dchristman

@horton no track data in that file... it's looks to be a log of functions as they are activated on the device and satellite acquisition.

@Mrs_MS‌ It'd be cool to skate through a slalom course for time on ice that nice. Maybe a new winter sport!

I think I was too quick to dismiss the helmet mounted unit... that'll be the one with two-way communications and the "training" electrode. Aaaaah! The Matrix is reaching for the sanctum of the slalom course!

@toddl yes, you can clearly tell which direction he was skiing. I guess my disappointment in that particular "good" data stems more from alignment with the course and is compounded by the fact the Trace is on @horton 's head rather than the ski. On some balls it looks like he would have to be 20' tall to get his head that far inside the ball-line. The tracks look to be shifted East a bit and maybe a bit narrow (probably because it's on his head). I'd really like to see simultaneous handle and ski data.

@defectivedave now that is exciting! The price isn't really that bad. I wouldn't see it as a personal purchase like the Trace - a club could realize a reasonable cost per person. It says "50 Hz position/velocity/time solutions", 10x greater sampling rate than the 5Hz @dlokshin‌ mentioned for the Trace. Of course this isn't a finished system ready to attach and go, so there would be work to be done water-proofing and powering the modules. I like the idea that it's open source...

Maybe the poor girl has PTSD from work... She needs a ball-free environment.

I lose my mind.

@MattP‌ you can upload GPX files to www.gpsvisualizer.com and output to various formats.

@horton Better, but still kind of disappointing :\ I guess we just can't expect too much from the gps data alone.

Underlying technology aside, here's what I envision for an interface with a sensor on the pylon, handle, and ski. The tracks would be overlayed on a zoomable grid with course. Track width would be scaled appropriately to represent speed (faster=thinner). Move a pointer over any track and it displays the corresponding point it time on all tracks with data. A fixed-length line representing the rope is displayed between the pylon and handle point. The line would extend beyond the handle point in the case of slack. A synchronized video would display the corresponding frame. Forgive the crude drawing. I'd like to create a demo interface to play with, maybe over the dark days of winter...

Another interesting place to put one of these would be on the pylon in addition to the handle and the ski. Now we need a 3-pack!

I have been able to determine from the data @horton previously provided that he skis very erratically and lives in paradise! That's a dozen freakin' lakes :D This must be the promised land!

@horton can you post the data files for these?

We're going to have to get two Tracer's - one for the handle and one for the ski. Maybe they can come up with a mount that fits the Y of the handle. It would be interesting to see the two simultaneous tracks plotted on a course map with color coded speed.

Interesting to see the asymmetry of on and offside by the numbers. You can even see it in the track in the upper left, small as it is. This is definitely not disappointing!

@gator1 I've been for a ride in a Tesla and I can't say it felt way slower than I ski... I compared it to the Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point! But as they said in an old beer commercial "If it's a fact I believe it" :)

... your tongue is so cold can't say the letter "t"?

Ohhh... I just had a flashback. About 30 years ago I was a groomsman at the wedding of my friend who introduced me to the sport. I left shortly after the reception started because I had to get out of that hot tux and to the river to ski... and it wasn't even for a tournament. Good thing I wasn't the best man! This was a few years before I got married. I think I'm going to advise my daughter that January is the best month to get married, yeah, that's it, January. :D

@thager A Bayliner at Okeeheelee.... riiiiight :)

I don't know if it would make a difference for free skiing, but I thought firmware version 8.0x was a requirement for ZBOX... we got 8.05 with ours.

I thought you were signed up for another 30 years... Does this meet the mrs. approval? If it was the day before the wedding I would say yes, but just hours before? Maybe unlikely, but suppose there is an accident (maybe an crushing otf). Who's going to walk your daughter down the aisle? It would certainly be a day to remember - they would never let you forget! If it was a good idea, you probably wouldn't be seeking approval here among your fellow addicts! (yeah, I would go. what could possibly go wrong? :) )

A search for "tri-grip ski handle" yields an article on ergonomic handles in waterskimag. Funny that @Horton asked where to find one - the second result found is: Tri-grip Water Ski Handles - CLOSED-Bakersfield-CA-93308!

It's over. Out last day :( Air 56, Water 48. We dropped the course after skiing. The geese know the way to go:

@MISkier‌ Did you get that Super 2 at Overton's? Only $109 blank :) Mail order or by phone. Overton's 1978 Catalog 16 pages black & white. I had the Comp 1 ... and a Tech-1, and a Shortline Hook ... certainly before wedded bliss. I can't imagine buying 3 new skis all in the same year now.

I see Bob Morris just put up a 43" Connelly on ski-it-again with an older Reflex size 10 rff with 404 release, harness, spectra trick line, and bag. $300 bucks... sound like a good deal to me! Also, Miami Ski Nautique has new 2014 Radar Gravitons for $479.