Let's see your ski collection

[XR6Hurricane]

Some of my friends couldn't believe how many skis I owned, so I lined them all up when I was reorganizing the rafters in the garage a couple weeks ago. Some of the trick skis I have never been on.

 

L-R:

Penn Craft Spray King combo set

H.O. Excel combo set (like new, found at curb with a "free" sign on them)

Unknown brand of banana peel skis with homemade fins to double as jumpers

Viking banana peel skis

Thompson shoe skis

Unknown brand of home-rigged backwards slalom

Sears & Roebuck J.C. Higgins wood slalom

Roland Hillier Li'l Monster - one of the corner pieces in my man cave

Western Wood 65" XL7 Glass Competition (still had the Mike Suyderhoud sticker on it when I got it)

Western 65" Funnel Tunnel epoxy glass (still has the 65" sticker under the tip)

EP Superformer 67" (rear half of front binding was replaced with a generic adjustable from a combo ski)

Connelly Concept 65"

 

The Concept is my everyday ski and is the newest one (1998). The Western XL7 is my second favorite.

 

I'm sure many of you have more than I have, and more interesting ones.

[travnews]

What is the deal with the bindings on the the first wood slalom ski. Have you skiied on that ski.

[RichardDoane]

how about spacesuits ?

[Gloersen]

.

[XR6Hurricane]

First wood slalom ski is the backwards slalom. I have not tried it. The guy who gave it to me was a former tournament skier who lived in Evanston, IL and practiced every morning at sunrise on Lake Michigan. Said it took him an entire summer just to learn how to get up backwards on it.

[MattP]

@HR6Hurricane backwards slalom? He was pulling your leg...

[Ed_Johnson]

I've seen A. Larken come up backwards on a regular Slalom Ski several times.

[Zman]

I have an old wood ski also with rubber mounted backwards. Used this for backward barefoot step offs. Although I learned backwards by deepwater starts, a couple ski friends learned by stepping off a slalom ski going backwards. Both ways are fun, except for the slams on the back of your head.

[XR6Hurricane]

I don't know if it was ever something done in tournaments in his time, or if it was just something he did for fun. Just watch the show ski world. All sorts of creative stuff is done there all the time.

[Wish]

I try to collect odd wood skis I have not seen before. The ones on the wall at an angle have Knights charging on black horses. Love the graphics on the Dog Bones and Ski Skat. The Grand Banana is also cool. It's the Banana Peel model...... I guess.

.

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[XR6Hurricane]

My dad has a Challenger slalom that looks just like the combo pair you have with the knights charging, but the bindings are a different color and I think the tail is more squared off. He bought it new in the '60s and still has it.

[Texas6]

That's really cool @wish. For some people it's deer heads for trophies, for others it's old wooden skis.

[klindy]

@XR6Hurricane - There was a group of us on the lake we grew up on in Southwestern Michigan who all rode the "Back Off" (slalom ski with the bindings mounted backwards). The generation before me were the ones who started it on our lake and it was a yearly ritual when the 'old guys' (3-4 of them) would all ride them together around the lake on July 4th. All the skis we had included a little plastic "cup" that was screwed to the tail which would drag in the water and shoot a stream of water up about 10' in the air just missing your nose.

 

Starting on the ski wasn't too hard once you got the coordination right. We'd start in shallow water and "hop up". Once you're up it was like riding a trick ski backwards. Never thought to try the slalom course at the time! I'm sure there's some pictures around somewhere.

 

@Wish We had one of those "Ski Skats" too. At the time they were made in two sizes - the one pictured and one about half that length. It was so short your front foot actually stepped on top of your rear foot (toes ended just behind the ball of your foot). They were fun to ride! The old canoe paddle was cool too!

 

Great ski collections!!

[Horton]

My office

[thager]

@Horton Have you done a write up on the Connelly boots yet?

[Horton]

Yep. A few months ago...

 

http://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/5673

 

[bbirlew]

@klindy,

How did you get up on the paddle?? After seeing a video of someone riding one as a kid I have always wanted to try!!

[thager]

@Horton. Don't know how I missed that? Nice review.

[Wish]

@Horton have you ever sat back and calculated the dollar value of whats on that ski rack.?? I know my collection is priceless. Or worthless. I get confused on that sometimes.

[Horton]

If they were all new, not blems and current year I think retail value would be about 20K. On Ski-It-Again today the value is less than 1/2 that. Since I generally do not sell test skis it really does not matter. I treat them all as if I paid retail.

 

I think only 1 of those skis is not a demo or blems.

[FrankS]

@horton why dont you sell your test skis? i would buy one

[tfriess]

@horton yeah you could make a lot of money and I'd be glad to take one off yours hands so you can create some space in your office for the A3

[Horton]

Can't do it that way

[eleeski]

Steal from Horton?! (Dirt? At least your skiing will improve). Or arrange some repairable airline damage. I'll fix that Nano1!

Eric

[eleeski]

Toe back starts rule!

Eric

[jhughes]

@horton you actually get to keep the skis you review huh? I get to buy mine, LOL!

[Wish]

This guy wins.... or you if you have the $$$$$$

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Wood-Water-Ski-Collection-Murdoch-Vogue-Cut-n-Jump-Brad-Connelly-/221128463454?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item337c48945e

[XR6Hurricane]

Cripes...that's nuts.

 

I'd actually like to thin a few of my wood ones out to make room for a couple of new ones.

[SMITTY]

[SMITTY]

Sorry about that, first time putting photo up on I phone. Still switch it up and ski on some of them. Quattro right now!

[Memocruz]

I came across these water skis sears mark 200 combination I would like to know if anyone has info on them or the year they were made

[Steveo]

No longer have them but some of my earlier skis include: Lil Monster which I paid $35 for brand new in the plastic wrap. CG Tech 1, wooden O'brien, EP comp 2, O'brien Mach 1 and oh yeah CG El Diablo. Learned on a pair of Nash combos.

[OldGuysRule]

I think I just realized I'm a "horder!" I've skied on every one of them except the Lil Monster.

1957 Kimball Slalom (first fiberglass skis)

1957 Kimball Combo Pair (first fiberglass skis)

C G wood trick pair

C G wood combo pair

C G wood slalom

D-3 single trick

Beginner Pair

2 Jobe fatties

Connelly combo pair

HO combo pair

Connelly Big Easy

Connelly Big Daddy

1 pair wood shoe skis

1 pair plastic shoe skis

1 white kneeboard

1 Obrien kneeboard

1 Hydroslide surf board

1 Taperflex formica/wood ski

1 Taperflex multi-color formica/wood ski

1 KD CR 7 slalom

1 HO VTI slalom

1 Maheraja slalom

1 D3 Quest slalom

1 HO A3 Radio Active slalom

1 Lil Monster slalom

1 round disc w/stool

1 air chair

1 Reclinoski - homemade plywood platform w/Adirondack chair attached

1 Lawnmower man ski - homemade plywood platform w/mower attached

 

 

 

[dchristman]

@bbirlew just put it under your foot and get up:

 

[woodenwall]

Looking for an old Murdoch Slalom Ski if anyone wants to sell one.

[woodenwall]

Late sixties Maherajah Concave Wood-- Early seventies Maherajah Model 2001- Late sixties Cypress Gardens EL-Diablo The Devil-- Mid seventies Maherajah Model Stiff Ski-- Late sixties Cypress Gardens Dog Bone Trick Skis- Mid fifties Cypress Gardens Dick Pope (with out Junior written on them) set of skis-- Mid sixties original ski rope

[LLUSA]

[Horton]