pregom

@Horton could you please elaborate on what you think a senate lithium or pro-build (2020, I guess?) would give me vs my 2012 senate? I have the same 3 issues that you said both your nannies had. I also have a 2016 vapor lithium and recently I went back to my 2012 senate to see if it gives me more support. I'm finding the senate more sluggish but more "forgiving" of my bad habits, especially on the off-side cuts. @BraceMaker suggests trying a butter knife (I have a few in my kitchen drawer, they seem small, but I'll give it a try :smile:) - what would be the rationale for the line of thought? more surface area? less stiffness?

@Obrienslalom oops, I didn't see you had already referenced that thread.

@SlalomSteve last month I started this thread for similar reasons: https://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/23751/helmets-for-slaloming

I would argue that the more advanced the skier, the more noticeable ski differences are. If that's true, do you think that for someone like me who still struggles to complete a full pass 15 off @26-28 mph would do better with a ski newer than my current 2012 Senate Alloy? My answer is no, save the money and keep working on what rides on top of the ski.

As I'm learning to ski correctly, I'm finding that if I don't have the fundamentals drilled in me, the rest doesn't count much. I think the Core Fundamentals episode of SprayMakers sums it up well: arms straight, good structure, get all your speed by CL, stand up tall.

@skiinxs I see what you are saying. I recently got a Stokes EVO 2 vest and I love it. This morning, though, the zipper came completely undone in a fall. I'm ok, but I was surprised to see my vest still attached to me only by the arm holes.

@Dysco I'm not sure about that. For instance, look at the slo-mo video of Andy Mapple posted above by @adamhcaldwell - when Andy is going through the 3 ball to 4 ball cut, around 1:39-1:42, you can clearly see his ski on edge. Past CL, yes, the ski starts to flatten out and the skier starts the transition to other edge, but not before.

I do remember that @ski6jones. I came to the US as a grad student in the mid 80s and I had no idea that the metric system was not used over here. I remember watching the first Olympic games full of excitement for the long jump, high jump and then getting all frustrated when I saw the official boards displaying measures in meters and centimeters, but the announcers and the overlays were converting everything in feet and inches. What the heck are those???, I was thinking... oh, well. A few years later, I kind of know how to convert back and forth, but the fractions, the littles and little littles are still mind boggling!

@BMG73 measuring in tenths is the first step towards metric system adoption! Do you really want to keep having 3 littles and 5 little littles?? :smile:

The BOA site has some pretty good instructions on how to fix all their systems: https://www.boafit.com/en-gb/support/repair-guides In your case take a look at this: https://www.boafit.com/en/support/repair-guides/L4-L5-repair-guide

I think the max size for a Senate Pro is 69

69"

I just went out to ski a slalom course on a public lake at 6am... and hilarity ensued! PS note the highlight on “public”: fishermen, other free skiers, yahoos... lots of hilarity

I'm a size 10.5-11 and I had a Standard Vector that didn't last long. It was not easy to put on, always felt tight until my foot was in. My toes were a couple of millimeters over the front of the foot platform. This winter I had the opportunity to try a Standard size and an XL side by side. The XL felt much better. If you can, you too should try them both, but if you have to choose, I would go with XL.

I have taken a few lessons with pros and each time it was a very positive experience. I have signed up for the monthly subscription with Terry Winter and I'm learning a lot from that too. I'm still very much a beginner and it's very humbling to see people ski 28 off and shorter lines.

Really great to read this story! Lifetime memories. Side note: I’m sure it took a lot of effort to organize the event but crowds did come to see waterskiing.

Totally agree, @BraceMaker, most crashes are things you laugh about afterwards. Should I worry about getting hit by meteorite as I walk down the street? It’s the laws of probability and each one of us needs to decide their comfort level. I think we would all agree, though, that there is a baseline for things that make sense (wear a vest?) and things that are dumb (use a ski with a totally wrong fin setting?)

@Billbert - given what happened to you, I certainly understand being a bit paranoid. Thanks for the info.

Interesting concept. All the best with your lake test tomorrow. We are looking forward to reading your report on it.

The article from @chrislandy is the first one I see where a scientific experiment has been conducted and its results have been presented. As the authors say, a velocity of 9 m/s (~20 mph) is lower than the typical speed of a slalomer (15-16 m/s), but at least their results are on a sound base. @Billbert I'm really sorry to read about the damage you suffered. In comparison, I feel really lucky with my few stitches. Would you mind sharing the type of helmet you use? Safe skiing to all of us!

I recently got a Stokes Evo 2 vest and I love it. It does make me sit a little lower in the water and I have blown a few starts because of that.

yes, @Mike Gile, Gath is made in Australia (where surfers ride huuuge wakes) and can be found on Amazon and other sites in the US. See one of my earlier post in this discussion. I tend to agree that rugby style helmets may be a good compromise and the Jobe Sport model seems to be made for watersports. I wish there was more scientific data to support some of the statements made here. As for the argument that nobody is using a helmet when doing activity [fill-the-blanks], I don't buy it: 20-30 years ago nobody was using a helmet when snow skiing and look around now.

At minimum I think you would want one of those kits with a cross on it, like @thager says. An assortment of bandaids, gauzes and a disinfectant. If I recall correctly, the AWSA safety course recommends keeping a pair of shears in the boat, just in case a boot needs to be cut open.

Lots of issues to consider, I realize. Thanks to all of you for your comments. Some of the concerns, though, may need better scientific validation/testing. @OldboyII could you elaborate on why a helmet may be worse in your second scenario?

If I look for Jobe water sports helmets, I come up to a bunch of wakeboard hardshell helmets. I can't find the soft shell helmets @skialex refers to. Also, somebody else sent me a link to this Gath Surf Convertible helmet. Made in Australia and available on Amazon and other sites in the US. Lastly, searching for waterski helmets made me find this old link to the same subject. Interesting.