This will be the first article in a three part series of misconceptions a lot of skiers have while on the water. I want to talk about being light on the line and what this concept actually means and how to incorporate it into your skiing. I have seen and heard a lot of people talk about trying to ski lighter and it translates to them just being very soft and not ever getting drive away from the boat after the turn. The idea in reality deals with carrying your speed throughout the entire pass. We feel fast on our skis due to intense acceleration. Acceleration comes from slowing too much in the turn and then trying to regain that spend instantaneously out of the turn. If speed can effectively be carried from the pullout and then carried throughout the course with minimal deceleration and acceleration then there is no need to have periods of massive acceleration which cause extreme amounts of load on the rope in a short time. The key to being light is staying connected throughout the pass, by maintaining connection off of the second wake you are able to carry your speed out and back through the finish of the turn and then begin an aggressive cut across the course. Failing to stay connected results in moving back to the inside and carrying speed down the lake with a loose rope. When the rope is loose in the turn it causes skiers to have to lose tremendous amounts of speed to regain balance. After that point the only way to regain speed is to load really hard out of the turn and accelerate quickly, thus land sliding the same process through the pass. In reality, the idea of being light on the line has everything to do with how well you control your speed in the course. Being aggressive behind the boat doesn't mean you are heavy on the line. Being heavy on the line comes from gaining all your speed instantly right off of the bouy. Instead, once your turn is complete and angle is set begin to rebuild your speed progressively all the way through the second wake. At this point you can begin to carry that speed and direction out to the next bouy. Slowing in the turn is inevitable, how you deal with that speed is what allows you to be light on the line. In the turn, move away from the boat until you move back through the turn. By doing this, you prevent yourself from being stagnant on the ski which causes imbalance and a loose line. Remember that controlled speed is your friend and by carrying that speed throughout the entire course you are in control of the actions you make.
