swbca

All of these world record holders are right foot forward with right palm down grip on the handle.

(sorry that women are under-represented in this sample)

 

I was doing OK during 20 years of competition, a couple of National titles while living in Minnesota, but I realized TODAY that I have been doing it wrong my whole life. . . with right foot forward - left palm down.

 

Since its winter and I can't ski, this is my latest dive into what might be trivia - Most agree that everyone has an on-side and off-side turn . . with some of the best skiers left and right are equal but always different in execution.

 

Because grip position affects shoulders and upper body, I believe everyone has on-side and off-side grip on the handle where the skier's grip works better for getting into a Stacked Position on one side. The effect may be subtle depending on the skier and the ski, but using the "wrong" grip adds a second awkward body-to-equipment position in your off-side turn. (foot position + hand position) Plus, your on-side turn may not be affected one way or the other by your grip position.

 

Is your front foot and your palm down hand on the same side ? . . both-left or both-right like the record holders ?

@ALP @Stevie Boy Encouraging comments . . At 30mph, I've heard you need to avoid the hits you can take at short lines when you have no speed behind the ball and the boat is taking its time to get ahead of you. I suppose that's technique and suitable ski for the speed.

@Horton I have a 68" D3 ION that I haven't tried. Since everything is new to me, including skiing, I will just learn how to ski that ski. I will be skiing at 170lbs, so a 68" ski should help stay afloat at 30mph.

@Bruce_Butterfield I didn't say that all the early 80's boats had a great wake. The 1986 MasterCraft had the smallest wake of all boats to that date. It was a new hull with the same pre 86 deck, marketed as the first "no-wake" boat . . I traded my 84 Correct Craft for the 86 Master Craft because the CC wrecked my knees with a much larger wake. I had 100's of hours with both boats and I am clear on the difference.

 

My post was not me "axle wrapping" which sounds like an unnecessary pejorative . . . I am curious about the M8, M9 skiers experience of wake impact at 30,32 mph because my knees are my "achilles heal" that could bag this entire endeavor. I am not worried about wakes in tournaments . . . I am trying to figure out if a normal schedule of practicing at 30mph could be a problem that might prevent me from skiing . . . it happened to me before . . . learning all I can before summer is part of my preparation and this forum is backed with a wealth of experience.

 

(In my first post I mistakenly said 1985 ProStar. . its 1986)

 

This is the "fix" to take any residual tension away from the horizontal ropes as the course buoys approach their final floating position with the winch unwound. It fixes a 6" longitudinal error in the final position of some skier buoys.

 

 

 

After skiing at 36mph in Boy's and Men's divisions for 20 years, I ended up getting surgery on both knees from the sharp impact on the wake, and traded my 1982 Ski Nautique for a 1985 ProStar . . the first major brand flat wake boat.

 

For those of you in M7 or beyond did the lower boat speeds reduce the impact on the wake ? or does the wake just get bigger ? Unlike my 1985 ProStar, the 2004 ProStar wake grows fast when you start slowing down from 36. The 1985 Prostar hull was sort of a flat slab compared to later models that were designed to eliminate spray and have a trick wake.

@HORTON It seems pretty well settled that the two systems are fairly similar, so my question was about latency. Does the skier experience acceleration with these systems at unwanted times because the system is reacting to the skier . . rather than being in-sync with the skier.

 

The other question was about the amplitude of boat speed change ? Is the boat speed swinging within a 1 mph range for example or is it more steady than that . . With the example skier; 180 pound 35off/34.

 

Thanks

Haven't skied behind either, though I now have latest PP w/StarGazer on my boat in Winter storage. Some live drivers are really easy to ski behind and some not . . they anticipate the skier, not react to the skier. I asked a lot of questions but never learned if these speed control systems are in sync with the skier maintaining a near constant speed, or if there is latency causing noticeable acceleration as you approach the wake. I have only talked to one skiing friend with a ZO boat and he says you need to practice behind a ZO boat to ski in tournaments. On this forum others have said the 2 systems are similar enough - if the PP is a recent software version.

 

So the questions are about latency and boat speed fluctuation as the speed control reacts to the skier. Does the boat stay in a +/- 1 mph speed, or is it +/- 1/2 mph ? or what do you think ? (for example with a 180 pound skier 35off/34)

 

 

@lpskier @GregHind @RichardDoane @dbutcher @HORTON Thanks for you encouragement and guidance with my effort to go from M3 to M9 with nothing in-between. This forum is an invaluable resource in preparing for this effort. Also should mention this forum platform (software and management) is technically one of the best I have seen on any special interest topic.

 

Its easy to go off the rails without the benefits of this community of knowledge and experience. Case in point . . In September I tried skiing for the first time in several years.

 

:) I got up with both feet in on my very old Lapoint Radius.

 

:) Same with my son's newer vintage Obrien.

 

The next day I tried my new D3 Evo with an HO HiMax shell and the Radar Hybrid kick-in rear. I couldn't get up with 2 feet in, or 1 foot in, or by dropping a ski. After spending hours on this forum, now I understand why @HORTON is insistent that I start with Wiley bindings. In the lengthy Boot forum, many skiers commented that they couldn't get up, or pull out in advance of the course with a new shell or some other new arrangement.

 

Someone asked why I am starting again from scratch. I felt like I was wasting the last viable decade of pursuing something physical . . . a motivator for health and fitness, and something to pursue without compromise. Could have been Nastar ski racing or this. But this will be a life changer if it works out.

