Wing removal, do it or not

[jefflyman]

Well I like many have an acceleration issue to the next buoy. I read years ago that the wings on the fins are only used to help slow you down at short lines below 35 off. I ski at 22 off in the 32 mph range and figured speed is the need not slowing things down. The first time out and after a few falls it felt noticeably faster into the turn and around almost to the point where my body was falling behind The next days sets I had the worse crashes that I've had in the past 5 years, I rarely fall. The last season ending crash was the ski taking off like a bullet exiting clear out of the water on my pull and me being spring boarded back then forward flat on my chest, bruising many ribs after the stars cleared my head. Only other change was moving my fin forward about an 1\8 inch or did this cause this radical feel?

 

Is this common when removing the wing or should it not make such a large difference at my speed and length. My ski is a 68 Radar Vice with Vectors.

[allycat]

i only free ski and pulled the wing of my ho triumph i found it made the ski a lot faster felt more slippery to me i love it like that can ski for longer and is more fun but easyer to get out of control prably not for the slalom coarse but (have never skied the coarse so would not no)

[eleeski]

1/8 inch fin movement is something I would do to my ski! That is a significant move and will radically change the feel of a ski. Proceed with caution with fin adjustments of that magnitude.

 

Wing removal is a more subtle adjustment. My recommendation is to ski with no wing until you reach your maximum speed. Add the wing because the feel of the higher speed with a wing is similar to the feel 2mph slower without.

 

Wings do have useful subtle effects. Skiing wingless is a rather silly denial of the mechanical advantages available from the wing. But some skis will feel better without a wing. Some skiers will have a better buoy count without a wing. And developing skiers need to perfect their technique before the wing becomes relevant.

 

@jefflyman Get the factory (or some other proven) fin settings on your ski. Get some coaching. Get access to a quality site and some tournament skiers. Hopefully these will take care of the variables that cause hard falls. The wing is not likely to solve your problems.

 

Eric

[Than_Bogan]

0.125" is a GIGANTIC fin move. Should never try more than .02" at a time, and usually less.

 

That is 100% of what you are feeling. The wing has nothing to do with it.

 

Put the fin back to factory and then play with the wing on/off.

[crashman]

Taking the wing off my Vice (-15 32mph skier) is one of the two best pieces of advice I've received on this forum. Not a huge difference for me but it kept the ski moving around the buoy easier and gave me slightly more time to get in better position before I feel the boat's load. I wouldn't say the difference was that much though.