s Slalom followed by Malibu Boat’s William Asher (GBR) in 2nd and Adam Sedlmajer in 3rd.

The rest of the day was devoted to Jump. We had junior jumpers, pro women jumpers, and ended the event with the men’s night jump, that kept the crowd on the edge of their seat. The winner, Ryan Dodd (CAN) won by 1/10th of a meter landing at 230ft. “It’s no accident that we continue to show up with the right boats to maximize performances and the image of Malibu Boats,” stated Chad Scott, Malibu Open Event Organizer.

Malibu was thrilled to have skiers come out and bring their A game this year. We are proud to be a part of the ski community and want to say thank you to all the skiers who came out and made this event all that it is! Check out the full list of results here. This event could not have gone better at Trophy Lakes, and we are already looking forward to it next year!