A2 Review

[Not_The_Pug]

That is just plain mean, but funny at the same time!

 

I did notice that it didn't have a wing on it. :)

[Stevie Boy]

John whats Greg doing with the binding placement 66.5" ?

[Horton]

No Idea. My guess is a little back of stock. Just try it.

[Chuck_Dickey]

Hey John,

 

Greg's fin numbers and bindings are way off stock, what is it doing for you that stock didn't?

[Stevie Boy]

Hey Chuck Dickey

When I brought my A2 a well respected coach/ski tester set the ski up and his numbers were

A2 66.5"

Bindings 291/4"

dft:0.780

depth:2.50

length:6.845

wing:7%

 

He actually started to get me skiing quite well on it or tho when I got home it was not going so well and other people started to say the ski did not look right, so I went back to stock and changed things around from there. I think ( I WAS WRONG ! ) to listen, I am going back to his numbers and going to make myself ski on those numbers, it was so good when you got it right, the ski tho was not so forgiving, and I have to ski on it a different way ie; ski to the bouy line and just stand on it, handle control is important, you have to feed your arm out, if you just go full reach with a bang, it will come round so fast, you will fall out of the back of the ski.

Basically if you have watched Drew Ross Video when he goes into the explanation of the boat being towed from the front, the boat will follow the boat that is towing it, if the line was to be attached to the ski pole the front of the boat would be free to swing in what ever direction it was biased towards, the only problem is that the boat being towed by the ski pole is not as stable as the one being toewd by the front.

If you watch the 41' off video of Karina Nowlan you will see her ski waving around a bit as she comes across course, you really do have to get stacked to stop it, it would be interesting to know if Horton experienced this.

[Dirt]

The A2 is the best ski I have ever ridden. It gets incredible angle, turns both sides evenly and is very forgiving. I think it skis best when you ride it aggressively.

I won't name the skier but his several year old Goode finally broke down. He had tried something like 6 new skis and had decided to buy a Mid. I told him to try Horton's A2, which was one size too big for him. He liked it so much, he bought one in the correct size.

Krlee is going to try Horton's A2 later this week and I bet he likes it. I think it is a little sensitive to set-up but Greg Badal's numbers are great.

 

67.5

29 3/8 -29 1/2

.78 flat (hold ski vertically resting on tip and press caliper flat on tail with thumb)

6.836 tips

2.500

wing 7* upside down

 

[jimbrake]

Hey Doit - when Krlee is done with it, could I give it a try, too? Really want to feel the difference between it and my A1. Let me know.

thanks,

Jim

[Stevie Boy]

Great Ski, just starting to get in the grove, the numbers that work best for me, 66.5" ski bindings 29 1/2 dft .780 / depth 2.505 / length 6.839 , SKi Buddy, I ski with gets into 41 off with those settings.

[Not_The_Pug]

Dirte' (I believe it is French?),

 

Give me a call, the message you left on Sunday didn't come through. I was going to have to call Mateo tonight to get your number.

 

Thanks,

Kevin

[Chef23]

I just picked up a 66.5 for my son and he looks great on it. April Coble set it up for him I will check the numbers when I get home and post them. It is unbelievable how much better it turns than what he was on.

[Dirt]

Krlee, I'll call you.

JimBrake, should be no problem to try it.

[Chuck_Dickey]

I was talking with an HO Pro yesterday and asked April about her A-2 fin settings and she told me the ones on the HO site are actually still the A-1 numbers and not the A-2's. She said she and Will Asher are using 6.860 to 6.870 length, 2.492 to 2.503 depth and 0.77 DTF, 8 degree wing. I split the difference on the numbers and skied the best all year on them first set.

[Chuck_Dickey]

BTW - Thanks April, see you next spring!

[stone88]

Why doesn't someone bother to change the website then?!!!

[Ham_Wallace]

No wing. (is a ventral a wing?)

[Gloersen]

on a 67.5" (180) wing@8, FB 29 7/16"

Tried 6.845/.78/2.505 first (edge change too slow).

Then 6.835/.79/2.5 decent.

Then 6.860/.77/2.495 (out of the box #'s from Wiley's) better.

Now 6.864/.77/2.494 quite good for now.

 

Might try no wing next. If too much speed is bled into offside, despite wide/early, tend to get deep and stall. Going wider (14/13m) both sides really quite good.

 

Behind the boat edge on this ski is very, very good.

[Ham_Wallace]

.79, 2.94, 6.92, Ventral front, no lower wing

[Old MS Accout]

Ham,

A ventral is a wing. MS is right.

[Horton]

A broken clock is right twice a day

[stone88]

Right I don't get this ski. I haven't been on the water for 2 weeks and the last time I was all over the place. Today I went out and just said to myself relax and think of nothing but getting stacked. I nailed 28 off for the 1st time like it was the easiest thing in the world and then ran it again even easier. It makes no sense! I would say by just thinking about getting well stacked, I was really fast and wide and the the turns just swept through super smooth. I even felt wide at 32 off but kept getting too much slack and not making it to the 2 ball

[jayski]

Ham, just to verify 2.94???

[Boody]

Bruce, check your bindings, they may to too far forward for your newer form.

[Boody]

Honestly, you should get your binding position dialed in first, which can really open up the sweet spot on the ski. Then fine tune with fin if needed.

[Dirt]

I was told 29 3/8 - 29 1/2 inches on a 67.5 inch ski. That is pretty far back from stock, which I think is 30 inches.

