Rednucleus

I find scotch works better/faster than beer

1st skier the comment was "his knees were too bent" - don't think I have ever heard that said of a skier these days!

Wish I was young, talented & hungry!

and a flux capacitor

Your concern is valid, no offence taken here! Unfortunately, as the big wave sports continue to grow I can only see public skiing continue to decrease, which would be a shame. I have had the good fortune to ski 40 years now. The 1st 25 was 99% free skiing public water; never had course access. As the population grew it has became harder & harder to get good water unless you go out pretty early and/or avoid the weekend. My last 10-15 yrs is 99% course and I feel blessed to have that access. I compare private lakes to golf country clubs - fantastic place to enjoy your passion but you have to be willing/able to pay for the privilege.

@philkyle it's easy for a bunch of boats to go out on a busy lake and make big waves and surf. Skiers, regardless of ability, need low traffic & smooth water. IMO this limitation makes it impossible to grow the sport as you describe

I attended a 2 day tournament at Hilltop this summer - it was a great family attended event. Pros skiing, kids skiing, parents skiing, grandparents skiing. IMO Mr Skoog does a fantastic job promoting our sport and encouraging family participation. Bow Lake holds summer weekend kids camps; the kids have a blast; Mr Spady does a fine job promoting our passion. Certainly my local paradises are not the only ones that love & promote the sport.

@waterbeat did the carabiner ever damage a ski or a skier?

Good thread. My Superlite needs a screw tightened every 2 to 3 outings. I even lost 2 screws before I got in the habit of checking every outing. Was going to use loctite but never got around to it. What about a lock washer vs the rubber washer?

The lake up north of me charges $75

Steve Miller, Marysville WA

Here in the tropical PNW it's 10 degrees this morning. That calculates to a 42 degree ski day which is TCTS even for me. Anything under 20 degrees for more than a day or two is unusual around here and looks like we are in for at least another week. Remarkably the hummingbirds are still here pounding down the sugar water - amazing creatures!

How do they ski & bare foot?

I kinda want to buy Stokes everything after that ad!

My Animals are a rear lace up and leaving the laces loose just allows my heel to come up easier (and gives me more peace of mind that the binding will release in a fall) but I have no sensation of my foot shifting in the boot. This year's Animal's have eliminated the rear lace. I did not like the XMAX boots when I tried them.

YIKES! even with a good dry suit that's TCTS!!

What boots are on your HO. I have Animals on my Superlite and keep the rear boot laces loose which gives me easier heel lift.

I am anxious to find out! This is my 1st year that I have skied through winter. I have been out 7 times in January and averaged once a week for Nov & Dec - petty good for W WA. In the past I have stopped Nov thru March, and every year takes me longer to feel good again on the water - so ask me again in June how I'm doing!

Get a dry suit and keep skiing. The water's not so cold if you keep getting in it every week - unless of course it becomes solid in your neck of the woods. Where are you? Our lake has not been above 34 for the last 2 months; been out 7 times in January and feel so much better continuing to ski weekly.

I am so happy with my HO and the support I have received.

Our Wed night Bow Lake Crew does a big dinner after skiing, always have a dinner theme and usually home made ice cream. One theme this past season was "bacon" so Kevin made maple bacon ice cream! It was GREAT!

Best thread ever in BOS history

My buddy's '03 SS LXI skis well and has the higher freeboard; doesn't track great in the course but does ok. I had a '95 Sanger DLXII open bow that was a good slalom tug esp over 30mph and exceptional in rougher water; buddy liked the wake for barefooting too

I am a 60 year old small animal veterinarian, married, 2 adult kids (both recently moved home to "reevaluate life"). Started skiing with my best friend in 1977; still ski with him every Wed at Bow Lake. Have added Hilltop lake in the last year and BOS as well! The older I get the better I ski - just hope my old body hangs in there for a few more years. You guys make me smile and look forward to another ski every day - keep it up!

Finally an 80 degree day (46A 34W) but breezy today, challenging skiing - still better than getting fat on the couch!