I knew last weekend’s Big Dawg ski tournament in Peru was going to be a fun event but I really had no idea it would be as great as it was. Skiers from all over South America, the US, Canada and Europe came to Lima, Peru to ski in our first ever Big Dawg event held outside the US.

Most of the skiers landed in Lima several days early (and many stayed quite a few days after the tournament) to enjoy the Peruvian summer, the warm hospitality and the incredible food. Almost everyone commented to me that the Peruvians treated them like family and several people mentioned that they were enjoying the best food they had ever eaten. Additionally, the venue for the skiing was among the world’s best on a private lake near the beach about an hour south of the city. Some people stayed at the venue while others decided to stay at nearby beach houses on the Pacific Ocean. Everyone agreed it was a great experience.

The tournament, pulled by a Ski Nautique, had three rounds plus a finals head-to-head format that included eight skiers, four from Latin America and four from outside of South America. The final two skiers were David Miller from Canada and Thierry Malhomme of France. Thierry ended up winning after running 1@41-off.

The event was exciting and everyone who travelled to Peru agreed that it was a fantastic experience; there is already a lot of excitement building toward next year’s event.

There were many people who helped make this event possible but a special shout out to Juan Carlos Cuglievan and Gonzalo Peschiera, both of whom worked hard to coordinate and run a flawless weekend. Thanks to Laurie Kotarsky for taking great pics and blogging from the site for all who couldn’t be there to enjoy. Finally, thanks to Henrik Laursen from Miami Nautique International who, as always, stepped up and supported the event in a big way.

The Big Dawg is a great ski series and our team at Nautique is thrilled to be part of it. The series is creating buzz all over the world and we are just getting started with it. Keep watching for more exciting announcements regarding Big Dawg!

Enjoy the Nautique life!

Bill in Peru with Nautique dealers Jeff Smith, Whitney Smith and Henrik Laursen

Hanging out on the dock with some of the Big Dawg Peru skiers