At first glance, coming across a post on our feed about a Watercross championship in August didn’t seem too noteworthy – other than the fact that I’m only catching wind of it in December. But it didn’t take too long to realize there was more “off” about this story than our oversight.
No skis. No sponsons. No jet pumps. Instead: handlebars, tracks, and what looked suspiciously like snowmobile hoods skimming across open water.
Because that’s exactly what it was.
Earlier this season, the 48th Annual World Championship Snowmobile Watercross went down on Memory Lake in Grantsburg, Wisconsin — and somehow we’ve never covered it. A mistake we’re fixing right now, because this thing is wild in all the right ways.
Born back in 1977 as a “bet-you-can’t-make-it-across” dare, Watercross started with snowmobiles launching from an island and attempting to hydroplane across roughly 300 feet of open water. Most sank. A few made it. And a tradition stuck. Today, it’s a full-blown, multi-class, festival-sized event featuring drag starts, 10-lap oval finals, fireworks, vendors, campgrounds, and thousands of spectators packing the shoreline for a sport that absolutely should not work — yet somehow does.
This year, it also featured something brand new: the Inaugural Jump Competition, complete with timed, distance, and even costume categories. Yes, someone won a world title for jumping a snowmobile across water in costume. And honestly? We’re on board for this one; after all, we already know of a PWC freestyle dinosaur…
The 2025 World Champions
Pro Open: David Fischer — locking in his 7th title
Semi-Pro Open: Tim Corrigan
Sport Open: Nick Hagemann
Pro Stock: Jimmy Marietta
Semi-Pro Stock: Chris Johnson
Jump Competition
Timed Jump: Chris Erzar
Distance Jump: Bradley Barrette
Costume Jump: Izzy Meskill
If one name defines modern Watercross, it’s David Fischer. His Pro Open final this year was a masterclass — a clean holeshot into the signature high-speed dog leg toward Turn 1, tight lines, zero hesitation, and a lead he never surrendered. His seventh title places him within striking distance of the sport’s “Godfather,” Mark Maki, whose all-time record still stands above him. After the win, Maki himself called Fischer’s six-in-a-row streak “incredible,” praising his smooth aggression through the course’s trickiest sections. Fischer fired right back: “Not sure if I’ll ever catch your record, but I’m having fun trying.”
Fun — and fearlessness — are kind of the themes here. Because despite how effortless these racers make it look, the physics are, politely, insane. Snowmobiles don’t float. They stay on top of the water the same way a skipping stone does: speed, momentum, and absolutely unbroken throttle discipline. A bobble in the chop or a split-second lift? Straight to the bottom. The racers know it. The crowd knows it. And that tension is part of why the shoreline fills every July.
And speaking of crowds — Executive Directors Kim and Nicki summed it up best: it really does take a village. From volunteers to racers to the families who’ve made Watercross a yearly pilgrimage, the event is as much a community gathering as it is a competition. The cheers, the spray, the fireworks, the festival atmosphere — it’s all part of why Memory Lake transforms into the sport’s unlikely epicenter every summer.
We may have shown up late to this party, but we’re officially fans. And with the 49th running already locked for July 17–19, 2026, we’ll be keeping our eyes on Memory Lake — and the snowmobiles that somehow refuse to sink.
