The Hoax.A(squared) slalom ski aka.. Denali

[Wish]

Ok, I’ve been riding this since Sept 10th with 14 sets but three in a tournament. So how did I come across getting this…?.. lets just say “science”. Well, that’s what the Adams tell me when I ask a question that they are pretty sure I wont understand the answer too. Anyway, thought I would write down some of my impressions. Bare in mind that this and other Denali’s out it the wild are basically prototypes/test skis. There are still things to be worked out. And the Adams are really doing this in a different manner. And one that I am excited about.

 

So seeing it, my first impression was that it’s an odd looking ski. The tunnel is way different then anything I have ever seen. There is the crazy looking front half of the ski that seemingly does not have much rocker. The sidewalls seem thick-ish looking. And then there's name…well.. it’s a mountain. Pretty sure if I ask how they came up with the name, one or the other would just say “science” and leave it at that. But looks and names do not make a ski function nor do the graphics but I kinda like the graphics sooo..

 

 

 

Me, 5’10” 180 on an S2 with all kinds of funky stuff attached to the fin and other places. Not to mention my home brew hard shell bindings. My S2 is often referred to as Frankn-ski. It has served me well. Ran my first 38 this time last year in a tournament and managed to squeak around 2 ball at 39. Much like @Horton, I see 38 as my hardest pass and it is not run often. And to make matters worse, as I age, I do not attempt 38 very often, as it feels abusive to my body. Seems I can really feel it in the joints the next day. So not a fun pass for me to attempt but always excited to run it.

 

So the first set on the ski was one without proper numbers to the fin…way off actually. That was a wasted set but I still felt very different things. Good things. Quick text into Adam and new numbers applied. Over the course of several days, including between each round at the tournament, I’ve been fin moving and boot moving at the suggestion of the Adams. Basically they are honing in on good numbers by collecting settings data on several skiers at various levels, speeds, and ability. I personally like that. Considering the testers for the big ski companies can run 39 on a 2x4, it is hard for me to know if a ski will be right for me. They are not me and I am not them. So to me, doing it this way makes more sense.

 

So a first for me was to adjust things between rounds at a tournament. A bit unnerving but I had confidence in Adam Cords suggestions. And each round was better then the previous. I even dropped my 28 off pass for the 3rd round as it seemed too easy and waist of energy. Up to the tournament I had not attempted a 38 in practice on the Denali. With no practice at that line for the gates, my scores reflected this. Very different gate set up then what I've been skiing on. But, last round 35 was just plane easy. I can usually run that pass but not that easy.

 

After the tournament, various changes were again tried and in the last 2 weeks, more 38s have gone down then in the past 2 seasons on my S2. Not only have they gone down but it is now a pass that I want to get to. In other words, 38 does not seem like a once in a blue moon pass or a painful one. A feeling I have not had in 7 years. It has taken time to actually get used to seeing the ball that far out in front of me both at 35 and 38. More often then not this weird visual has stopped me from completing a 38.

 

So what’s so different? ..Everything!.. The ski just flat out feels way different in every element of the course. All positive once your brain raps around the fact that it’s all good stuff. One of the Denali testers (a female) put it in a neat little descriptive package.. “it’s like skiing on silk”. I can tell you where I feel the edge change happening or other phases a ski goes through in a pass on just about any ski I have tried. The Denali seems to blur those lines into one continuous motion. And then does it with speed. Accelerations and deceleration are also muted. At first I could not figure out how this ski killed enough speed to turn and it not be felt. Well, it does not kill speed. It just turns with it. Remarkable how much speed it takes though the turn. So much so that I’ve had slack and hardly felt it because I wasn’t digging myself out of a hole at the end of a turn. It does not feel abusive when slack happens.

 

The other remarkable thing was the ability for the tail to stay put no matter what. I’ve been through many settings with one that included a power tool and I’ve never felt like I could blow a tail….ever. I asked the Adams how this was possible. One just said “science” and the other explained what makes this happen. I’ll put it into what I feel is easy to grasp terms, as I understood it. So, it does this through the incorporation and execution of…science. Yep. That’s about how much I understood of the explanation. I’ve since stopped asking questions.

