Slalom.Steve

@jjackkrash - My cousin @RazorRoss3 has been running the new Vapor Boot bolted down since it came out. I will let him speak but I believe with the top laces not tight, he's had no issues coming out. He was also previously on the old Vapor boot so he ought to be able to give you a comparison.

@Horton I agree that prelease issues are due to set up error or maintenance, but it seems a lot of skiers still succumb to those errors, despite thinking they weren't, so I'm not going to assume I won't be the same. And I will say, as least when it comes to ski gear, I'd count you as one of the rare non-bumbling humans lol, and I particularly would expect that someone who's developed their own release system would know how to set and maintain releases properly. But I am not one of those people. If I skied with you regularly, and you helped me set up my release and taught me how to check it, and maybe put your liner in and tested it yourself... I may trust it. 🙂 The videos are helpful, certainly better than nothing, but you are still ultimately looking for a "feel" of how easy/difficult it is to step out of, and a feel can't be fully conveyed with just words or even video. And if I have to go through a/some preleases to learn what it feels like to have a good setting, is it worth it? The answer may still be yes, but it's a question worth asking. Another question could be: which could be a more dangerous type of fall: a prelease or a non-release? It seems the danger with a non-release is primarily leg injury, whereas a prerelease could be more of anything, and particularly head injury/concussion, which worries me more than bone/muscle injuries. My leg is just my leg, but my brain is me, and I can't put my brain in a cast.

Everybody always says that mechanical release should be safe. And in theory, if you know exactly what you're doing and know how to check it and do so frequently, then it's safe. But if that's the case, why do you see/hear about so many instances of prelease? Because we don't live in a theoretical world, we live in a practical, highly imperfect one. Even the people who know what they're doing and know to check their release still screw up: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmZYvREjqxO/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= (see my comment and Stevie's response.) Two ski buddies of mine both had prelease falls within the same week last summer and both are long-time skiers who said they thought they knew what they were doing in setting their release. We don't tell people not to wear seatbelts just because theoretically cars are safe ("just don't run into anything!"). -- I admit this is not a great analogy, it's too extreme, but just for a sense. I think to amend my usual saying, rather than "I don't trust mechanical release," it perhaps should be "I don't trust mechanical release in the hands of bumbling humans." (that includes me, and likely roughly 94.7% of you lol). Yes, a non-mechanical release can be a problem as well, in that it can not release in a bad fall, and that can certainly cause injury, but I'm more scared of, and have heard more bad experiences with, mechanical prelease falls as opposed to "analogue" non-releasing falls. However... on both sides of this argument the best anyone can offer right now is haphazard anecdotal evidence, which hardly counts as evidence. Wasn't there a poll a while ago asking people about prelease and injury? Or was that just about hard falls in general? It could be informative to do a poll asking how many people have experienced preleases, how many people have experienced falls in analogue bindings where they erroneously didn't release, and for each segment, how many of those instances led to minor or significant injury. Then there'd actually be some data to prove me/you wrong/right. Although even then, lots of confounding variables are possible - course vs. free, how often ski a year, how many years skiing, etc.

Just went from T-Factor to Vapor Boot front.

@BraceMaker Intriguing product, thanks for the link. The problem for skiing would be having it popping off during a fall, presumably then sinking to the bottom of the lake. Could attach it to the vest somehow, but if it comes off it kinda defeats the purpose lol. Any ideas?

Ski-Doc is a nice cheaper option, but Wakeye is the best, and particularly the Wakeye Cylon was very intriguing for the potential to mitigate the issue of rope shake, particularly for short-line skiers. But Wakeye hasn't had a functioning website for about 3 years now, and I can't find any updates anywhere. I tried messaging their Instagram but never heard back. I even posted here last year seeing if anyone had any news or could contact the owner, but no responses: Is the Wakeye company still active? - Skis Fins Bindings - BallOfSpray

Wait.. he RAN it???

Yet another example of why I don't use a mechanical release binding.

I have an X Series waiting to go as soon as the Midwest stops being so damn cold.

@Zmannope, never had that issue. If you're coming from double-boots, I imagine it will be an adjustment, as you can lift your heel, but your foot doesn't come "out of the boot," because the front of your foot is still held snuggly, so you just put your heel back down and your back to normal (same as would happen with a regular RTP if lifting your heel). I've never done double-boots but came from RTP, and it was an adjustment but not much, I felt fine after a couple sets.

Buying one ski is expensive enough for me lol.

I'm 10.5 US shoe, sorta wide toes but narrow heel. I kick in after getting up, and the Standard HRT is fine for me. I also replaced the string with a bungee cord from a T-Factor boot, I figured it gives it a little stretch to make it easier to kick in while still keeping it tight once I'm in. Also note that you may have to cut some of the front off if you want to position the HRT close to your front boot - the foot pad extends farther than it needs to.

I'm on a 2022 Vapor Pro. Due to budget that's my ski for several years (and I do love it!), but it would be a blast to compare the '23 Vapor Pro, Works 01, Works 02, and D3 Ion2.

@Billbert - Yeah I think there's some confusion in calling the re-designed boot a "2023" or a "2022," likely because everyone releases their "2023" skis actually in the year of 2022. By that logic the new Vapor Boot is the 2023, even though it came out last year... but by common sense it's the 2022 - hence the confusion lol. But there's the old boot without the hardshell bottom and the new boot with the hardshell bottom. There's no updates from last year to this year on the new hardshell version.

My caliper tips are super sharp (as I believe most are), and they easily cut a little notch into the front of the fin when measuring length. Any tips on avoiding this? Can I use a diamond file to dull the caliper tips, or would that throw off the measurements too much?

I've used a Leverage boot (no lacing) and a T-Factor (has lacing), with a rear toe plate. When I'm done with my set, I push roughly on the back of the rear plate to pop my front foot out. That is my metric for tightness - I want it to take a solid push and some effort to get off, but not be a struggle. I haven't had an issue yet with not releasing in a fall. I'm gonna switch to the Vapor Boot for this season and plan to use the same sort of measure to see how tight I can cinch it.

I have to think you mean for using with a release mechanism? I believe the post was asking about running the Vapor Boot fixed to the ski and releasing via the liner coming out.

I am definitely buying one for next season!

@Horton What'd you get? Or are you building anticipation for the in-person reveal? 😁

I've got a Slasher right now because I got it on a deep sale, but at list price, I'd definitely go with a Stokes.

@tjs1295 That's like telling someone who wants a brownie to stop complaining because there's plenty of other food to eat like raw broccoli and unwashed turnips, or like telling a crack addict to just go smoke a cigarette instead 😆 I run outside in the winter, and my offseason sport is rock climbing (indoor gyms) and I quite enjoy it... but nothing compares to skiing. It's not about being cold or warm, it's just about my love of water skiing.

Yeah of what I know, Swiss, Swerve, and California Ski Ranch are missing: https://swisswaterskiresort.com http://swervewatersports.com https://californiaskiranch.com

Well my brother said I deserve a panda for creating too many boat designs... which is true, but also made me think "Ah yes, black and white color schemes!" 😆 Note that up until this point, I avoided using black as the bottom hull or as the main interior deck, for practicality reasons (water spots on bottom and hot surfaces on top), but I just had to do it for this one lol. I'm usually a lots-of-color guy, but these are just so clean n sharp!

Living in the Midwest, having not skied in 4 months and realizing it might be another 3 months before I ski again... Revelation.mp4

And props on @RAWSki on his design. I often find mostly-white designs too plain, but that layout manages to be simple but still really striking. I had to do a version in blue, since that's my color 😃