Rare Mid-Century CYPRESS GARDENS – Wooden WATER SKI

For sale is a vintage MID-CENTURY CYPRESS GARDENS SLALOM WOODEN WATER SKI. This vintage laminated wood slalom water ski is equipped with a working central adjustable metal-plated binding and front/rear rubber foot holds. The ski has a rear metal tail fin on the bottom of the ski. The ski is in excellent condition and dates to the 1950s or 1960s. This water ski measures inches about 66 inches long and 6 7/8 inches wide. A rare sports equipment collectible.

Cypress Gardens is iconic in the history of water skiing, and their Florida location is regarded as the “Water Ski Capital of the World”. In 1936, Dick Pope and his wife opened Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Florida, as a botanical theme park. During WWII, while Dick was away in the military, his wife Julie organized an impromptu water ski performance on Lake Eloise to entertain visiting soldiers. After the show was a massive success, the Popes began heavily promoting the sport of water skiing through photography, postcards, and newsreels. The Cypress Gardens Ski Factory was established in nearby Eloise, Florida and manufactured high-quality wooden slalom skis from the mid-20th century until the early 1970s. The company used high-quality laminated ash, mahogany, or walnut, and finished with clear marine varnish to emphasize the natural wood grain. Cypress Gardens has produced some of the most sought-after wooden skis of the mid-20th century.