 

Just a few visuals of the skis abilities. First pic is a 38 off pass that I ran with a not so good 3 ball (my off side). Second pic is the angle I achieved before hitting the first wake off that ball. Really?? What ski does this?!?!. Look at the time stamp and how fast this was accomplished and how much angle was achieved after the ski was basically pointed at the boat.

 

 

 

This pic is a 35 coming off my off side into my onside 4 ball. Can you say “space before the ball”. This is a visual I will enjoy getting used to. Still a bit bazar to see. Especially at 38.

 

 

 

As the weeks and months progress I will define things better as the ski will get further refined and tuned. Can’t believe I’m actually saying things could get better. It’s almost like cheating. Hmmm….. Come to think of it, I should keep this to myself. So, I’m sure this will never make it to production. I mean who want’s such a strange looking ski made by a couple techy dudes that named it after a mountain. No point in getting interested here.

 

P.S.

All the above is a continuation of an elaborate Hoax. None of this really exists or happened. Nothing to see here. It’s all fake practice sets so nothing counted. Be on your way to all the other ski choices out there. Ignore the man behind the curtain. Area 54 is not a real place either. Carry on.

 

[Mo2204]

@Wish those pics are poorly photoshopped ... I would say that is a wooden board with some bindings on it. Hoax

[MISkier]

I saw three of these hoaxes at our "cold water shootout" today. Two of them took 38 down at 36 mph in a 20 mph tailwind, 55 degree water and 50 degree air. Just watching them, you can tell they are unique and something special on the water. The angle and acceleration off the ball is amazing.

[Skoot1123]

@wish - skier or the ski?! You are a pretty great skier!!

[thager]

Very cool @Wish! Keep it coming! The use of chicken wire in the top skin is so Kool!!!!!

[Wish]

@Skoot1123 the ski is doing the work so I don't have to.

 

@thager good point and another reason to stay away from this ski. Who uses chicken wire? Silly engineers....

[Horton]

Is this silly joke over yet? Stop!

[Ilivetoski]

I only have 1 question. The amount of space covered in those 2 time frames is a lot. Obviously its a fast ski. Is it on the border of too fast? Or does the fact that it eats up any slack kind of negate that? This season I was pretty conscious of skiing on a ski that a lot of people raved about the speed because if you arent on your edge quick enough with enough ski in the water, that speed turns into slack.

[Wish]

@Horton... It is just a painted Warp..shhhh..

[Wish]

@Ilivetoski thats 2 questions... ;)

[MISkier]

@Wish, it is Area 51....and Car 54.

 

Edited:

 

Or, Studio 54.

[EFW]

@Wish Where did you get those buckles from? Those are the best buckles out there. (IMHO) Years ago I believe I got mine from Rollerblade. Are those still available? Secondary what plastic shells are those? Thanks

[jedgell]

I want one... Too bad I'll have to wait until Spring to get on the water.

[AdamCord]

@Ilivetoski I'll try and answer your question and explain how we dealt with that. When I first got into designing skis years ago I wanted to make skis that were FAST, so I did what I had seen other manufacturers do which is make the bevels small, put a lot of area behind the feet, flatten the tail rocker, etc. to try and create a lot of lift. Designing a ski that way works in making a ski fast, and there are some notable skis on the market now that I'd say fit that description well. But when a ski rides high on the water you start to run into what you are talking about, where you move up on the ski in the turn and it just won't shut down fast enough to let the boat get away, keep the line tight, and make an aggressive turn without the possibility of blowing out or losing direction. So manufacturers generally start trying to adjust the flex or the fin to make it work, and you end up with something that might feel great on your easy passes or when you're skiing really well, but you can get into trouble fast if you get late or make a mistake.

 

What we did with this ski is try and design it in a way that it has the lift needed to keep it from getting in a hole, so you can get speed early coming out of the turn and into the first wake, but it really sits very deep coming into the apex and through the finish of the turn. One of the testers described the feeling as "grippy" coming into the turn, but free everywhere else. What that means is that coming into the turn it shuts down more like a ski would in a strong head wind, and it carries that speed from apex back to the handle instead of just scrubbing speed and getting you into a position where you'll be slow and get loaded. Like @Wish said it all feels very different at first until you get used to it and realize you can push as hard as you want and it just works better. :)

[Horton]

@AdamCord and I thought I was the P.T. Barnum of water skiing

[Wish]

