Advice on getting into course skiing for lifelong free skier

[Keukaskier]

I need some advice on getting into course skiing. I grew up on a public lake only knowing free skiing and trying to make a bigger spray than my buddy. That was our competition. I’d watch the pro skiers on TV but that was really my only view into what happens on a slalom course, Andy Mapple conquering most weekends. It wasn’t until a couple years ago (I’m 36 now) that I found this site and discovered there is a whole ski world out there that I have never experienced…so technical…just a different level of thinking surrounding the sport that I didn’t know existed. Fin settings? Binding settings, stacked position, hip rotation, G.U.T.…the list goes on. Anyways, I ski in western NY, and want to be humbled and go ski in a course, but I’m not exactly sure where to start. Keuka is a deep lake, so should I even bother looking into a portable course? I don’t think there is a club around there that I know of to join. There may be courses on surrounding lakes, but I have not seen any. I think this forum may be my best resource to get me on a course this summer. All help is appreciated.

[Bill22]

@Chef23 you know anyone in West NY?

[Than_Bogan]

There are a ton of great slalom sites in western NY, including two sites that have hosted regionals recently: Dave's Pond (which I guess is technically in Erie, PA) and Hidden Pass (Rochester, NY). However, I do not personally have connections there.

 

Two warnings for the first-timer (in order of importance):

 

1) There is no turning back. You will never again be satisfied with any aspect of your skiing and will constantly obsess over every detail of your technique and equipment.

2) Patience is super-important on Day One. It's usually very frustrating to realize just how much different a slalom course is from what a recreational skier does. Be prepared to throw out everything you thought you knew.

 

Welcome to the addiction!

[Jody_Seal]

@Keukaskier

Don't listen to these Buoy heads! Big Spray is where it is at! Chasing buoy's is like a drug addiction!! Just say no!!

 

 

[ToddL]

< font = "sarcasm" > I tend to get into the course by first leaning out to the left, then cutting to the right through the entrance gates. < /font >

[CsSkis]

@Keulaskier Do a search on this website forum for "Google Earth - Ski Sites Update- Again!" If you have Google Earth, this is a fantastic resource for where you can locate a lake with a slalom course with a group of active skiers who can give you the appropriate baptism into the sport.

[lpskier]

@Keukaskier There are lots of tournament skiers in western NY, and a handful of great ski sites. Are you nearer Syracuse (Peck's Pond), Rochester (Hidden Pass), Owego (Spencer's), Friendship (Crystal Spring) or Buffalo (Harkies)? I can provide you with a name and contact info for the closest site if you PM me. You can try applying to NYDEC for a floating object permit for a course, but I understand they are pretty persnickety about public water in western NY. There was a public course in Honeoye that was revoked within the past two or three years.

 

The easiest way to learn to ski the course is at ski school in Florida or South Carolina and that makes for a fun vacation and an early start to the season.

[ToddL]

So, I agree with @Than_Bogan. Buoys become addicting.

 

Some general tips...

Find any, all clubs/sites, etc. in your area. Reach out with the intent of meeting people. Ask if you can come ride in the boat to see how it all works. Offer some thanks (beer or maybe bite to eat afterwards). Pay attention to who is way focused vs. who is just having fun. Get to know the fun people, but respect the training time and focus of the serious people. Even if you don't ski, stay on site to the end and offer to help put the boat and gear away, including wiping down the boat, etc.

 

Consider the investments that others have made to obtain access to their ski site. Did they purchase land/house at significant expense? Is it a lease or club boat? Understanding the other skiers' investment in the site will explain their protectiveness or rules around guest access. Realize that some, or most, of the people at a competition site are training towards a competitive goal and take their time on the water very seriously. Just be aware and respectful.

 

Once you have made some new friends, then start asking about getting an introductory pull on the course. Again, be prepared to say "thanks" ($25, beer, can of gas, etc.) . ALWAYS, always, always stay to the end of the ski outing and ask how you can help clean/put-away the boat and gear. If someone starts wiping down a boat, offer to help or to do that while they focus on other tasks. Be prepared that some sites may have rules about insurance and liability, which may even require you to purchase a day membership with the national governing body (USAWS Guest Day Membership). (Note: If you get hooked on competition, you will have to purchase a more formal membership to participate in tournaments.)

 

Just my $0.02. A lot of gratitude goes a long way. And, awareness of the skiers who are training and being respectful of that, helps a lot, too. If you get off on the right foot and make a positive impression, you will be welcomed back.

 

 

[gregy]

@Than_Bogan I remember that Matrix red / blue pill reference you had made a while back.

[Keukaskier]

I think I've been taking a gateway drug all these years... uh oh!

[rodltg2]

I also suggest to turn around and walk away ! in fact run , don't walk ! your wallet will thin , non skier friends will think your crazy , and next thing you know you live on a ski lake out in the sticks !!

