Family-Owned Since 1993. Washington's First Parasail Operator.
Erik Ask, Julie Hjelle, and 31 years of bringing people back to Lake Chelan.
1993
In 1993, Julie Hjelle delivered her first jet ski rental from a small office in the Chelan Marina parking lot, next to Don Morse Park. Her brother Erik Ask joined her, and together they did something nobody else in Washington State had done: they brought parasailing to Lake Chelan. Thirty-one years later, we’re still the only parasail operator in Washington — and the longest- running watersports business on the lake.
1993–2004
Building from one jet ski
Julie ran her one-woman jet ski delivery operation for the first few years, then trained in Florida on parasail boats, bought one, got every certification and every Coast Guard inspection, and started flying. By the end of her first parasail season, she’d flown several hundred guests over Lake Chelan. By her tenth season, thousands.
1993–2004
What we've added over the years
- First parasail boat: 1994
- First jet ski fleet (3 units): 1995
- First pontoon (Big Blue): 2008
- First 22-passenger party pontoon (Big Black): 2013
- Brand-new Sea-Doo fleet: 2022 (full upgrade to current generation)
- Marina Coffee drive-through: 2020 (Julie's side project, next door to our office)
What hasn't changed
The safety record. 31 seasons, tens of thousands of flights, zero serious incidents. We don’t fly in marginal weather. We don’t compromise on inspections. We’ve turned away groups who drove from Seattle specifically to parasail. Their reschedule is worth more than the alternative.
The family. Erik and Julie still own and run the business. No private equity, no franchise, no out-of-town investors.
The team. Many of our captains have been with us 5, 10, 15+ years. Read our Yelp reviews — guests mention them by name year after year. Eric, Ashley, Joey, Justin, and the rest. The location. Same dock since 2005. Same office. Same yellow building. Same view of the lake.
What 31 years of Lake Chelan teaches you We’ve watched bachelorette parties turn into weddings on the lake. We’ve watched kids who flew
their first parasail at age 5 come back as parents with their own kids. We’ve watched the wineries multiply, the town grow, the boats get bigger and quieter. The lake itself has stayed exactly the same. If you’ve been a guest before, thank you. You helped build this. If you haven’t yet — we’re at 1228 W. Woodin Avenue. The yellow building. Walk in any morning between May and October.
Browse our 22-boat fleet → · Book a parasail flight →
— Erik Ask & Julie Hjelle Co-owners, Chelan Parasail & Watersports