I probably should have address the question as well but maybe from the perspective of those two pics. So for starters, I'm still getting used to things. The differences between how my S2 dealt with speed and how the Denali does it is like night and day. So it is taking some adjusting on my part and more so of trusting. Early on I mentioned to Adam that I just had to trust the ski more. A lot more. I think that started to happen at the tournament as I was just giving into "science" and not worried about buoy count. After that I started to really go for it so to speak. Every time I was sure I was out of a pass I ended up back in it. In the case of the pics, I was off coming into 3 ball and was sure it was all over. Made the pass. I had to share that as it still stuns me. But as I get used to things I'm discovering that to fast is not something this ski has an issue with. It seems to be a different kind of speed management that works. It's just that with my S2 speed was a HUGE factor. Shutting that thing down has always been a challenge at short line..this is why all the extra FankinSki attachments. This ski deals with speed differently. As I get more trusting, the ski line gets tighter and I'm actually going faster. Right now putting that into play for the pull out and glide is the challenge. Again, coming off the S2 in the gate set up, this is a marked difference in how things work as it relates to speed.

 

@MISkier but I think Area 51 is real soooo...

[AdamCord]

@Horton "There's a sucker born every day"

 

Apparently Brent Triplett ran a 36mph 38off in a 20mph tailwind yesterday at a tourney in Michigan on a Denali...or maybe I made that up... :o

[MISkier]

@AdamCord and @Horton, I was the boat judge for all of Brent Triplett's passes yesterday. He actually ran 38 twice and was on his way to running it easily for a third time (again in a heavy tailwind) when the "I've got this run, but I really want to kill it" monster caught up to him at 5 ball.

 

All of those 38s looked as easy as a 38 can possibly look. And it was cold.

 

By the way, it was a head-to-head format and very exciting to watch.

[Than_Bogan]

@Wish has really nailed one of the most interesting feelings/adjustments related to this ski. It has even caused me a little confusion in trying to find settings because my instinct tells me "oh this is way too fast into the ball; I'll be slacking the line at -35 and -38." Except I don't. The ski screams in, and then screams out. It's a different feel that quite frankly is still psychologically uncomfortable for me, but I'm excited for what can happen when I get used to it!

[gregy]

@wish what size ski (that doesn't exist) are you on? Than is on a 66".

[Wish]

66

[MISkier]

Just so we don't leave him out, @CaleBurdick also ran 38 at 36 mph (in both directions) and got halfway through 39 in those same heavy winds on a Denali. Brent and Cale had 4 of the 6 38 passes on Saturday. The other 2 38s were both at 34 mph and both into the headwind. One was on a Connelly GT. The other was on the grey and red Strada (circa 2011?). I saw all 6 from the boat.

 

I think it is also important to note the 38s that were into the wind. A slight headwind is sometimes helpful. A 20 mph headwind is a challenge to generate speed and maintain width/space.

[Than_Bogan]

@MISkier Wow, that is some skiing.

 

Agreed: I personally find that right around 20 mph the headwind becomes the harder direction. Both are very hard at that point, but it becomes impossible to get the width in that strong of a wind. Plus the chop is moving toward you.

[Ryno]

@AdamCord Any idea when you will have a product ready to sell? The water temp is already over 20 deg C where I am in Australia, so it's shaping up to be a long summer on the water!

[AdamCord]

@Ryno do you know any people on your side of the world who are willing to subject themselves to the tests/crazy ideas that we've been putting guys like @Wish and @Than_Bogan through?

[ozski]

Sounds like fun!

[Wish]

Don't let @AdamCord spook you. It's not that crazy. Ya just need to have calipers ...and a power tool or two near by.

[Than_Bogan]

@ozski It is fun. But it's a different experience for sure. There have been days where the settings were totally messed up and I couldn't come close to running to -35. Other days where -35 seems to run itself. The exploration is super-interesting, and there's excitement behind never knowing what you're going to experience when you get out there. But it's surprising how hard it is to accept those "science experiment" days where the experiment result in an unequivocal "not those settings!" It's hard to escape the feeling of a wasted set, even though I know in my head that it wasn't a waste AT ALL because it gathered valuable data.

[aussiemc]

@AdamCord, myself and some of my mates down under would be happy to test your ski through our summer. There is a group of us at Myuna Bay (39off - 28off) skiers that would love an opportunity to ride/test your ski.

