Deke

@bananaron I think @BraceMaker is trying to tell you that your inserts are probably stripped.

@Windsurfnut check out ski-again.com

@andjules The 2017 Alloy Senate is all carbon.

My wife and I talk about this all of the time. Skiing the course is only part of the whole experience. Powell trips always bring out those soul skiing moments. Early morning or at sunset, after the last run just lingering among the rugged scenery before returning to camp is the best. That said, we get at least one long free ski at our home lake every weekend that ends the same way. Just the quiet and surrounded by all of the beauty (but with a full tank of gas!).

@SkiJay thanks for that information, comparing the Strada to newer skis. Just out of curiosity I would love know how other skis from that same generation compare to newer skis, like say the D3 Nomad RC/RCX. It would really help put in perspective where the newer designs are going and how much we could expect from an older ski while working on the newer mindset of technique.

I'd be curious to hear what methods others use to keep it straight in open water. Obviously sighting something on land, but does anyone line up something on the boat somehow with that landmark?

"1) Start double booting (but i tend to pick my heel up crossing the wake)" @JBB I know you wanted to focus on equipment here but the comment in your first option says a lot. Lifting your heel during the wake crossing is probably the cause of the crashes that are destroying your ankle. I would take a serious look at what's going on there as well.

@Marco thanks!

There was someone named Chee Moua who I worked with back in 2012. Got his name from MalibuCrew and he worked at Malibu. Maybe Gabriel is the new go to?

I've been using gorilla tape as a guard. Have to replace/repair after some handle "pops" every so often though. I used TW's guards for years which worked well except that not only did the zip-ties pop occasionally, but they acted saw teeth on the top bevel of my ski when getting up. Maybe putting zip-ties through the rope instead of around it would prevent that. @Marco when you cut up the rollup cutting board material, are you just following the shape of the old TW guard? Could you post a pic? @dave2ball would like to see a picture of the Masterline guard that you have please.

@Topcat1, any chance you could be hitting it too hard with the boat? Just a thought...

@epnault listen to @Horton on the dry land thing. The issue is that dry land is static and on the water it is dynamic. You want to be balanced against the rope, not holding yourself up with it. It helps to hang on a rope to get an upstanding of alignment but you are never just simply be in a pose like that when behind the boat.

We all have a tendency to think of stack as something that is relevant to the force of the rope pulling on you rather than our position relative to the ski that we are riding. Maybe visualize this the other way around? Check out G.U.T. 103

@tap how did you get the speed data? Is that calculated from the angular velocity? Just curious, thanks.

Has anyone tried Box Anchors for a portable course? Ours stays in all summer but needs to be moved and re-tensioned frequently due to water level. Just wondering...

@Moskier3ev Could you add a little detail to your post? Would love to know exactly what the wise person told you.

As @skibug said... 303 instead of wax. 303 can't do it's magic if it can't get to the glass. If you are absolutely set on waxing, don't bother with 303.

@Gloersen mentioned low probability of accident and competent boat crew. That's key, as well as where you ski. The question is, can your boat crew get you back in if something were to happen? An unconscious person or someone with a back injury in the water can't help at all. In my case, on public water, I know that my wife couldn't get me back in the boat by herself. A little extra flotation could be a life saver. It all depends on your personal situation.

@eleeski a big selling point for the Birmingham or other resurface is the large ball size which makes it less likely to dislocate, particularly in the early stages of recovery. However, the anterior approach Total Hip also reduces the likelihood of dislocation to a similar degree. Throw in the recalls, metal on metal issues and the fact that the resurface is done posteriorly, I don't know if it would be worth it anyway (it wasn't for me). The materials for the Total Hip have also improved it's lifespan so it seems like from a risk standpoint it's a good choice. The key is the anterior approach and having a surgeon who is very good at it. Either way you'll be better off for it. I'm not skiing much these days but that is not because of my 2 hip replacements, it's because of access. I can tell you that I continue to play a LOT of ice hockey, so I wouldn't worry. I know you are worried about the change in your performance but you will be much better off with the hip replacements than you are now. Good Luck! PM me if you'd like to talk about specifics. -Deke

I found my boat 17 years ago by posting on a waterski forum and asking about promo boats that would be available at the end of the season. It is a 1999 RLX.

RS-1 front with Wiley toe rubber mounted directly to Sequence plate (No plate on RTP)

@kellybrewer your situation sounds exactly like mine and my wife's. In addition, we have a very small window of potentially good water that doesn't begin until 10:00 AM, right about the time that boat traffic picks up. This season has also been unusually windy. We're there, but the reality is we strike out more often than not. Interest has dwindled but if the situation were different, guaranteed both of us would be hooked again. I'm not sure what all of this has to do with why don't more women ski, but if it isn't fun, what's the point.

@Fam-man and @Shell I'm not sure about the comment that "men are generally wired to accept soreness, blisters, cold water..." In my experience women seem to have a much higher threshold for pain, at least from a whining standpoint. I'm not really sure about the journey vs. outcome theory either. Is that a biological difference or is it really just the current environmental/social difference. Once hooked, the women I know are just as passionate about the outcome, which brings us back to that "first six" discussed earlier. I think guys OR gals that that are perpetually trying to reach that first six or are always "behind" in their development compared to their peers (which right now seems to mostly men) tend to burn out and find a way to take it less seriously just to protect the sanity. It's really not that fun to be in that situation and have to hang out and listen to a bunch fanatics and just makes it harder to get hooked.

Might try Ski-it-again. Not much value though. Here's a link...

@JDM told great history of skiing at our public lake. I want to add that in more recent years there has been an increase in "ski" type boats here but outside of our small group there are very few that are actually interested in putting the time in to learn to ski the course. Towed sports are growing but not slalom. The majority here prefer to tube, surf and wakeboard (in that order!). With the increased traffic and the small daily window of potentially skiable water, it is nearly impossible to get any any quality time in the course. Even on a Monday or Tuesday, with only a handful of boats on the entire lake, it only takes one boat in the vicinity to end your set. There's kind of a luck faster involved. The result for me, at least, is that I don't even pretend to take it seriously anymore. In fact, I am no longer the organizer of our club and haven't even been in the course yet this summer. For others that mentioned the public lake vibe of fun and comradery is great for the sport, I couldn't agree more! That's what we had back in @JDM 's day and it was truly fun. If you have access to decent conditions, slalom can grow on a public lake. If you can achieve this on a wide scale the competitive aspect of the sport will naturally grow too.