RB you did well to start out on slalom. We began by starting on two skis and kicking one off.
Phil, glad to hear you made it up. It definately is work. I used to enjoy slalom after a hard day's work.
We eased into BF sking by screwing small pcs of plywood (about 6" X 12") to the bottom of sneakers. I would stand on a slalom ski and when the boat was up to speed transfer weight to one foot on the water then step off the slalom ski.
Barefoot sking started out the same, standing on a slalom ski with just the front of one foot in the binder. When the boat gets up to about 40 MPH. put one foot in the water and step out of the ski. The result was an extremely painful face plant. After three or four spills I decided I would lean way back so that I would fall backwards. That worked. The pull on the rope is pretty strong especially at lower speeds, but the feeling of skimming over glassy smooth water (outside of the wake) is something you don't forget.