Do you free ski with your course ski?

[Mastercrafter]

A simple yes or no is fine, or read on to dive into my convoluted thoughts...

 

Those who know me know that I have a funny habit of changing skis, boots, handles, boats, lakes.. anything to "ski better" whilst avoiding going to the gym and actually getting stronger. I'll admit it's comical. Whatever, it's who I am.

 

As I'm finally making progress skiing in a course, I feel that my free skiing is suffering.. I'm trying to replicate the way I ski in the course, but without buoys out there, I feel lost. Maintly, my edge change timing is off, I get a loose line going into the turn, get back on the ski, then yanked out of the turn with lousy angle across the wakes. I cant judge width, angle, and speed real well. Sounds like I need to learn to ski again, ha.

 

@AdamCord stated in another post: As the great Andy Mapple told me one time, "I don't really pay attention to the buoys, they're just there for reference." What he meant was you're skiing with the boat. You can't turn in if you're still climbing on the boat, or the line will be loose. You can't ski shortline unless you get high on the boat. You have to pay attention to your path and trajectory, and how it relates to the boat's speed and position.

 

That all makes sense and sounds great, I'm just not there yet, and that's fine. I'll keep working at it. I'm trying to negate the need for buoys, get out there, and have fun on the lake as the sun rises.

 

I've moved from a Senate to a Vapor in the course as I'm creeping up on ~30mph (don't laugh), and I can appreciate the speed and width the Vapor gets me. I split my skiing 50/50 open water vs course. My gut instinct is to keep the same ski, same rope length, same speed and just ski, (to keep everything else besides the buoys consistent) but has anyone found they enjoy free skiing more, and benefited overall from a crossover or open water ski? Do they just stink altogether once you ski a top-level ski? I don't want to intentionally develop bad habits that hinder course skiing, but trying to make my morning ski a little more of an enjoyable cruise.... I guess.

 

Blah, blah, I'm overthinking all of this.

 

 

 

 

[ALPJr]

Yes

[TEL]

Yes, makes no since to change skis and quit messing with your ski. Your not a pro skier look at the buoys and go around them, go to the gym, take lessons. Unless your plan is to take forever to get better

[MISkier]

Yes.

 

But, I must add that, for me, free skiing makes me narrow and throws off my course timing. I'm just not consistent enough and disciplined enough to maintain the same intensity, same rhythm, same timing without the buoys. It's great for conditioning and I certainly enjoy a long slalom run for a few miles. But, I can expect to spend several days adjusting back to the course after a few days on the open water.

[BobF]

Same ski, and I usually go up the line a loop or two if free skiing. I don't worry so much about width, but just try to get up high on the boat while keeping a tight line.

[MDB1056]

Yes. Also agree with above . Easy to get narrow again, and do recommend shorter line . -32 is best length IMO for free skiing

[adkh2oskier]

I free ski a lot with my only ski. Longer runs and drop to rest, usually shorten from 22 down to 35 and ski at 35mph. I try and concentrate on improving technique without having to worry about getting that one more buoy. Try to imitate course skiing intensity while keeping a tight line, skiing back under the rope at the end of the turn and reaching properly on my offside(not reaching forward) etc.

[DW]

@Mastercrafter - no, because I ski a Goode and put lots of sets on an alternate Goode free skiing. Both are setup same and want to 'save' my 'best' ski for course work.

This might be a tool of value when you free ski - mark the side of the boat with colored tape at the angle needed to achieve the width to round the buoys. My buddy made a pylon mounted one that lights up when you get to correct angle.

[HMan66]

I like this topic. I would say "yes" because you want everything to feel familiar. I would also say "no" because when I'm open water skiing I want to be having fun and working on fundamentals and basics (stance, glide, body position) because attempting 30 mph/15 off passes without running them every time means my fundamentals suck and I have poor body position. If I have my course ski under my feet, I want to rip and chase buoys even if there aren't any which, it seems to me, is ultimately detrimental to my progress.

[Jody_Seal]

Heck yea! And faster too!

[6balls]

Yes...one ski. 32 or 35 off open water. Course skiing 28 off is the opener. Rarely free ski other than first part of the season to get into ski shape.

 

If you are more of a beginner...I can coach in the course, pick out things to work on cuz you are only getting a few buoys--go to the open water and drill technique, then come back to the course using what you have learned and gain buoys. Fun to do I love watching skiers progress.

