bassfooter

I'm one of the lucky ones. My wife is a great course driver and she loves to ski. I'm not a shortline guy, but I can run -32 when things are going well, and I've done so many times with her at the helm. Best of all, she's starting to run 26 mph consistently and she's totally hooked. Heck, it was her idea to get a boat in the first place, and she went off and found a really nice one for us! Unlike @Zman, my wife doesn't have to worry about gators. She did bump into a sea lion once, however.

Just upgraded a buddy's '96 Echelon with no ZBox from 8.0.05 to 9.12. It was quick and easy, and it made a huge difference. Locks in nicely and dependably, even with our relatively short set-up at one end. Like @hemlock, we didn't have to make any adjustments to background settings. It is worthwhile to note, however, that he has an excellent linkage and servo setup, which includes an extra return spring. If your mechanical setup is dialed in, this upgrade is well worth the $50.

Great skiing - you're obviously doing a lot of things right. @PacMan nailed it: your arms are straight out as you come off the second wake and head out to the buoy. Try pinning your elbows to your vest as you make your edge change and keep them there all the way out to the buoy line. This will also help you avoid pulling too long because it really helps initiate your edge change. For me, it keeps me from reaching too soon as well. @PacMan referred to this as becoming "disconnected too soon", and I think he's absolutely correct that "28 is when handle control starts getting more important and 32 it's crucial."

@Joeprunc I cannot help with your specific issue, but I can vouch for the effectiveness of the version 9 upgrade; rest assured it's worth the effort to get it working. I wholeheartedly recommend a ZBox, especially since you like your buddy's so much.

@eleeski is right - the kids are gettIng into it. We had a dock full of G1 and G2 skiers out on tricks at Imperial Junior Development. Here’s my kid on one of her first rides.

Seems you'd need the World Team Comp or Mach 1 in there, along with the EP Comp 1 or X2. Totally agree with @lpskier that these lead the way quite nicely from wood to fiberglass.

Now, now, now. @eleeski isn’t wrong about everything. His passion just gets in the way of logic. The end result is that I get more wait time at either end of the course while he stands up in the boat “coaching” me, which sounds a lot like Charlie Brown’s teacher after one or two passes.

@Keith Menard @Rivvy - good lookin' eats there! @Horton - Late to this thread, but +1 on a gas Weber. They’re very well-built and dependable. Mine’s over 13 years old and still cranking - even the sparker still works. I use it a couple times a week, year-round. I also have a classic Weber kettle for when I want to take a little extra time for that killer flavor. It’s very versatile and I think charcoal tastes better than gas or pellet. I do the Thanksgiving turkey on it every year — did 22-pound bird this year - and I slow-roasted a six-pound rib roast on it last weekend. But on a “school night” or when we just need to get dinner on, the Weber gas is just the ticket. I’d be concerned about the durability of that Camp Chef unit. Lots of bells and whistles mean things to go wrong, and their initial focus was having a good cooking system while camping. And you’re not really camping at Intergalactic HQ, even though you are kinda out in the boonies.

@bigskieridaho I love Jackson Hole. Something about that place. Grand Targhee, too. You're a lucky guy. It's pretty much Mammoth for us -- no complaints! I might try to get up to Squaw for some quality time with @eleeski. A lift ride with him can't be any worse than him howling at me from the boat. The Sierras are getting slammed as I write this.

@shell @RAWSki Nice shots. Love the fall colors. November skiing in Michigan is not for the faint of heart, I don't care what kind of drysuit you have. I suspect you're not on the water this weekend, however.

@TallSkinnyGuy +1 on finding a good PT, even though you might have to go to your primary doc to get a referral. It usually takes several visits and they'll give you some homework -- some stretches and warmups -- which you should do religiously. I have one of these, which people constantly borrow: Theracane. Very effective when used correctly.

Nice. Cooler than that here, but our water is still 69-70. A few more sets before the neoprene comes out.....

@Horton all these threads about winterizing, and here's @ColeGiacopuzzi trunkin' it and @rico in a T-shirt. It was warm enough to get @eleeski in the saltwater down here this past week. Nice shots, btw.

@eleeski you might call it "bumming rides off other alumni", but when I've been along, you're a very active coach and helper. For example, just this week you helped an alumna get up on jumpers with her daughter riding in front of her for her first-ever ski ride. You effectively helped pass the torch - the look on that kid's face said it all. The Junior Development clinic we hosted last summer was run almost entirely by alumni, and it was largely their kids out on the water -- that's where this mom got back into it. So I think it's that personal outreach to rekindle those friendships among those graduates who've settled in, maybe started a family, and can afford the time out on the water. However, we're lucky to have several schools in an area that's highly desirable to a lot of people. A lot of students stay in town after graduation. Our club is probably half alums, if not more. And the local college skiing scene benefits from this and has actually been expanding lately. This, in turn, has helped reinvigorate the local club these past couple of years, to the point we were able to fill up a large Class C three-event tournament last summer -- the first in at least 15 years -- with guys like @eleeski right in the middle, offering up their expertise. One thing we've always done is ask the college skiers to help with course and starting dock maintenance - we're in pretty consistent contact. In fact, we have a bunch helping us do some maintenance tomorrow. You can be sure names and numbers will get exchanged and plans made for ski rides. It's that face-to-face, personal connection. Hoping @Horton and @JeffSurdej can take away something from this...

By the looks of your tricking last night, you're back with a vengeance. Or was it the freakishly-warm weather that reminded you of your lakes? Bring your slalom stick next time and I'll turn all that wisdom you've showered on me back at you!

@John Brooks @braindamage Summers at Tech are sweet and short. This year, I think summer fell on a Wednesday. I got a ski ride on the Portage one time while a student up there, cruised right under the lift bridge. Also, Twin Lakes south of town -- with a wood-fired sauna at the water's edge to warm up! And yes. Drinking. Lots and lots of drinking.

@aupatking - Curtis also kills it setting up jump ramps and jump courses and leading his teammates in volunteering for a lot of the grunt work of keeping up our skiing area here in San Diego. Great kid with his whole life in front of him!

@A_B Doh! Silly me. No apology necessary - totally my fault.

@A_B as a Southern California baller who's been on the west coast since graduating from Michigan Tech some 34 years ago (ahem), I cannot believe someone mentioned my alma mater on Ball of Spray. No water ski team, for some reason. Broomball. And hockey.

@horton is that looking northeasterly across Precision toward the north end of SWV and their starting dock area?

@colo_skier +1 on the Bumblebee. I PB'd behind it the weekend before last, then drove a round of B1, B2 G1 and G2 rippers behind it the next morning. Very, very nice boat. The Bakersfield crew rocks. Adding my heartfelt thanks to @horton, @rico and @ColeGiacopuzzi for all the hospitality, along with the Gaharan Family. What a weekend!

Skied regionals. Ran -32 in a tournament. Unfortunately, the latter didn't happen during the former.

@horton don't worry. One thing about @eleeski is that he's easily distracted. "Look, Eric! A 1979 trick release!" @eleeski - you are spot on. When you said something coherent, I'd simply do the opposite. Boom! Another buoy.

Thanks for the unique and beautiful trophy, @Horton, and for sponsoring such a fun tournament. I'm definitely calling @dbski for the mounting kit you mentioned. I especially like the adjustable fin. @eleeski will appreciate the workmanship.

I know of only one Stargazer puck failure -- my own. Why not mount it below and see how it goes? It mounts with Velcro, so it's easy to move if it ends up not working.