Picture this: a beautiful day full of sunshine, extreme sports at every glance, and custom trucks bounding from the South and Midwest. Sound too good to be true? If this sounds like a perfect weekend to you, hopefully you were at the Texas Ski Ranch with the Truckin' crew for the Texas Extreme Truck Show. Located halfway between San Antonio and Austin, in New Braunfels, Texas, the Texas Ski Ranch features the best in the extreme sports experience with a cable-operated wakeboard lake, large lake with boat waterskiing, a motorcross track, a skate park, and an equipment store with equipment for all of the extreme sports. Kicking off the Ski Ranch's grand opening was the San Marcos Sky Diving team with a wonderful display of extreme sports talent landing on a small island in the middle of the cable lake. The weekend saw huge crowds at the Ski Ranch, the truck show, and especially, the Primedia Truckin' and Sport Truck booth for magazines, shirts, and hats.
After the quick set up of booths for each vendor and the endless cleanings of the custom trucks, the show opened its gates at 9 a.m. for spectators and athletes alike. During the weekend's festivities, visitors of the Texas Ski Ranch enjoyed world-class wakeboarding competitions, motorcross races, and even a long-jump ski competition between Jimmy Siemers and Freddy Kreuger. Show-goers and participants were allowed to test out their own rides on a portable dyno, jump in the water and ski the cable lake, and join in at the evening concerts by a local band. Beautiful Texas sunshine, awesome show trucks, and great vendors such as Chevy Trucks, Vortec engines, J.C. Whitney, and BlueOvalTruckParts.com made the weekend a smashing success and this first-year show a great time for everyone involved. If you missed this year, mark your calendar for 2004 for what is sure to be an even bigger and better show at the Texas Ski Ranch.
Soaking up the Texas sun,...
Soaking up the Texas sun, this flamed Chevy HD diesel was a huge complement to the Ski Ranch lake.
Bagged and body-dropped, Mitch...
Bagged and body-dropped, Mitch Henderson brought out his Best of Show-winning truck to the Texas Extreme show.
Looking great in its bright...
Looking great in its bright flamed paint, it was nice to see a late-model Ranger representing theFord faithful.
If this truck looks familiar,...
If this truck looks familiar, it's because it's the same truck and boat combo that was featured in Truckin' and built especially for ski jumper Jimmy Siemers.
Using plenty of air to fill...
Using plenty of air to fill the 'bags, this dropped Sonoma was hopping all weekend long.
Bright red and Chevelle stripes...
Bright red and Chevelle stripes are always a classic, even on a 2000 GMC.
Lifted to its own stratosphere...
Lifted to its own stratosphere and full of bright-green paint, this Excursion brought a huge crowd. Unfortunately, the JL Audio subs and amps forced everyone to leave because of the ear-deafening bass.
Daily driven shop trucks are...
Daily driven shop trucks are usually beaters, but Jim Bayne brought out his ultra-clean, shaved, and tri-colored dualie for everyone's enjoyment.
Athletes at the Texas Ski...
Athletes at the Texas Ski Ranch enjoyed beautiful weather all weekend and made the most of it at the Skate Park, where skate boarders and freestyle riders tore it up in the Texas sun.
Skydivers from San Marcos...
Skydivers from San Marcos christened the Texas Ski Ranch by skillfully landing on the cable lake's small island.
By adding the new-style Chevy...
By adding the new-style Chevy door handles and molding, this Bow Tie fooled many onlookers who thought this rig was new.
Professional wakeboarders...
Professional wakeboarders were out giving demonstrations to make us rookies look even worse.
Jimmy Siemers put on a long-jump...
Jimmy Siemers put on a long-jump ski exhibition with Freddy Kreuger, showcasing their ability to soar over more than 200 feet.
Donald Shelbrick got massive...
Donald Shelbrick got massive air off the cable lake jump ramp and soared through the sky with ease.
Look closely, this Ranger...
Look closely, this Ranger is missing the rearview mirror in favor of a 10-inch flip-down monitor.
Shaved, 'bagged, Chameleon...
Shaved, 'bagged, Chameleon paint, and sporting spinning dubs, what else could anyone ask for?
Reminding us of some of the...
Reminding us of some of the West Coast lifted H2s, this bright-yellow example looked great and was lifted on the new Mickey Thompson 46-inch tires.
Texas is known for its beautiful...
Texas is known for its beautiful women, and these lovely ladies didn't disappoint in the Blue Oval Truck Parts bikini contest.
The award for most detailed...
The award for most detailed and crazy bed goes to this trick fullsize Chevy, complete with subs, amps, a sword, and colored fiberglass to top it all off.
Pro Streets are huge favorites...
Pro Streets are huge favorites at Truckin' events, and this GMC's engine was clean enough to eat of.
With so many activities on...
With so many activities on tap, it was hard to decide on what to do next. Luckily, the Extreme Truck Show was always packed with spectators.
Pictured here are the three...
Pictured here are the three bikini contest finalists with Nikki Zeno going home crowned the winner.
Everyone who attended the...
Everyone who attended the weekend's festivities enjoyed shopping at the Texas Ski Ranch store, which had gear for every extreme sport, including boats for sale.