[rodecon]

Hey @Keukaskier , we have a portable course that we put in conesus lake often and my ski partner @web has a portable on Keuka as well.

I will PM you, but would be happy to get you into course skiing this year.

Warning: skiing a slalom course can be dangerous to your pride!

[UWSkier]

What they said... Prepare to feel like a total noob. Those buoys come at you really fast when you're just getting started!

[supergadget]

@ToddL . Very well put.

@Than_Bogan . Also very well said. After reading this sight for the last two years I am experiencing the exact same thing to me right now.

 

[Bill22]

@Than_Bogan "You will never again be satisfied with any aspect of your skiing"

 

I thought we were supposed to wait until the 3rd or 4th day in the course to tell them the truth.

[gt2003]

@Keukaskier , I just tried the course for the 1st time last year. Yes, very humbling, still is. I've found all people involved are great folks and willing to pass on the addiction to you. I always bring beer, maybe food and offer to help where I can. With this in mind, there have never been any problems and I've now got a few different places I can ski. Now on to skiing...

 

1st time through the course and I really just looked around. Very strange experience, felt very out of place. Just absorb, it will get better.

 

Further into the outing I realized these guys here really know what they are talking about. ZO doesn't care about you! Without the proper body position the boat will pull you out the front in a heart beat! OTF makes you want to learn...QUICKLY!

 

Just keep after it and ski as regularly as you can. Get some professional instruction if you can. You will have fun and you will have a challenge that never stops! I haven't stopped thinking about course skiing since last year and can't wait to give it another shot this year. Good luck. You are embarking on something that will consume you in short order. Let us know how it goes!

[Chef23]

@Bill22 I would lean on @lpskier for this. I know a few people but not real well. @lpskier is very active in NY and knows everyone real well.

[gregy]

@Than_Bogan found it. I still laugh when I think about this!

 

I've mentioned a few times that just last weekend I introduced some lifetime open water skiers to slalom. The following is from an email I sent them a few weeks beforehand. It seemed only fair to warn them.

 

You take the blue pill, you continue to enjoy waterskiing just like you always have. You take the red pill, your reality unravels and you'll never again be satisfied with your skiing.

 

I'll bring a bag of red pills with me and you can decide :).

 

There's probably a few slalom addicts out there thinking "I should have taken the blue pill," but I think most of us are pretty happy we took the red!

 

P.S. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, drop everything and go rent The Matrix NOW!

 

Thread: Slalom Curse

[Keukaskier]

Thanks for all your help! I wasn't really sure what kind of response I would get from my post, but I wasn't expecting the in depth comments...much appreciated. As a noob it's refreshing that this group is willing to help get someone into the sport.

[Than_Bogan]

One of the interesting things in slalom is: You're always a n00b. 30+ years running the slalom course so to a "decent' skier I look pretty good. But on those rare days that I get a look at-39, I have absolutely no effin' clue what I'm supposed to do there.

 

@gregy Glad you liked that one. I really think the analogy is quite strong. It's this reality that you can't possibly understand until you've seen it, but once seen it can't be unseen.

[Edbrazil]

Chances are, that free skiing, you are skiing "narrow", with letting up before the wakes.

Getting into a course, you may find yourself coming up short vs. getting 'wide' before the

buoys. Maybe also pulling after the wakes after letting up for the wakes. And, finding

yourself having to deal with slack line.

But, maybe not. I know at least a couple of skiers who were able to run a full pass at 32

mph their first time in a course. One of them was Warren Witherell in the Way Back, as

in the early 1950's or even before that. Perhaps even on a squareback ski.

[Mick04]

@Keukaskier, google this place: daggett lake waterski school, it's over by Lake George. Give Tom a call, go camping there for a couple days, bring good beer. Most of the skiers there are beginner/ intermediate, so there will be no intimidation factor. Tom will definitely be able to get you headed in right direction starting the course.

[Web]

@Keukaskier,

Just as @Rodecon mentioned above, he and I both have portable courses. His on Conesus and mine on Keuka. Very few people know about them because we set them in the dark, ski at first light, and then get the hell out. Its the price you pay on public lakes... a lot less sleep to get good water. We are always in need of people willing to meet early to set. Is not that bad though, with three regulars it takes 20 or 25 minutes to set the course. PM us in the spring, see you out there! Just as the posts above suggest, you'll find many opportunities to ski in Upstate the more you dig into the scene. Its amazing how many people are actually in the ski community from the North Country, through the Finger Lakes, and some private ponds scattered about.

[Chippa]

just further to the above - what suggestions do people have regarding rope lengths and speeds for first timers?

[chris55]

Starting at 28mph 15off is a good start. The ski is not sinking too much and the speed is not too intimidating, good luck and be ready to be addict

[Than_Bogan]

I think the best is to use a huge ski and start at 26 or even slower. But some people find that so unnatural that they can't focus. But the slower you can mentally handle, the faster you can learn.