[MNshortliner]

Yes. But I don’t think free skiing and course skiing can be compared/interchanged. It’s not apples to apples. When I go free skiing I am cutting fairly aggressive and can bust out 60-80 cuts before I get fatigued mainly in the forearms and lower back. When I ski in the course we spin at each end so you get about a 25 second rest while turning around but after only 4 times through, only 24 buoys,the fatigue starts to set in. If I try a 5th pass it is sloppy, the form isn’t there l, and it is just asking to get a pulled muscle/bad fall/or just plain getting hurt. Learning to free ski is a thing also. Find a nice rhythm, don’t get slack in the rope and go enjoy the ride. If you ski enough there is absolutely no reason for the gym.

[lpskier]

Yes

[mfjaegersr]

Yes. And yes...you’re overthinking it. ?

[Wish]

Absolutely!!?

[skialex]

Yes, rarely though. I loook where I’m relatively to the engine box, so it is my reference when free skiing, it helps me having a tight line. Also I start like having entry gates but then I don’t care much about width.

I wish I could free skiing more, missing it, I only free skiing couple of times a year, if not less..

[Minelickskier]

Yes I sometimes free ski with my course ski, but I have friends that free ski on their jumpers

[Jetsetr]

Yes...you’re wasting time swapping back/forth between skis...

 

The guy who just won the Masters told be to stay on the same ski all the time.

 

It’s not the rope, handle, ski...

It’s you that’s holding yourself back. Get some lessons, get in the gym...otherwise it’s going to be Groundhog Day every day.

 

[Vernon Reeve]

Look up Seth Stisher Slalom Ski Rhythm Drill (Whips) on youtube and work on that, and the Lean Drill while free skiing. Also video yourself.

[Clydesdale]

Yes. Try free skiing in the course to simulated the rhythm. Ski about 20 ft before each buoy, but make sure you get to buoy width. I did that most of January this year and my free-skiing rhythm is much better and now similar to how I ski the course.

[RichardDoane]

no, I never free ski, and +1 on the over-thinking

[LoopSki]

Do you guys drink more or less beer on open water?

[LK_skier]

Free skiing is great to get some fitness with longer runs etc on your slalom ski... but otherwise if I'm free skiing - I leave the slalom ski at home and just have fun on other things like discs, freeboard, finless, planks etc etc - its old school stuff but so much fun

[dchristman]

Yes, and I course ski with my free ski. Not sure if it helps...

[hammerski]

Yep! Great way to lock in something stubborn I’m trying to make into a new habit. Mike Suyderhoud got me hooked on it ???

[2Valve]

Yes

 

[MDB1056]

@2Valve - great ski!

[swbca]

A solid 6 at 35off/34 competitor when I quite skiing, my restart in the last 3 weeks has been nothing but free skiing at 39 off. Sounds like a foolish ego thing but its because of the wake. My ProStar 190tt has a crappy wake at 32mph at anything longer than 39 off. Maybe hitting a wall was also caused by my new 68" D3 ION which is 3/16" wider from the front heel to the tip than any 66/67" competition ski from the 80's.

 

Haven't skied for about 30 years but in 3 weeks I have finally managed to have a seamless transition out of my turns into a solid edge to the wake. Of course with a 39off rope I am skiing narrow but adding width as I am able. My pop-up course will be operational in 2 weeks and then I will be starting all over again.

 

Its been interesting case study in the relative importance of memory and muscle memory. After 30 years of no skiing, its taken only 3 weeks to make things start to happen like they should. There was never a day in those 30 years that I didn't run the highlights in my mind, so it was only muscle memory that started over from scratch.

[Downunder]

yes, I switched from a senate alloy to a syndicate pro when I started running the course this year. Thought I would try the Senate in open water after a few months on the Syndicate and wow, it felt awful. Now the Senate is a boat ski, never to be skied by me again.

[andjules]

New/recent answer: no.

Reason? (Is it a good one? not really:)

I drive a motorbike. Not great for carrying big things.

Course lake is one direction.

My brother's cottage in another.

I've got an old-but-still-pretty-good HO S2, so took it to my brother's for free skiing opportunities.

[ALPJr]

I highly recommend it. I was trying for months to understand the feeling of and being confident in being tall, keeping the torso facing down the coarse and letting the ski finish the turn on my toe side (gate turn, 2 and 4). Then while on vacation and free skiing on Lake St Catherine VT boom, it happened.

[mike_mapple]

My dad did it all the time, best way to learn real rope control, he used to get pros to free ski or ski the course at true long line, best way to see if someone really could control the rope or not.

 

Any time it was white capping growing up I drove him, down and back our lake (Lake Tibet on the butler chain) normally 15 off, just because his rope didn't go to full length.

[dbaconaz]

Yes, and 22 off.

[RAWSki]

No. I don't free ski I like to be "confined" by red or orange buoys.