The Keyhole Turn

The keyhole turn is made at the end of a slalom course to bring the boat and skier back down through the course. It can also be used for more experienced skiers to give them a ski with minimal wake crossings.In the diagram the boats track and direction is shown by the thicker line. The boat veers to the left (or right) until there is enough room to complete the turn. The turn to the right can be as gentle or as tight as boat, skier and driver will allow, but note that the boat will lose speed in a tight turn, possibly causing the skier to sink awkwardly. As the boat hits the apex of the turn the driver should look back down the boats track to locate its wake and therefore the point to aim for when the boat straightens up going in the opposite direction. In a keyhole turn the skier makes only one crossing of the wake at the end of each keyhole, having otherwise calm water.