svxwilson

End of last season I wrecked hard and had a sprain and dislocation combo. Binding eventually released just not as soon as I needed. Took 2-3 months before I was starting to feel 70% confident on it. Also by that time I had transitioned from water to snow and was skinning for my turns in AT snow ski boots. It took 4-5 months till I had no pain and was back to 100%. I wore an ankle brace the first few months for work because I am on my feet all day on concrete shop floors. I don't think I would have tried to ski had it been an option during the initial phase. But maybe yours isn't as bad as mine. Something to consider, is back when I played competitive soccer and would play through stains and sprains. I would wrap it and tape it professionally. It always seemed to take significantly longer to heal and turned into a nagging pain that never seemed to go away back then as a teen. Glad I didn't push it. Ankle feels great this season and I re adjusted my bindings (Syndicate hardshell front, xmax rear) and have had similar falls this season and no Ankle problems, released like it was supposed to. My mistake was having my new hardshell binding too tight.

@MCWyeth sent you a PM. + Sunday bump. May everyone looking at this thread be blessed with some PBs!

@Interjon PM sent. Thanks!

@MCWyeth if I don't find some by then I will probably take them. What sizes do you have and what models? Feel free to PM me if thats easier.

Hello fellow Ballers, I am looking for some direct connect bindings in womens size 5-9 and mens 7-11. Going to be buying a few hovercrafts to teach beginners and need some extra bindings. Let me know what you have on that shelf that your not using and want to help me pass the handle to some newbs. Thanks, Aaron

@Orlando76, glad someone finally read the biggest problem of all! It feels like the beans and sausage are still squished inside the can with any wetsuit I have ever tried. Which includes my current Camaro. Mostly a bean problem, fuckers are always in the way. I could go into more detail but probably not necessary..... o:) Wetsuits should NOT be unisex and have bulges in the correct locations.... IMO

Well I ended up ordering a Spring HO Syndicate Pro from Willeys in Seattle. I will give that a try and report back on my thoughts comparing it to my Camaro Blacktec next week after I ski in it this weekend. Thank you all for your time, tons of info and I truly appreciate all your opinions and thoughts.

@jayski what Camaro are you comparing the flex too? Blacktec or Titanium?

HO through the years have handled any issues I have had and always goes above and beyond expectations.

@savaiusini sent you an email with some questions on the new HO wetsuits.

Howdy Ballers, Weather is changing fast up here in MT/WY, I want to extend my ski season into the colder days. I have a blackteck 2.0 full that I like. It keeps me incredibly warm, but I am looking for a second suit. My second suit I'm considering is a spring and maybe just a top. I am a relatively warm individual so I honestly think I can benefit from the extra mobility and comfort from having my lower leg exposed or waist down. Which is why I am considering the Spring and maybe just a top. What are your thoughts on Titanium vs Blacktec in a spring vs top suit choices. My only complaint on my full body 2.0 blacktec is mobility and lack of crotch space which is why I am considering some more options for me to have as the weather changes. Thank you for your thoughts, Cheers! Aaron

Just following up on this, I don't think the animal is the right boot for me. It did provide great performance, but the fit didn't agree with my foot. HOs customer service team as always helped me out and went above and beyond discussing the problem and coming to a solution. That's why all my gear is HO.

Hello, Pre cursor: In no way am I slamming these bindings or HO by describing MY fitment issue with them. I happen to own all HO gear (6 slalom skis and 2 sets of pairs) and all my bindings for all those skis are HO. Just looking for advice from those that are more familiar with these bindings. All my bindings have been lace ups before this point. I just upgraded to a Syndicate Hardshell and a Animal rear from a 2017 vMax double boot setup. The animal rear is (12-13) one size larger (per HOs recommendations) than my harshell front (10-11). The new Syndicate hardshell is awesome and very comfortable and feels great. The Animal has a hard plastic piece that holds the front toe section together. There is the rubber in between my foot and the plastic but I can feel the plastic piece pressing into my foot through the rubber. To describe the location on my foot its the joint just behind my small toe (widest portion of my foot) in my toe area. The boot was rather tight to begin with for my foot before I skied. I did remove the toe strap after my first set and that created some room and was less painful standing on the doc in the binding but when I turn on my offside (LFF) and cross the offside wake I experience tremendous pressure and pain in that area. I noticed all the screw locations on the bottom of the binding. Are those for adjusting the binding such as widening the toe box? I also considered completely disassembling them and grinding some extra plastic off that piece that is causing the pain. Or should I just move to a different rear binding? Thanks for your help and thoughts, Cheers!

