Club de Skinautique Ski Shows at Lake Metigoshe

This summer marks the Club de Skinautique water ski club’s 60-plus years of performing on Lake Metigoshe. What started with a single performance by a group of young skiers has now grown to a club spanning generations with annual performances attended by hundreds of spectators.

History

The Club de Skinautique dates back to the late 1950s:  Lake Metigoshe Improvement Association approached some of the kids in 1958 and asked them to provide water ski entertainment for its annual meeting that summer.  While only a few people attended the meeting, several hundred people watched the show on a nearby hillside.

In 1961, Club de Skinautique became a nonprofit corporation, the Club’s name was chosen from the French words meaning “club of waterskiing.”  The Lake Metigoshe Improvement Association eventually bought the hillside property where spectators watched the first ski show, and it is now referred to as Skinautique Hill, where the Club still holds practices and shows today.

 

Club Membership

Lake Metigoshe is nestled in the Turtle Mountains on the North Dakota and Canada border.  Many of the lake’s cabins and homes have been passed through generations, drawing individuals from across North Dakota, and all over the United States and Canada. (For example-Lake Metigoshe area,  Bismarck, Minot, Grafton, and Fargo, N.D.; Montana, Minnesota, Manitoba, and Ontario)

The Club begins practicing on Memorial Day weekend and practices every Friday evening at 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. through Labor Day weekend.

2024 Schedule

Club de Skinautique performs three shows this season on Lake Metigoshe. Dates July 3rd, 13th, Aug 3rd (Garrison) and August 11th.  The July 3 show is held in conjunction with the Lake Metigoshe Improvement Association’s annual fireworks show and is the Club’s largest show of the season.  Shows start at 7 p.m. and run for approximately 1.5 hours