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@ColeGiacopuzzi 68" it is then ... thank you Cole!! :sunglasses: @Stevie Boy I took a look and man this is something else hehe. Fortunately my Uncle is coming over next month (no C75 stock) so Vapor it is otherwise I would have had to sell my left kidney to afford the Denali :smile: Almost feels like Dejavu...the year after I bought my 68" Concept (Fiberglass) the whole revolution of carbon fiber came out and I've missed out on it for almost 20years. Now that I am about to buy my first carbon fiber ski a new ski design might revolutionize the industry lol...talk about Murphy :smile: Maybe when my uncle comes around in 2021 and the C75 has more reviews/tournament results I will pick one up from someone or on "SKI IT AGAIN"

@ColeGiacopuzzi Thanks again for your continuous responses Cole, means the world and thanks for the @rico info @A_B thanks,you might have already answered my next question below @vernonreeve thanks for clearing that for me! So this brings me to my next question (feels like I'm making progress because you guys are helping me tremendous) I honestly don't know why I ski at 34-36mph? I remember over time I told my dad (boat driver) to go faster as I felt like I could turn harder/sharper at a higher speed (maybe the water gets harder at higher speeds so you can get out of the turn? I literally don't know) Then my rope started to slack from the sharper/quicker turns so I shortened it more and more till it stopped at around 12-14m. So everything was done on feeling / feedback not coaching or technical advice (we don't have it where I live) ...Cowboy I'm clueless as to why I ski at 34-36mph? All I know is I want to turn as hard and sharp as I possibly can and if I manage to make it I go on to my next turn. It's not about hitting the next buoy because we don't have a course. For me it's pushing my personal limit on every turn and this is where I generate my fun from. I think this best explains my situation and mindset about the whole "get a new aggressive ski like a Vapor shape and get the correct size to turn sharp/hard" So will the 68" turn sharper than the bigger 69.5" or sink too deep in the turn when I put leg pressure on it? Or will the 69.5" ride too high in the turn preventing me to dig it in and generate a sharp turn? :dizzy: :tired_face: Thanks for all the help and advice thus far guys!

@ColeGiacopuzzi but does this mean I can ski at a lower speed with a bigger ski? I don't do course because we don't have the facilities but I do pretend to have a virtual one. When I go out on the water it's always business and I ski as hard as I can trying do make sharp turns. That' how I have fun although I'm a complete cowboy (never had any coaching so bad technique haha) @Stevie Boy that's interesting about the size..I am committed but truth be told the last 2 years I've been struggling with injuries that has kept me back so it's hard to say Here is a picture of my cowboy style (don't judge me :smile: ) I would just like to do this on a better ski and not one that is 25year old technology and weighs a ton

Forgive me guys but I know little... @ColeGiacopuzzi 1.84m tall, 14m rope, 34-36mph speed on a old Connelly Concept 68" . I think this ski has a top weight of 200lbs and because I'm the heaviest I've ever been it is starting to sink in my turns. I've skied a friends D3 a couple of years ago and immediately realized I needed a better ski because I could do the same and much more off the bat on the D3 with less effort (it was a 67" but my weight was at 187lbs then). I just never had the opportunity to buy a better ski and now I do but I weigh almost 30 pounds more lol. I also skied on a HO CX 67" last year and I was 7kg over the top limit and the ski was a disaster when hitting my turns. Had to raise the boat speed to 38 to stay above the water in a turn or my legs would push the whole ski under the water (never want this experience again size wise and also realized that I need a top end ski and not a crossover because it's not aggressive enough) @paul413ski Interesting, is this @ 36mph? Also, I wonder if the 2016/2018 is broader or slimmer, It seems they slimmed down the 2020 Vapor so I wonder what the dimensions are vs the 2016/2018 I struggle to get my head around this ...a broader ski has more surface area so does this give you a higher ride in the water that drags less or actually because it has more surface area more grip but with more drag...but then again a slightly slimmer ski will ride deeper (less surface area) so does this make it slower or actually faster with more grip in turns because it has less surface and sinks a bit deeper.... and so I chase my tail round and round because I know nothing lol and this isn't even including fin settings just ski surface :dizzy: Is it better to rather have a bigger ski than a smaller ski or vice versa if you had to take the plunge in the end ?? Thank guys