[ozski]

@aussiemc Your site is pretty salty correct? Might provide some interesting feedback.

[aussiemc]

@ozski our site is salt. We also ski a lot at Stoney Park, (freshwater) 3hrs up the road. Feedback could be very valuable to the Adams'.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

Speaking of crazy test ideas......I just had something show up tonight that is definitely the "most out there" ski I've ever tried. And that's after riding 2 Denali Protos. Or whatever they were.

[Ryno]

@AdamCord As you can see, you'd get no shortage of skiers of here in Australia willing to test the next big thing to hit the water.

I like what I've read about your ski, in that it carries more speed through the turn. I ski on a Sans Rival SR2 and (as I'm now 36) I've been contemplating dropping the speed back to 55 kph. I usually run the 14.25m at 58kph, however I find when I drop the speed back to 55 kph it takes more effort to maintain/generate width and carry speed through the turn. The slower pass should be much easier, right? ; )

Therefore the positives of your design seem very appealing. Do you have a timeline for the public release of this ski? Or are you expecting another design change before then?

[skialex]

@AdamCord how about testing one in Greece? We ski year round both fresh and salt water and I know few (myself included) that would love to put themselves to testing for the shake of science.

Ski tweaking and setting up skis and fins is an area that I have a good knowledge and most of the skiers here come to me to help them with their skis!

 

[epyscs]

@AdamCord and if you need kiwi skiers I am sure I could find a couple that would be keen (me included)!

[Than_Bogan]

@Wish I think we need to stop talking this thing up. People are gonna get grumpy about not having access to one. :) Imagine how crazy people would be going if we hadn't already told them it's all just a hoax.

 

On a slightly more serious note, if you keep smashing -38 with this thing, you're gonna have to change your signature. (I did say "slightly"...)

[AdamCord]

Thanks for the offers to test, if you haven't already go ahead and send me a PM. I should also say that seeing as we are not a big company with any financial backing, any skis that go out the door will need to be paid for. For the moment we are charging $1500 plus shipping/tax.

 

The plan is to launch the ski for sale to the public in the spring, although we might be able to get some out earlier for you guys who are just starting your ski season. To be honest we aren't looking to sell hundreds of skis right off the bat, we'd prefer to start slowly and really be sure that anyone who gets a ski is able to do really well on it. Flex and setup are critical to the success of any ski and not everyone needs the same thing. That's why we are in "data collect" mode right now

[Horton]

@MattP I think I will be cleared to ski on Dec 15. Can you start a count down clock to that date so we can also know how many days until the Denali hoax will finally be over.

[ozski]

@Horton You so wana ride this puppy it must be doing your head in..

[Horton]

@ozski when I am ready to ski .... @AdamCord will be like "Haaa no just kidding"

[MISkier]

@Horton, I think I heard that December 15th is the launch date of the next new ski, the Tuttle.

 

Let's see who gets that reference.

 

 

[MattP]

@Horton I can do that but the Adams know it is a ton of fun to mess with you. So they are shipping me a Denali to Austin.

[Horton]

@MattP you are fired

[Wish]

Almost all packed up for Austin. Clearly from the pic I'm riding something different then the Hoax(Denali). Back on the crack...

 

Spread the word. No need to look inside the SportTube in Austin.. Most likely just cats would pop out. Very pissed off cats.

 

 

[MattP]

@Wish switching skis before a tournamnt. Brave move.

[AdamCord]

I'm guessing there could be something other than a Goode under that neoprene sleeve...

[Wish]

Shhhhhhhh..... Trying to make @Horton feel better.

[dbressel]

Sorry if this has been stated before; however, if the Denali is anything like the definition of Denali in the urban dictionary, I want one.

[Wish]

Well, practice rounds were just OK. Mostly because @adamhcaldwell was fine tuning from the bindings up. So basically now I have more width and a better finish at 135. Great right? Well, I have gotten used to a visual of being early into balls @35 for the most part. Now the visual has changed again to wider and if possible earlier along with where I connect with the handle..greater speed through gates ... ALL good. But new. Dang it, now I have to get used to skiing better on a ski that already skied great. Nice problem to have.

[Wish]

Team Denali makes the sweet 16.