Dysco

@WIRiverRat, it was I guess 6-7 years ago when I skied a couple of mornings.. maybe with you? I recall the course being there way back 20 years ago, then not for a while. Great to see it's back!

I drove 2 1/2 hrs to attend. Fantastic place to watch. I did cringe when skiers had to walk out of the lagoon. I can't imagine the bottom is clear of multiple sharp objects. Most certainly having a location like that for a practice and amateur tournament site would be great for the sport.

@WIRiverRat , just out of curiosity, where's the course in Lax? I hooked up a few years ago with some guys that helped pull for the ski team, but just free slaloming, no course. My son moves in at UWL in two days.

I've skied on Pepin several times with a buddy from Lake City. We transported out of the marina in the photo. It's certainly not a "slalom friendly" lake.

Here's a thread. Rocker Rack is probably what you are looking for. Contact them directly, tell them it's for slalom skis as it's a different build than for snow skis and boards. Work great. I've got two for slalom and two for downhill. /forum#/discussion/24875/ski-storage-ideas

Survey results??

D3 are generally very neutral and user friendly skis. I'd search for a used a few years old.

You can buy yourself a 2005-2010 D3 X5, x7 or Radar Strada. Pretty neutral and easy to ski.

Back in our teens, lots of our gal friends could get up on slalom and swerve a bit. They would often ask to use one of our skis, as we talked about how nice they turned. It was always a bit of fun to watch the ski hunting for an edge when they rode it flat.

I've been to McCormick's (as have others here). There will probably be at least a few rookies there, most certainly some people who aren't running the course at 39 off, so absolutely don't get nervous. Just have fun and don't over-try. Ie, skiing your absolute hardest just to make a bouy that doesn't actually matter can end up in falls in the middle of the course, or injuries, or not being able to wipe your a%% the next morning. A few things...it's very possible that the people driving and "coaching" will change throughout the day, or by whatever boat is ready to pull (usually two of them are on the water) so what they tell you to focus on be different. Pick one or two things and work on that. Also they aren't all "coaches" some are kids who are staying there to train, knowledgeable perhaps, but not always well versed at coaching. One of my "coaches" was French and barely spoke english. His advice on one aspect of what I was doing, was exact opposite from what a "coach" from an earlier set told me. If you aren't bringing your own ski, vest, gloves, handle...well, you gotta use what they will let you use or buy it. The ski might work fairly well for you, or it might not. Once again, just enjoy skiing as part of your vacation. I got a bit worked up/disgruntled about that part as there were three of us guys that didn't bring our own and were told on site to share the same ski. We were all very different in size (body and feet) and ability (and this ski was OLD, and not even a very good ski when new). I was told over the phone that they had multiple skis like mine at home (a KD at the time) that I could use. Yes, the did have at least 5-6 of my exact skis, but when I asked if I could use one, they said those belonged to other skiers so I needed to use the one they had. One of the guys had really small feet and they had him duct tape himself into the binding. After my 2nd set, I chilled and had some lunch, and realized that nothing has ever been perfect on any vacation, so just go with it. That afternoon and the next day I just said screw it and enjoyed being on the water and talking with others. I hope that your experience starts off better than mine, but in the end, while wishing I had brought my own ski (which wasn't really possible for that vacation) or been able to use a different one, the reality is that it might not have been set up even close to what I was used to, so it would feel very different anyway.

I like your observations of the wake crossing. I was just reviewing some video a friend took of me. At the same spot, my ski was also barely in the water. I kept thinking "why's just the tail in the water? What am I doing??" Now I don't feel so bad.

How about these rankings? On point? ? ?https://www.boatsafe.com/best-ski-boats/

28 off typically brings you into the "better" parts of the wake at 32mph +, behind most boats. IMO if you haven't tried 28 yet, do it free skiing so you get a feel for it, then give it a go in the course. This is supposed to be fun, try it out.

Where's northern MN? According to the locals, unless you are north of hwy 2, it's not northern MN. ? I heard that a lot living in TRF. Unfortunately not a ski boat in the county.

I had the back of my head split open from a handle while driving, 8 stitches. 4 foot tube was in place. Objects may be closer than they appear in the mirror is true! The worst part was it was an "option" to be at work that morning, which was where my wife thought I was. She wasn't amused.