Andre de villiers+barefooting+biography

The National Figure Eight Barefoot Championships started in the early 1970’s as a small local endurance barefoot event on Lake Metonga in Crandon, Wisconsin and featured 30 skiers from a half dozen local ski clubs. Originally dubbed the U.S. Open Barefoot Challenge, it built a cult following that grew until the tournament was moved to Lake Lucerne in the mid 80’s. Little know barefooters like Steve Tucker, John Peterson and Kirby Schultz were well-know within the tiny world of Figure Eight barefooting, which called “Crandon” it’s home.

In 1991, Ted Ison, Gary Mueller and Kurt Landgraf incorporated the tournament and moved it to tiny Clear Lake in Crandon. Backed by new sponsors, a national advertising campaign and $3,000 in prize money, the once tiny local competition quickly grew in size and stature. By 1992, the event, re-named the National Figure Eight Barefoot Championships cemented it’s reputation as the “granddaddy” of endurance barefoot competitions, featuring over 150 skiers from around the world and a record purse of over $6,000. As a result, the tournament co

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