This is clearly how to ski 15off 36mph

[Spesh]

I'm sure this video has been posted before, so I don't want to dwell on it too much. But from what I'm seeing, it's all about the width. As we all know, skiing narrow on an 18m line robs you of angle at the end of the turn. In this video, you can see Seth skiing way wider than is necessary which is causing him to carry a completely different trajectory through the course. he is able to turn so late past the buoy and still rely on that extra angle to get across to the otherside with plenty of time to spare. this also helps him carry the speed nicely, without stalling at the end of the turn.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this works because it means that even on an 18m line, if you ski super wide, you are able to get higher on the boat and almost replicate the same sort of trajectory that you could employ on a 14-16 metre pass.

 

 

Compare this with me running the same pass and you can see that being as narrow as I am, I will never achieve that same angle. It also means I don't get a consistent, smooth finish to the end of the turn, so I can't get my hips up and I lose angle aswell as ending up on the front arm too much, particularly coming off my 1-3-5 side. I think I need to practice skiing wider and actually riding the ski rather than just rounding buoys.

 

Apologies for the video quality. Any comments are welcome.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXRYRF8NFtk

 

[ctsmith]

Seth is getting some serious air through the wake, landing outside the white.

 

[A_B]

I hate 15 off

[Spesh]

Yes he does. It's just a nice airborne edge change....All fun and games until you catch a tip haha.

[Jody_Seal]

Yea I prefer to forget those day's

null

Especially with the stuff we skied behind!

[ToddL]

In the 36 MPH video, you can see Seth start to get behind! He was late, but patient, out of 3, 4, 5, 6. I bet he wasn't prepared for how tough -15 off is at 36 if ou aren't used to the timing and rhythm there...

 

The 30 MPH vid shows a totally different story. I like it better as it emulates what we should strive for.

[A_B]

The fun starts when you are above 200++.

 

I ski 28 off no matter what as a starter. Whether I make it or not in early season. When I was lighter I never missed even first of runs of the season. Now it is a struggle, but I will not run 15 off.

[Lucas]

@AB sorry if this sounds like a supid question as I'm only just getting into slalom but why is it that you never run 15 off?

 

[ForrestGump]

@Lucas at 15 and 22 off, the geometry is such that the boat/rope is pulling you downcourse all the time. You can start to get up on the boat to where the rope is pulling you inbound, rather than downcourse, starting at 28 and 32 off.

[MISkier]

@Lucas, I was advised to abandon 15 off as soon as I could. I still consider that very good advice. I'm planning to do the same with 22. I don't even set it at 15 off those few times when I use 36 mph, whether I run it or not. The pendulum action at the shorter lengths is very different.

[Lucas]

@ShaneH So essentially, the best strategy would be to work my way up to a shorter line at a slower speed, and then increase the speed? (my current pb is 5@22 off 34mph)

[ForrestGump]

I'm not necessarily saying that. That's up to you. I'm just telling you why people don't like 15 and 22 once they start to shorten.

[Chef23]

I think it is a mistake to skip 15 off. I think it teaches good fundamental body position. I agree it is different but I think until you are up to max speed running 15 off is a good thing. For skiers that are just learning 15 off is easier to run than 22 off. You do get different swing at 28 off and shorter but you need the good body position you learn as you progress to run the shorter line lengths.

[ral]

@Lucas, your best strategy is to learn how to ski correctly @15 off, then @22off and so on. When you start running 32 off, it is time to start @22 off and forget 15 off. When you start running 35 off, start @28 off. Not that these are ranges written in stone, but you should have at least one opener and one working length - where you actually spend most of your time - in which you can think and try to correct stuff. This working pass needs to be one that you run 90%+ of the times. There is not such a thing as a working pass which you run once in a while. All this at limit speed. Use slower speed to learn a new/limit lenght, not as a training strategy to skip a longer line lenght.

 

Just MHO in any case...

[bogboy]

I am scarred, I have been skiing for 45 years, @ my pb now is 28mph, 15 off. Should I try 22 off yet? Or try and increase my speed @ 15 off.?

[Chef23]

@bogboy I agree with @ral. I would increase the speed to 30 mph, then 32 mph until you hit your max speed which I would guess is 34 mph. Then shorten the rope.

[bogboy]

@chef23, thank you.

[9400]

I hear a lot of people say to get rid of 15off as fast as you can. I also know of a handful that learned at 22 and 28 at much slower speeds (most are now stuck at 28) My best years take place when I start at 15off until I can run 35 consistently. 15 is hard to run right. But when you can run 15 with a tight line and upcourse, you'll have a solid foundation to work with.

[A_B]

I started like everyone else, sort of, but back then, we started at 75'!.

As @RAL says, when I started running 35 off pretty consistently, and wanted to conserve energy for my shots at 38, so I started at 28 off in practice first round, and 32 off second round in mid-summer form.

 

As a beginner, I am a firm believer that 15 off will let you get away with a lot of crap and still run the pass. If you are not in good form at 28 off, even at 26 mph, you will not run it. You need to keep the ski on edge in order to get to the buoy. This is the lesson I think 28 off is good at teaching. The wakes are also flatter, so the whole idea of blasting through the wakes without standing up becomes less of a barrier.

 

The big issue I face now, and it is a BIG issue, is my weight. At 260lbs, 15 off feels like a bungy cord, even pulling out of the water.

 

I can't remember the last time I ran 15 or 22. Right now, I have skied about 8 passes, all free skiing at 28 off. I will do this until my form and strength come back and I will slow the boat down to whatever I need to run buoys, and then go up from there. I may throw some 32 and 35 off in there for fun free skiing. It's fast and to me, fast is fun.

 

There are no rules on how to learn how to run the course, make it fun with your buddies if you guys are all about the same place. Have a bragging rights round, and see how many buoys you can pick up at 32 or 35 off, at some slow speed, as you will focus on getting to the buoy and won't even think about the wakes, (most everyone stands up when they hit the wake and loses edge when at early stages of the course, or stuck on it), so the goal is to un-learn that habit, and to me, shorter rope, flatter wakes, and slower speeds was my ticket.

 

(Kris Lapoint also told me skiing super slow 28 offs was a good idea).