New bindings have already been ordered. I think these are still repairable though. I am going to drill holes to thread the leather/polymer upper to the nylon lower/shell. If it fails after that I will give up.

@ALPJr , animal is all rubber no laces. In my above post I was referencing a back up pair of lace up direct connect HO bindings I will have (freemax, vMax), that will technically be for my other HO skis.

Well I did it, just ordered a syndicate hardshell and an animal rear boot. Guess I will have both lace up and hardshell and can report back with my findings. Thanks for your opinions, I love to hear what other people think, slalom opinions anyway :smile: !

Hello, For those of you who have made the switch to the hardshell from soft shell lace up models, was it worth the extra $? I am a developing course skier, but every few years my bindings fall apart on me. I am curious if the hardshell has a performance benefit and if it generally lasts longer? Current boots are 2017 vMax boots with liners, previous ones were 2014 xMax. I do really like the direct connect that apparently the syndicate hardshell doesn't use. I am deciding my next set. Don't think my vMax is going to last the season. Cheers! Thank you for your thoughts! Aaron

My Right 2017 vMax is coming unglued. Looking for a replacement.

The JB weld waterweld did not hold. Didn't make it through the first set yesterday. Back to the drawing board. Am considering drilling holes to run some thread of some kind through to hold it.

All fixed up! Used JB Weld Waterweld for the rear boot that was coming unglued. And had a boot repair shop in town give me a rivet where the front boot was starting to tear. With @savaiusini (Thanks Sam!) help to pick the correct glue for the situation and provide above and beyond customer service from HO Sports. Since the lower part is glass woven nylon and the upper is a polymer, both plastics essentially, I researched for a waterproof plastic bonder. Thanks for the help!

I have a pair of 2017 HO Vmax boots. They are coming apart where the outer boot shell that connects to the ski (direct connect) meets the upper leather shell (model that has removable liner). It is glued together. What kind of glue should I use to re-glue them? Have tried to call HO several times in the last few weeks to ask them the same question and keep getting a message saying they are in a meeting and will be back soon.... sent them a message on their webpage, I will relay what they suggest for the fix if they get back to me. What are your thoughts?

When it has been 6 its usually 3-4 adults and 2-3 small humans or dogs, definitely not a typicall outing but make it happen when it needs too. Have a super compact weber grill that sits on the motor cover quite well. Grill doesnt get hot on the bottom so it doesnt hurt anything. Mostly hot dogs and burgers. Have reheated some pulled pork on a tin for pulled pork sands, and pre cooked (smoked) ribs. Just nice to have something other than cold sandwiches imo. But its definitely an intimate event :) not much privacy for the day.

Price would be 10-25k, but if there is something not too far beyond that price I would consider the idea. Tubing and wakeboarding are the only other activities I do on the water. They are there to entertain bad water or kids when on open water. 3-6 passengers plus a cooler, portable grill and gear are my open water cargos. Doesn't have to be a nautique, just have experience with the 2017 model and its a really nice boat. The Club just upgraded to a 2021 Nauique. Going to get to ski on it this weekend for my first time. Mostly want a better wake when the boat is loaded for the day on open water, and at slower speeds, often open water is to rough to ski at full speed for me, the Brendella wake is bad when weighted down and moving 28mph ish on medium choppy water.

Hello, I have been skiing at a club lake the last few years and haven't been using my own boat very much. Its a 1991 Ski Brendella Super Comp. The last weekend I took it out and taught a few newbies how to slalom on open water. When I took my turn and skied I noticed my wake was significantly larger than the 2017 Nautique thats at the club lake. Obviously its a much newer boat and it typically has less weight in it than my boat on open water. But I was hoping to find some insight on some alternative boats that may perform better than my Brendella with passengers and gear. If I were to get a new boat the main purpose would be to get a better wake. Specifically when the boat has a few passengers and a cooler. Just looking for some suggestions on this subject. Thanks for your thoughts, Aaron