A 38 off / 11.25m that felt easy. Why?

[Bud Man]

I don’t think I am alone when I say that I do a whole bunch of stuff wrong when I ski, but sometimes things sort of fall into place and a pass feels so easy, and I wonder why I can’t always do it that way.

 

We sometimes have a good pass and a bad pass on video to compare, but the difference is often subtle and hard to I identify.

 

The 38 off / 11.25m pass posted below does not look quite like it felt. It looks a bit sloppy, but it felt so easy. You can see me at the end trying to look into the boat to see what loop it is on. I started into the pass and it felt so easy, I felt sure my wife did not shorten the rope. I think I had a great four ball, but what did I do right during that pass that made it feel so easy? If I knew, and I could duplicate it, then maybe that line would stop being so difficult and hard on my golfers elbow.

 

I am open for hearing what I did wrong, but I would really appreciate anyone pointing out what I did differently from some of the other videos on my You Tube page that made this pass feel so easy. And what did I do differently that helped me avoid my normal bad slack coming out of #4 buoy.

 

[Chef23]

I think it looked pretty good. It looks like you are getting higher up on the boat for the gates. That always makes passes feel easier for me although not at as short line length.

[6balls]

Budman,

Nice patience on that pass despite slight bobbles...something I need emulate instead of trying to either a.) get it all back or b.) pull like a freak if I'm not happy with a particular ball or c.) get further ahead when already doing great. So hard not to get greedy!

I feel your pain having had dopey easy 38's I can't explain nor repeat...most often finding myself in the water at the 3-4 ball range repeatedly in the passes that follow.

In watching Nate Smith, seems to be he is very patient for the line to come tight and instead of taking up the slack w/biceps and PULLING away, he waits until the line take his arms straight and leans away leveraged. Granted the ice ever melts, that's something I'm hoping to work this year at shortline. Your patience in the pass above emulates that, and I believe that's why it was easy despite some slips. Great skiing!

[jdarwin]

Several reasons it felt easy

1. Boat path - freeze the video out of 1, 3 and 5 and look at the prop trail.

2. Times - about 17.10 to 17.19

 

Otherwise, nice pass.

[bxroads]

Bud man, is that a '95 - '97 190? They may not track as well as the more recent boats and also have quite a bit more of bow rise but does it even have a wake?

[Bud Man]

jdarwin,

Where was your answer before I spent all that time doing side-by-side, frame by frame analysis and not finding any differences in what I was doing; just the same sloppy skiing. [smirk]

 

No wonder it felt easier; with the position of the boat, at 1, 3 & 5, I basically had an extra foot on that side. I will have to say though, that I might see that going into the #4 buoy, my outside shoulder was not turned in as badly as it often is, and maybe that helped me to avoid some of the normal slack I seem to always get.

 

As for the speed; I tried to hand time the video, and the exit gates appear so quickly, I did not feel I could stop the watch accurately. You were right about the path and I trust your timing also. I guess that is why it was easier to run. I guess I can stop looking for things I did right. The boat has PP Classic with a slalom switch and if I get real sloppy and start fighting hard, I can pull the time down a little, but she said when I finished that pass that I felt very smooth.

 

bxroads,

You are correct about the hull. My boat is a 1997 190. I think I’ve heard a lot of good things about the 1994 hull as well as the 95-97.

 

[ral]

If you download the video and use any video editing software, timing is fairly easy.

[kstateskier]

38 in a dry suit on April 3rd... haha whats the problem!!!!

[lkb]

Budman, is that Perfect Pass Classic?

[Bud Man]

The boat has PP Classic with a slalom switch

[RichardDoane]

Bud Man - you need a MC upgrade to ZO, - oh, and by the way I've got a 197TT that'll be available in October !

[Ed_Johnson]

Richard is right in the fact you really need ZO. I use to be able to run some really short lines with PP by pulling the boat down in practice. After buying the CC200 with ZO I have had to revamp my whole style to try to take advantage of ZO. There is no pulling down ZO, it's a lot stronger and keeps the speed up. Lost a whole pass, but it is forcing me to be a more technically correct skier. While it has been a real challenge, I love the speed consistency, headwind or tailwind, weight in the boat, etc. and would not want to ever go back to PP..........ED

[RichardDoane]

One of the best attributes of ZO, is that it makes for easier driving

[mrpreuss]

38 feels easy when it is 35.

 

When the rope is at 38 off the purple section of the rope is inside the boat. Purple cannot cross over the side of the boat. Period..............

 

It felt easy for 38 because it was 35.

[webbdawg99]

Was a slalom switch in use?

[Razorskier1]

Budman -- I like that you post videos and put yourself up for all of us to pick on you. It takes a real man to subject himself to all of us on BOS! I have generally found that the "lighter" I ski my short passes like 38, the easier they get. When I pull too hard or pull too long (easy for me given old habits and power) I get killed. THis is true on PP classic, Stargazer, and ZO for me. While I can pull a PP classic boat down, I have come to believe that doesn't help the pass. I try to think about 38 as a different pass, not a harder pass. That keeps me from getting amped up and trying to kill it. In this video it just looks like you stayed very light and relaxed through the pass and maintained a nice speed and pace throughout --

[LeonL]

I used to complain about my wife's driving and she quit. Don't complain to her, but Darwin's right. It's a pretty snakey path, mostly favoring 1,3,5, but with a lot of wiggle everywhere. Like kstateskier said, 38 early April with a drysuit, pretty impressive to me.