[Horton]

Sounds like you are a little off the reservation.

 

I would get back to stock settings. Stock fin, Fin/ Bindings settings. Ski on it for a few sets. Then start over tweaking. One thing at a time.

[ForrestGump]

Charles and I were talking to April about 2 hours ago and she said her new fin numbers that Will Asher put on her ski on Friday are VERY close to the old Goode numbers for the 9500. She said the ski came alive then.

[Dirt]

Krlee rode Horton's A2 today. He liked it. I bet he will buy one.

Bruce, I think the wing is a personal preference. The vice w mini ventral and no wing felt good. It did not change as the line got shorter.

[Not_The_Pug]

The A2 was great. It was even on both sides and great through the wakes. My gates felt a little different, but that was mostly just me getting used to the ski.

 

I still want to try the S2, but right now the A2 is my choice for a new ski.

 

Thanks Dirt for letting me come over and try it (Horton you will be glad to know he treated that ski with great care). Mateo Vargas, I need to get the Strada back to you.

 

Can't wait for Horton to bring all his demo skis up so we can test them in Nor Cal. It was great that you invited him Dirt, so we could all play. :)

[jimbrake]

So, how do I get a set on this A2 that you speak of?

[Not_The_Pug]

Jim,

 

Hopefully you can hook up with Dirt. I don't even want to go ski on my Z7 tonight. :) Maybe Dirt wouldn't notice if I traded him?

 

I liked the A2 better than the A1 I demo'd last year. But that could have been set up, I just skied it stock. This one has all the Horton and Badal special settings.

 

Kevin

[jimbrake]

Dirt - want to come ski at Lake 1 tonight, tomorrow or Friday? I have guest passes.

Jim

[Dirt]

Jim, I sent you a text last night.

[jimbrake]

Dirt - I'm still in the early 2000s. I don't text. I get email and calls. Or you can speak to me on your ship's loudspeaker when you fly over the lake.

[jimbrake]

Actually, could you just chuck the ski from the copter into the lake?

[Horton]

Hmmm no

[Skihack]

Are these dft measurements done with the needle or holding the caliper flat on bottom up against the back of the fin? I guess it also will make a difference with the silver fin vs. the red fin?

[Dirt]

Skimech, if that was for Badal's numbers, they are ski resting on tip, held vertically, pressing the the caliper flat against the ski with your thumb. Not needle. Silver fin but it is a proto-type thinner one.

[Horton]

Thinner fin is now the stock fin for 2012 (red fin)

[epyscs]

So does anyone know if HO will ship a new blade for the fin for an A2?

[Chef23]

What is the difference in the performance with the thinner blade. I just got my son an A2 with the silver fin but if it would help I would chase down the thinner blade.

[Dirt]

I believe Horton told me it felt faster or got better width with the thinner fin but he liked it with the thicker one. Correct me if I got this wrong JT.

[Horton]

Seems like I skied better with the thick but never went back and forth. Was faster for sure with thinner.

 

[Stevie Boy]

Help Please ! ok got the sweetest onside turn stand and wait and round she comes with that little bit of extra at the end of the turn, not so good on the offside comes round, but I just don,t feel that little extra at the end of the turn, something doesn,t feel quite right. should I increase the length of the fin or shorten it ? other ideas ? I do not want to do anything that is going change the onside dramatically.

Regards Stevie Boy

[Not_The_Pug]

What numbers are you running?

[Wish]

Just me babbling here but often times I will set a ski up to function well on my off-side and not worrie so much about what it may do to my on-side (unless drastic) Typically within a few passes the on-side will sort itself out because that side is naturally easier. Not to mention with a better off-side means earlier to on-side so things will have to change there anyway. Hard to change one side and expect it not to affect the other.

[Stevie Boy]

I was on 6.845/2.505/.780 bindings @ 291/4 initially in the states but when I got back to the UK it wasn,t working for me so I am using the same numbers as a ski buddy who runs 38 off into 39 off 6.839/2.505/.780 bindings@29 1/2 the ski is more pridictable and stable, before the ski was waving around a bit.

Regards Stevie Boy

[Chuck_Dickey]

May be just my skiing style but I tried all the settings posted on this thread and had mixed results. I set everything back to stock and skied my best set this year. 67.5" 6.845/2.505/.780 bindings @ 30", 8 degree wing. Did the same thing to my daughters 64.5" and she set a new PB picking up 4 more buoys.

 

Also need to correct a previous post I made. I mis-quote April Coble's comments to me about fin settings. I misunderstood what she was telling me about her settings and the setting HO's website. I apologize to both for my misquote.

[Stevie Boy]

Hey Chuck I concur, the stock settings arepretty good, 66.5 bindings 29 1/2 now running 6.840/2.505/.780 my previous measurements were a bit iffy, I know people will mock, but I took 2 thou out of the length, and imeadiately the ski was feeling realy sweeton the offside and pretty good onside, it solved the issues I was having. Best I have skied on the A2.

[Not_The_Pug]

Dirt,

 

What are your A2 settings that I tried? Should have an A2 to play on this weekend for the tournament.

 

Thanks,

 

Kevin

[Dirt]

67.5

29 3/8 -29 1/2

.78 flat (hold ski vertically resting on tip and press caliper flat on tail with thumb)

6.836 tips

2.500

wing 7* upside down