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Introduction
Rarely in sport of water skiing does a new slalom ski come out that does not resemble a previous generation. Sometimes the resemblance is blatant and sometimes it is hard to see. The 2016 Denali is like no other ski. It is as unique as a high end slalom ski can be. It looks different. It is designed to perform different. The 2016 Denali drips with innovation.
%20Turn</strong></p><p>Off%20side%20turns%20on%20the%20Denali%20are%20fast%20and%20basically%20automatic.%20The%20end%20result%20is%20that%20the%20ski%20almost%20always%20finishes%20with%20extreme%20angle%20and%20immediately%20accelerates%20to%20the%20other%20side.%20The%20ski%20will%20forgive%20skier%20aggression%20at%20the%20ball,%20but%20the%20resulting%20angle%20and%20load%20may%20be%20hard%20to%20manage.</p><p>The%20ski%20finishes%20off%20side%20turns%20with%20a%20lot%20of%20ski%20in%20the%20water%20and%20a%20tip%20down%20attitude.</p><p><strong>Heel%20Side%20(On%20Side)%20Turn</strong><br%20/>The%20ability%20to%20change%20the%20effective%20depth%20of%20the%20fin%20for%20the%20on%20side%20independent%20of%20off%20side%20allows%20the%20skier%20to%20fine%20tune%20the%20turn%20radius%20of%20the%20Denali%20in%20ways%20most%20skiers%20have%20never%20previously%20known%20was%20possible%20(see%20Fin%20Block%20Notes%20below).%20Generally%20speaking%20on%20side%20turns%20are%20fast%20and%20sharp.</p><p>Loss%20of%20water%20speed%20at%20the%20end%20of%20the%20on%20side%20turn%20is%20a%20problem%20that%20plagues%20many%20skiers.%20The%20Denali%20is%20perhaps%20the%20cure%20to%20this%20problem.%20The%20ski%20seems%20to%20never%20stall%20or%20lose%20speed%20at%20the%20exit%20of%20on%20side.</p><p><strong>From%20the%20Ball%20to%20the%20Second%20Wake</strong><br>Speed%20and%20angle%20are%20hard%20things%20to%20quantify%20when%20talking%20about%20a%20slalom%20ski.%20The%20Denali%20creates%20a%20surprising%20amount%20of%20angle%20and%20puts%20far%20less%20stress%20on%20the%20skier%20than%20expected.%20The%20small%20amount%20strength%20required%20to%20run%20a%20lot%20of%20short%20line%20passes%20is%20remarkable.</p><p>A%20skier's%20ability%20to%20moderate%20aggression%20approaching%20the%20wakes%20is%20critical.%20Too%20much%20input%20at%20the%20wakes%20may%20result%20in%20a%20early%20but%20narrow%20approach%20to%20the%20next%20ball.%20When%20this%20happens,%20it%20is%20difficult%20to%20regain%20width%20at%20the%20next%20ball%20and%20frantic%20skiing%20is%20the%20result.</p><p><strong>Second%20Wake%20to%20the%20Ball</strong><br>The%20Denali%20is%20comfortable%20and%20stable%20from%20edge%20change%20to%20the%20ball.%20Provided%20that%20the%20skier%20does%20not%20do%20anything%20imprudent%20before%20the%20second%20wake,%20the%20Denali%20casts%20out%20very%20wide%20of%20the%20next%20ball.</p><p>The%20Denali%20is%20forgiving%20to%20lack%20of%20handle%20control%20after%20the%20edge%20change.%20Every%20ski%20works%20better%20when%20the%20skier%20maintains%20more%20tension%20on%20the%20rope,%20but%20some%20skis%20are%20more%20forgiving%20than%20others.</p><p><span><img%20src=)
Conclusion
The 2016 Denali is a radical design that will prove to be too much for some skiers but magical for skiers with the right skill set.
Fin Block Notes
All other skis on the market are designed to have 3 directions of fin adjustment plus binding placement*. The Denali offers a 4th fin adjustment by adding a set screw that can change the depth of one side of the fin. During this review, I experimented with a range of numbers between .02" and .045" difference between the depth on the right and left side of the fin. Follow this link for more information on this adjustment.
*D3 offers different fin blocks to change the tail rocker of the ski.
Additional Note
All reviewed skis are ridden 20 to 25 rides before a review is written. This review reflects my impressions on the Denali towards the end of the review period. For the first half of this review period, my impressions were not nearly as positive as what is written above. I struggled with the ski and told to the folks at Denali a number of times that they may not like what I was going to write. It appeared that the ski may be too innovative.
During the end of the of the review period, I changed the fin and binding settings, I reverted back to an old boot, the water temps changed, and I changed my level aggression on the ski. What one factor changed the performance of the ski, I do not know for sure. What I do know is that I went from missing passes and skiing in a defensive mode to being surprisingly wide, early and slow at the ball. I suspect the key factor was the adjustment in my level of aggression and load. This ski needs a calm technical skier who does not overload from the ball to the wakes.