Used vs New Slalom Lines - Harsh vs Smooth?

[Booze]

It's been my observation (or perhaps feeling) that after a a period of time, my slalom line feels more stiff, like there's no shock absortion...almost feels like a braided steel cable. Last year I was given a Masterline that was used in a tournament. I think it feels more harsh than my regular line.

 

How many of you guys notice a similar thing? How many of you buy a new line every year for this reason?

 

I think we would all agree the quality/longevity of the lines has improved over the years. It's been a LONG time since I've seen a line or handle section break. But now I feel the need to buy a line simply to give the 50 year old (UGH, I can't believe it) upper body a break.

(6'2" 192lb 28-39.5 skier)

[Texas6]

Its a very real observation. Many will tell you they get a new rope every year for just that reason. The harsher older ropes are also a bit tougher on tendinitis if it is something many wrestle with.

[MISkier]

Get a new rope and handle every season. If you ski all year, replace them at 6 months.

[boarditup]

There are two things going on here - stretch and creep. Stretch recovers - that elastic sensation you have while loading and unloading the rope. You can have a bit of a sling-shot effect if your release after the second wake is right. Creep is the elongation of the rope - sometimes referred to as a "set" - that you get when a rope has been under tension a long time. The rope length goes up and the diameter goes down. You also loose some individual fiber because it has been abraded away. At this point the rope is down on strength and stretch. Throw in UV degradation and you have a more brittle rope. The poly ropes for slalom have a specific amount of stretch in the specification. Wakeboard and trick ropes that are made from spectra or dynema do not stretch but will creep quite a bit until "set." The spectra rope does not suffer from taking the initial "set" until it is well UV aged. They all feel very stiff and make slalom very difficult.

 

A fresh, just broken-in rope is a great thing.

[Razorskier1]

Replace every year. A whole lot easier on the joints.

[Jody_Seal]

Shawn you have to spend a little money from time to time in this sport. Your 10 year old ropes and handles will only last so long!!

Two ropes a year for me!

[Booze]

Hey Jody, I hear ya. But I'm not using 10 year old ropes! :)

 

Ok, l'll segue into the next question...the best rope options in terms of size (strands, etc) and price.

 

What's everyone's favorite rope and vendor?

[Horton]

Should change ropes every 50 rides or so. I do not change much more than once a year.

[ToddL]

Sorry if this is slightly off topic, but what about the start of rope life...?

I have been at a tournament where very new ropes were used and the bungie effect was significant and noticed by the first handful of competitors as a distraction/issue.

 

How many sets should a new rope have in it before it is used in a tournament?

[The_MS]

Each site usually has the designated rope stretcher. 1 or 2 sets from these guys and you are set to go.

[Chef23]

I weigh between 220 and 230 depending on how the weekend was and one set with me on the other end and it is stretched out pretty well. I have had some people say that different ropes are more springy than others. Personally I have never noticed a difference.

[Jody_Seal]

I had a long talk with Randy Schoner of Masterline and he explained their new process of rope building. All of their slalom ropes will now be pre stretched and built while under tension of a digital load measuring device (600#) I just got the ropes we use for the Masters and I can tell that all the knots are already tight and all six ropes we received are all very accurate and consistent.

A great product supporting waterskiing and providing great products to our sport.

Master Line the official tow rope of the US Masters!

[DanE]

@Jody_Seal From when did they start using this new process?

If I buy a new ropes now and they are not leftover stock from last year should they be the new ones?

[skialex]

I used to give my new rope to the ski club for few sets to pull beginners, to stretch it.

This season I used my new in-Tow rope straight out of the box and it felt great from the first set.

[thompjs]

No need to "stretch" between cars either. Very dangerous too.

[jerrym]

@Jody_Seal Thanks for the info on the new masterline process. In past years I have stretched new ropes to avoid the bungee effect on the water. This year's ropes did not need much stretching - good to know the reason behind it. The new masterlines are very nice...worth the money so far.

 

We change out ropes every season for safety reasons. Do they really get to a point of no elasticity? I have never noticed - too busy yanking and cranking I guess!

[GOODESkier]

I switched to MASTERLINE rope and handle last year and couldn't be happier. I did the knotless slip line so my kids can shorten the rope easier for me. (There is motivation when you run a pass and your 4 year old already has the rope shortened to the next color regardless of your success rate on the previous pass!)

 

I thought I was going to use the same rope and handle a second year, but after skiing in CA this winter, my hands took a beating and my fore arms ached a little. So, I sprung for a new rope and handle, no more hand or fore arm issues.

 

I ski May 1 - Nov 1 daily. 2-3 sets a day with a couple days off for rest and a handful of tournament days. I suspect that in 1 season, I ski roughly 300 sets........If I were to replace every 50 sets, that might break my bank! I do suspect that I get every ounce of life out of the rope/handle.

[ColeGiacopuzzi]

skiing year around, its a rope every 6 months, I only use Masterline the best by far.

[GAJ0004]

I bought 4 ropes in 2011, and I rotate them each day I go out skiing. The less bungee feel in a rop for me the better. I like a solid pull. My ropes had the bungee feel for the first couple of sets. I will keep them as long as they are on good condition.