how to go from 34 to 36

[newb]

Hi all

 

Question on technique here - I've been trying to get from 34mph to 36mph - at 36 I can't slow down for the turn. What I think I'm doing is flattening off and not changing edge. I've been told I need to generate more angle and the ski will edge change almost naturally which will slow me down pre turn?

 

I've got a few month to think about it after breaking my foot 7 weeks ago!!

 

 

[Razorskier1]

I remember where you are well! I felt like that jump was huge. In retrospect, what I should have done is gotten coaching early and often. Instead I fought with it for a long time. Without video it is hard to say. What I notice with a lot of skiers is they pull too long, then aim at the buoy. Be sure you are done pulling by the center of the wakes. Then stay two hands on with a tight line and just ride out. If you do that, the boat will create your edge change.

[ozski]

Thinking back 34 - 36 was a bit of a jump, long line is not much fun either, mix it up and run some -22 @34 for variety. Think about slowing down the turn and letting the ski finish with more angle. Resist the temptation to pull / lean hard off the ball, as the boat goes faster the natural tendency is to rush which is counter productive. Be more patient, let the angle build and work behind the boat. Keep things simple.

[webbdawg99]

When you say you can't "slow down for the turn", the first thing that jumps to my mind is not that you have too much speed, but that the DIRECTION of your speed is probably off. Cross course speed and down course speed yield very different results. Down course speed (bad) is typically caused when someone doesn't have good angle behind the boat and/or they are pulling too long off the second wake.

[Chef23]

My son is making this jump right now and I find that as the speed ramps up he gets anxious and skis to the next buoy instead of creating width. This creates the issue @webbdawg99 brings up where the direction of the speed is bad. I am working with him right now on letting the ski finish the turn and not thinking about (or looking at) where the ball is until after the second wake. When he does this he has been getting some good starts. He hasn't skied much this year so hopefully in the next few weeks he will get the feel for it.

[Ilivetoski]

I do the same thing. With me when I go to a new line length I have a problem riding flat to the buoy. Best advice- keep your elbows on your vest until you are at the buoy line. This will make the edge change, and it will allow you to ski wider of the course. Overall, the most important thing when you are at 36, is to keep your intesnity. I am not kidding, someone last night told me "keep your intesnsity up at 32 off". normally I dont get past 2 ball. Tonight I almost ran it up the line. DO NOT EASE OFF YOUR GATES TO TRY TO KEEP SPEED OFF! ALL THAT DOES IS KILL ANGLE!

[Klundell]

@webbdawg99‌ is spot on here. Speed is your friend at 36. You have to utilize it to your advantage. The worst thing you can do when you go from 34 to 36 is be less aggressive. This will kill your angle and make you feel like you are going even faster. You need space and time before the buoy to get on a good arc so the ski will carve through the turn. The only way to do this is to be aggressive from the white water to the center of the boat. You need more speed behind the boat to feel slower at the buoy.

[Skoot1123]

Great topic - I am making the switch myself as I'd like to ski a tourney or two. I fought this a little bit on Saturday too - progressively getting later in the course at 36 mph. It certainly felt like I was going flat on my ski in the preturn. Perhaps because I was going further in distance during that transition. I know my angle wasn't as good either - which killed my direction. Lots to think about.....

[kstateskier]

First get some tape (pick any color but good ole fashion silver is for men!) and a sharpie. Then write "BE STRONG BEHIND THE BOAT" on said tape with previously mentioned sharpie.

 

Next STICK IT ON THE TIP of your ski. Now go forth into the water world and run some buoys at 36!

[ToddL]

@webbdawg99's comment is true. Stated a different way: Speed in the right direction (cross-course) feels slow.

 

I think @Ilivetoski's comment is appropriate too: "DO NOT EASE OFF YOUR GATES TO TRY TO KEEP SPEED OFF! ALL THAT DOES IS KILL ANGLE!" @Bruce_Butterfield‌ recently pointed out to me that most skiers are not up alongside the boat enough before their gates. He said that a skier who is trying to learn -22 should try to do a -22 glide width when running the -15 before it. Basically run the next pass' gate width for this pass. He said that when a skier is not up on the boat before the turn to the gates, the skier is already under too much force from the boat making it harder to get hips around and under the handle before the lean load engages. As it pertains to 34 vs. 36, I guess the skier needs to also get just as wide if not a bit wider up on the side of the boat when trying to learn that next pass. The timing of the pull out and turn in might need to be adjusted for this wider, up on the boat, free of the boat location for the turn in.

 

 

[ColeGiacopuzzi]

@newb‌ when I made the jump a while back from boys 2 to 3, it freaked me out too. After 10 sets or or so you won't even think about it, you just have to think, now that the boat is going faster the less work you have to do behind the boat. The boat does all the work for you, everything you do in the course must happen just a little bit faster. Mostly meaning the edge change. Things like the gate will come to you, it will take some getting used to with the timing and how the ski reacts at a faster speed.

[PJ]

I think there is an up arrow on the Zero Off display. make sure 34.2 is highlighted. then press that button once :)

[OTF]

Lmao, @PJ does it the same as me

[GAJ0004]

If you are trying to make the transition from 34 to 36 MPH, there are a couple of keys. The first thing like always is keep wide at the countercut coming into the gate. When you come into the gate your strongest pull should be behind the boat, and you want to clip with the topside of your ski, or come within a foot of the backside of the right entrance gate ball. Maintain your angle until the edge change after the second wake. You have to get extra wide at ball one to give yourself as much time as possible because you will lose time around every buoy as you work your way down the course. The other key is keep your knees bent, and soft around the turns. If you stiffen your legs around the turns you will blow your fin out every time. Letting the ski finish the turn is every important to get and maintain the angle you need to slow the ski to make the next turn. You will know when the time to pull comes, you will feel a slight pause at the finish of the turn just before the line load, and then the acceleration kicks in very quick. Try to keep everything as smooth as possible. The little mistakes you can get away with at 34 MPH will catch up with you at 36 MPH. If you are struggling go at 34 MPH,35 MPH and 36 MPH. I used to start at 32 MPH,then go 34 MPH, and then go 36 MPH once I was able to run it. Always start with a pass you know you can run in your sleep. In the long run it will help you stay more consistent, and you will be warmed up and have a good rhythm established..

 

[JohnN]

Here's what may not be the most popular suggestion, but it worked for one son and will be used for the other in August . If you're shortening at 34, start at 34/22, or even 32/22, and stay at 22 as you speed up. I don't know why, but 36/15 seems tougher to get than going straight up at 22 and seems to promote skiing to the buoy. As always , ymmv. But it's worth a try.