What separates the men from the boys

[thager]

Maybe the China Virus has mutated!

 

[ghutch]

Awesome info everyone. This is the type answer I was looking for. I think there is a small margin of skiers who truly, really want to go to that next line length and are willing to do whatever it takes. Thats the main reason I started this thread. I am into 35, run it occasionally and give 38 a shot. I'm at that hump now trying to cross over into the 38 realm. Wholeheartedly agree about the ski being setup for the harder passes. Some settings my 28 will feel like tee total hell but then 32 and 35 you can literally feel the ski come to life. What an awesome sport. So much to learn and fun while doing it (and a little frustrating sometimes).

 

@MarcusBrown can you explain the stivot a little more? In my mind it looks like a slam turn.

 

@adamhcaldwell thank you for the confidence to tweak fin and boot settings with confidence. I am definitley a better skier because of your help and equipment. Also thanks to all the ballers who share their knowledge.

[ForrestGump]

Guaranteed, we're going to have people TRYING to slide the ski to initiate the turn now that you two started talking about the stivot.

[AdamCord]

@ForrestGump Good!

 

Some words of wisdom that I picked up from Mapple:

 

Start your turn at the 1st wake.

Your strongest pull should be at the 2nd wake.

 

Took me years to figure out how this could possibly make any sense.

[MattP]

@AdamCord care to enlighten the class a little more?

[AdamCord]

@MattP when it comes to running shortline, you only need a lot of angle for maybe 10 feet, from the hookup into the 1st whitewash. That's it. That 10 feet is all it takes to build the speed into centerline - and get the handle rotating around the pylon - enough to be early to the next buoy. (This is assuming that you have a strong body position, and you're on a ski that lifts and accelerates into center instead of getting bogged down and stuck behind you).

 

Holding that cross course angle any longer than that is detrimental to short line skiing. In the 1st quote from Mapple above, "start your turn at the 1st wake", we're talking about the start of a process that doesn't end until after the next buoy. It's subtle, hard to see when watching skiers, and easily missed. But this is truly where the ski needs to start coming out of angle. Some skiers are able to start even earlier (Smith and Caldwell come to mind). This is what Caldwell is talking about when he talks about standing up out of angle into the wakes. Different terminology, same concept.

 

Now about the second quote, "your strongest pull should be at the 2nd wake". This one really stumped me for a long time, but after asking a lot of questions, watching a lot of skiers, and experimenting on my own skiing, it became clear that this is in reference to pull on the ROPE, and not pressure on the ski. The second wake is where you have A) just crossed centerline, B ) started to move the ski out of angle, C) are at or near your max speed, D) the Zero Off is gassing you the most, and E) the point where your body's inertia is changing direction the most from cross course to down course.

 

All of that culminates in massive rope loads at the 2nd wake, even if the ski is no longer rolled and loaded to the max, or even if there is no load on the ski. That rope load is not load for the sake of load. F=MA. That load is centripetal force that's SWINGING you up and around the pylon. If your max load was too soon, you most likely have already lost your connection and have missed the swing. You need to be swinging high on the boat to run shortline.

 

 

 

How does this relate to this thread? This is all about getting the rotation of the ski to start much earlier than most people think (stivot...?). When done well the preturn is truly a pre-TURN, where the ski is rotated and pointing across the course before you reach the buoy.

 

 

[MillerTime38]

Just like any other sport usually what separates the men from the boys is a mixture of athletic ability, hard work, and testicular fortitude

[6balls]

@AdamCord that's some of the coolest shit I've ever read right there in terms of shortline skiing...and I've read some cool shit.

[Stathis Ventouris]

@AdamCord very enlightening, for many years (my coach Dimitri Kourounis urged me to do so) I am trying to implement the first, starting my turn at the first wake, but neglecting the second. The few times that I implemented the second my skiing was one level up.

[scoke]

@ghutch

 

Sounds like you are running some buoys?

 

Have video?

[ghutch]

@scoke I will video next time out if possible. Really wish I had that last 35 pass on video. Just felt incredible. Our weather is taking a turn for cooler here so not sure when I will ski again. Hoping soon