 

Many guys I have known since being a teenager are still skiing in M6 - M10. They ski in the Nationals and one of trick skiers placed 2nd in World tournament. I bought his ProStar boat because he needed a current model Nautique to practice for the next world tournament. Sounded like fun to me.

@PREGOM You warned that stainless steel tubing could corrode. The pre-made 180 degree tubes are for vehicle exhaust systems. Perhaps you don't have enough info, but do you think the stainless could deteriorate enough for it to be a structural problem over 5 years in a clear freshwater lake ? My concern would be corrosion being abrasive to poly rope passing through it. With frequent use, the rope would keep the steel polished, but the course is only used 5 months of the year. Cold and 70 feet deep would have less oxygen . . right ?

 

Maybe going back to copper would be better.

Ranking notations * #

On the individual rankings I get that the Asterix means Penalty for having less the 3 qualifying events, but what does # mean. I looked at rule 1.13 but didn't figure it out.

From the skiers experience is there significant latency in the boats response to the skier ?

 

How constant is the boats speed in a "typical case" 180 pound, 35off, 34mph skier. . . is the boats actual speed running up and down in a 1mph range or more? or less?

 

What does it feel like to the skier.?

@VONMAN Interesting, I am sure you have a good outboard setup. I had a young doctor friend on the lake with an outboard with a large engine. I only weigh 170 but when I skied behind it once, the low weight of the boat made it a rough ride for the 2 people in the boat and I bent the ski tow that came up over the engine. What kind of hull do have that's up to the task of pulling a real slalom skier through the course. Remember the Crosby Twin Rigs ?

 

Can you describe how your PP responds to the skier. I Assume it reacts to being pulled down by the skier. Or does it have some intelligence to anticipate ? Overall does it feel like one of those great boat drivers that makes slalom skiing ease while driving in tolerance straight down the middle of the course ?

 

What's with magnets on the gates ? I received the upgraded PP, StarGazer and Gauge yesterday. Are gate magnets part of using upgraded PP ?

DIAGNOSE THIS PROBLEM

Watching the MasterCraft Pro tournament on YouTube, there was a woman skier, in the middle of a pack of 10, that was having a bad time on 2 and 4, her "on-side" at 35 off. Her D3 ski wouldn't turn, water was spraying up from her boots for a long time and she was breaking at the waist before the ski would turn . . . way to late.

 

The commentator made the comment that she needs to get her ski problems addressed.

If its possible, can anybody suggest what fin/wing adjustments she should make ? or should she just learn to get back on 2 and 4 like the best men on D3's

 

Its of interest to me, because that was the kind of problem I had to tune out of every stock ski I had, but that was before Fins were part of the tuning game. Occasionally I would get a ski setup to snap an on-side turn at excess speed with weight neutral - tip down.

 

@lpskier You said "2@35 won M9 Nationals last year".

 

. . maybe I should just keep running 38off passes in my head . . . at 75 I have no problem there.

 

@MISkier 22off qualifies ?? The 1985 Highlight Reels of skiing that are still in my head, still fool me into thinking I can just start where I left off. What a shock it will be when the ice goes out in Minnesota.

@VONMAN does the D-3 Leverage perform any differently than the older "wiley" style bindings? I can see the D-3 comes up higher but is the height so compliant that its only function is for ease of putting on the ski ?

@MISkier impressive . . Thank you . . I have the spread sheet "2020 Level 8 COA" are those the COA's in force up to the 2021 Nationals, or is the COA a moving target ?

Qualifier A "A skier may also qualify . . after the Cut Off Date by increasing his Ranking List Average above the Level 8 Cut Off Average before the Natls"

 

Qualifier B "or attain a score equal to or greater that the Level 8 Cut Off Average in a Regionals or any Class C tournament before the Natls"

 

Qualifier B makes it appear that a brand new skier (with no Level 8 Average) would only have to ski in 1 Tournament - plus the Regionals - during the summer of the Natls. with a Level 8 Cut Off score to Qualify.

 

Is that correct ? It seems like B would always supersede A because how would a skier have a Level 8 Average without skiing Qualifier B performances multiple times ?

@lpskier Interested in your opinion . . other than the need for batteries, what are the disadvantages of digital ?

This doesn't translate into a recommendation, but the 1985 Master Craft Prostar 190 that I bought in 1985 had a much smaller wake than the 2004 ProStar I bought recently. The 1985 hull shape hadn't been worked over to eliminate spray or to make trick skiers happy. It was just a big flat sheet of fiberglass that skimmed along the surface with "no wake". It also cornered flat at high speeds like some racing hulls. I bought the 1985 Prostar after recovering from knee surgery on both knees' caused by the wake on my 2 earlier Correct Crafts.

Is it relatively safe to use the Radar Carbitex without a release from the ski ? When I was an active competitor, I didn't lose my ski in a fall more than once per year. But when it has to happen, will the Carbitex let you out ?

 

At 30 mph what could possibly happen that you would want to be separated from your ski ? :)

@Horton Instead of spending money on Wiley bindings, do you think the D3 T-factor would be too much of an adjustment for me. Its a rubber binding with laces. Thanks for your feedback.

@VONMAN @Nando Regarding digital calipers; Any specific recommendation?

@Horton D3 has the fin and binding setup measurements for all of their skis on their web site. Are those values a sensible starting point ?

 

Thanks