Hey Peeps I want to purchase a 2020 Radar Vapor Lithium I'm currently unfit and my weight is around 211 lbs (worst ever) Realistically I recon 198 - 206 lbs is my future and worst case 216lbs when I'm little fat again Looking at the size charts of the Vapor Lithium 68" 376.49 SQ" 7.03" 36 MPH COURSE 180-220 LBS / 82-100 KG 69.5" 393.28 SQ" 7.18" 36 MPH COURSE 200+ LBS / 90+ KG I can't test the skis as I'm living in another country so it's a once of purchase So the question: 68" or 69.5" I recon both will work but what would the difference be / feeling be between the 2? Pros and cons? Thanks guys, much appreciated!

@Highland_MI_Skier @jhughes @Wayne thx for the info guys ! @lakeside7455 thank you, that is very comforting to know because I'm looking at a D3 or Vapor and the Vapor comes with the Vector BOA bindings. I have a size 11US / 10UK foot. Seems I should go XL (10-14) as the standard is (7-11) if I go for the Vapor and not the D3 ski @jhughes that doesn't sound good. Rubber should still be relative firm... I never understand tampering with something that is working. Would suck taking the blackouts and then I hate them. t-factors so far I guess Nothing as bad as having a good ski and a bad binding :/ Thx to everyone so far Please keep posting your experiences, nothing as informative as user reviews :D

That's the problem @eleeski yes I want a ski that makes me better but how do I know, my only reference is a D3 Fusion that I skied once and loved hence looking at a D3 but so expensive I live in South Africa No demo programs available, I'm forced to buy a ski blind so I either buy a blem at a very very good price or a new one. I might be able to resell these although our market is limited (specially on high end skis) and not lose too much money worse case scenario. Selling a blem with a print defect would be much easier than one with a bump on the ski side specially considering our exchange rate. A $1000 ski will cost me $3000. How do I resell that here if it doesn't work for me specially if it has a bump on the ski side of the ski :/ I wish I was in the states...D3 program here I come haha @skialex I weigh 220 lbs will need a 68" All I want to do is ski better, but our exchange rate is making that so hard :/

Hey Ballers I'm in the process of buying a new ski but am so confused atm I live on a river in South Africa and only ski when the water is mirror like perfect. I still ski on an old Connelly Concept 68" (the one with the dual concave tunnels maybe 20years old :D) due to how limited and expensive skis are here. I have an opportunity to import a ski from the states but don't know what to go for. My technique isn't nearly perfect seeing I never had coaching so I'm a bit of a cowboy (please don't judge me too harshly ). I have never skied on a course but I pretend I have a virtual course when I ski. I go one arm out, body stretched as far as I can around my invisible buoy trying to turn as hard and fast as I can without popping my tail. If my costume almost touches the water during a turn I mark that one as a success . To me it's about hard, sharp low turning (that's what I like) so I need a ski that would make this easier. I'm not going to ski course but I want to go as low, hard and fast as I can when I turn. The Concept is slow, heavy and doesn't provide enough edge for grip. I have to use my back leg to dig the ski in otherwise it will pop it's tail to make the turns I want. This causes me to compensate with my body pulling on the rope to get myself out of that hole and finish the turn. I ski around 36mph on the Concept with a rope on 14m otherwise it feels I'm going to sink in my turn (cowboy style) My only reference I have towards a better ski was a D3 Fusion of a stranger that I skied once. It was behind a boat with a bigger wake on a ski I wasn't familiar with and different bindings but I immediately felt comfortable with way more grip and room for improvement. I felt the grip was more below my front foot using the edge than at the back of my tail compared to the Concept. I still remember the feeling to this day and that was years ago. So here is the question? Which ski do I get? D3 NRG R1 - Reason: Only reference I have of a good ski (Fusion experience) or is this an overkill Vapor Lithium - Reason: Upper end ski but more affordable Vapor Graphite - Reason: Upper end shape but softer core for a softer ride Obviously I'm not going to win tournaments nor do I want too but I need a tool that I can go hard, sharp and low with. I would be so disappointed when the ski doesn't perform enough or it rides so hard/difficult/twitchy that you cant get enjoy it. Your insights on this matter would be appreciated Please note that I live in South Africa so I can't do demo programs, skis will cost me 3x more because of exchange rate and that it will be a once of purchase...no refunds :/ Thanks all

@eleeski so much information, clearly you know what you are talking about, thank you for all the info much appreciated! Thing is I don't live in the states so no one will have the skill or knowledge to fix it if something does go wrong. I'm also paying 3x more for any ski (exchange rates) which makes this even harder and not something I can take a chance on @OldboyII I think you are right haha I think I'm better off going for a brand new Radar Lithium Vapor /w bindings than the bubble NRG R1 /w bindings at the same price Thanks guys

Wow this thread is booming along nicely So far I'm leaning towards the t-factors ...seems proven but still open minded towards the leverage bindings @MDB1056 "world class falls" good to know your ankles and knees survived The reason I've always loved rubber apart from the fact that I grew up with them (age given away lol) is that I also had some world class falls and always walked away from them so I'm probably rubber biased. I also need slime to get my feet in but it pops out easily when I take them off or take a dive. 2 things to note is that rubber boots generally don't come up so high on the ankle (rigid wise it loses strength) than the more modern bindings and is a softer more flexible material. Hence my small mind would think it comes of easier in any direction but has a bit less feet stability as a con vs more modern bindings @Kwoody51 What's your experience? Is the top of the t-factors still flexible? I've never seen them but it looks like its part rubber part material and fiber/plastic at the back? I can't really tell from pictures on the D3 website What about the D3 Leverage bindings guys? Don't forget these

I'm not familiar with the molding/construction process of a ski so I'm wondering if it's a hollow bubble or a thickening? If it's a bubble it might start cracking open once the ski is taking stress flexing back and forth in the course don't you think

Seems the T factors are quite popular... Anyone on the D3 Leverage bindings? or the Radar Vector BOA Bindings?

@jeromezz430 Does that HO animal have laces or not? I think I will only be able to get the HO 2019 models and they don't have laces so its a different boot then but not sure @PacMan Yeah I've read that the new HO animals without the laces aren't as popular because you can't adjust the tension like the ones you had so you need to get it right size off the bat I suppose @Zman @bananaron @Justin_C Was thinking something like Radar boots with laces Thanks for the replies so far Keep them coming This is very insightful thank you

Hey Ballers So I'm in the process of upgrading my old ski to a new D3 NRG and was wondering about bindings. I've been in double Connelly Stokers for a long time, had some hard crashes over the years and never pick up an injury from these boots. I'm scared to move away from the familiar but obviously will do so if there is merit. I have 2 options: 1) get the same type/shape boot 2) take a risk, get something else and maybe never look back Option 1: Was looking at HO Animal bindings (same shape) but here are my concerns: - I didn't see any good reviews about the new HO animals so not sure about them? - Size wise my old Stokers were too small. I have a size 10.5 to 11 foot and although the Stokers were LR (10-11) it killed my feet for at least a year before it started to settle. Taking this into consideration should I go for the HO (11-12) ? I have contacted HO a couple of times about this earlier in the year but sadly they never responded :/ - Wiley's or D3 Leverage as alternatives? Option 2: Move away from rubber to something else...Not sure what though? - I'm not a fan of hard shell and I wont go there specially from rubber - Don't know what would fit on the NRG If you still ski in rubber or have moved over I would love to hear your thoughts Things to note: I live in South Africa so this will be a once off purchase (no testing/refunds etc) Thanks all

Thank you all Much appreciated