Marco

Jody, I am using Dawg's numbers. See below. Almost the same as AM's. I am also LFF, have a 67 2011 layup, and ski 34mph into -38. Only skied it 4 sets before an injury ended my season, but loved it! 6.837(tips), 2.509-2.511 range, .781-.7835 depending on water temp, 8 deg. Bindings 29.5

Londonskier- You should give the Elite a try as well. I am coming off 4 years on the Fischer and it still skis great, but I had an opprotunity to buy an '11 Elite Alpha for 1/2 price. It is an RTM ski just like the Fischer, and skis very similar. It is just as fast, has a bigger sweet spot, is not quite as quick at the buoy so it doesn't bite if you climb up on the front like the Fischer does. It lays down in the water better than the Fish, especially on the offside, and tip rise is almost non existent. My first set on it I got within a buoy of my PB. If you like the Fischer, chances are you'de like the Elite as well.

Terry- Thanks for sponsoring the challange. Unfortunately, I did not enter as I spent all summer trying to come back from injury (and alas, am re-injured again), but it was fun following the action! For anyone who hasn't yet purchased an EZ Fin Tool, you should do it now! It makes it incredibly fast and easy to get repeatable measurements every time, especially DFT. They would make great christmas presents as well!

Mark Carlson, 50. Started skiing the course in 97, got addicted immediately, and built a lake in western colorado with some friends, finishing my house on it this past june. TPB 1.5 at38, PPB 4 at 38 a month ago. Would write more, but suffered a complete shoulder dislocation yesterday afternoon, and typing this much with my left hand has already worn me out. Time for another percocet...

If this link doesn't work, look at the bottom of the left hand banner on the front page for the Buoy quick count chart. It gives you the buoy count starting with long lines at the minimum speed. You'll have to transfer MPH to KPH, same with the line lengths, but there is a conversion chart at the top right of the page. The speeds jump in roughly 2 mph increments. Hope your ribs get better! http://www.usawaterski.org/pages/divisions/3event/AWSASlalomBuoyQuickCountChart.pdf

Thanks Guys!Â

Still trying to find the stock settings for the 67. Does anyone have them??? For some reason, they are not on the website. Where else should I look?

Did this boat pull the Western Regionals this year? There was a pink 'Bu in Idaho that I skied behind.

Just received my new (2011 layup) Elite. Thanks Horton, what a screaming deal! Does anyone know the factory settings and binding placement for the 67"? I can't find them on the Elite website, and my ski didn't come with any literature. I'll try the Dawgs numbers posted above, but want to start out at the stock numbers. Thx.

Don't forget Will Bush...

I wasn't involved in course skiing when PP classic first came out, but I imagine some of the same issues/complaints came up then that are coming up now with ZO, (with the main difference being that PP could be installed in most boats, although there still was cost involved). I can't imagine then that skiers would have preferred PP over a good hand driver.

Magpie- I feel your pain. I ruptured my achilles after hitting a buoy last September, and the rehab was (is) a long road. My injury had nothing to do with my bindings as far as I can tell- the ski went airborn and when it reset the compression against the ski blew my achilles. I doubt any binding would have released under those circumstances. I started a thread here similar to yours this spring titled Injury and Binding Choice .http://www.ballofspray.com/vanillaforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=1646&page=3#Item_20 Check it out, you might find some useful information in that thread. One thing that sticks in my mind is Scot Jones comment that a heel based release system, such as a Reflex, is the best type of binding for an injured achilles. That is what I was on when I got hurt, but it was a situation that no binding type would have prevented. I am still on a Reflex today. Good luck with your recovery!

Stacy- I checked this morning and the scores were up on the USA waterski site, but they weren't up yesterday that I could find. (They still are not up on the awsawest site though). Hey- a goose egg w/o a crash is better than a lean lock induced OTF at the gate. Plus, you followed it up with some great skiing the second round!Â

Perhaps not all the tournaments have recorded their scores up to date. I skied in a tourney on September 11, and the scores are still not posted on the AWSA or the USA Waterski website as of today. Nice job on the PB! I ran that score in practice the other day, but haven't gotten close to it in a tournamenthttp://www.ballofspray.com/vanillaforum/js/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-yell.gif

Thanks Ed! It has been exactly a year since my achilles surgery, and I'm still not 100%, but I'm just glad to be skiing. I've never been accused of being light on the line, and can definately be a scrapper sometimes. How and when you load the rope, can make the difference between skiing with finesse and without it. In order to pick up more buoys, I need to focus on the finess part. Avoiding big variations of speed through the course is going to be one of my focuses for what is left of our too short Colorado season.Â

Thanks for all the input. Just got off the water, and realized that intensity (or lack of) is as important as the loction of the load. I was mainly working on gates at 35, and found that when I eased into the load, and didn't overdo it, I was able to get just as high and wide, but in much more control than when I hit it harder. Too much speed at the ball has been my enemy at 35 and 38, and backing off the throttle really seemed to help. I didn't realize how hard I was loading until I backed off it today. Maybe this concept will eventually get me through 38???

I think you are missing the point Ed is trying to make. The reward is not running the pass, it is getting early and high on the next buoy. I completely agree with Ed. When I am in perfect skiing position, C2 gets me set up for the next buoy better than any other setting I have tried. That is the reward. Do I ski C2 at tournaments?? No, because I am not always in good position at the finish of the turn, and I don't want to run the risk of getting pulled out the front when I could use a more forgiving setting like A3.

I've been taught for years to try not to load the rope until behind the boat. I was skiing with someone today who told me at 38 I should be loading earlier, from further outside, with the load completed by the first wake. I was skeptical, but gave it a try and had the nicest, slowest 1 ball, where ususally at 38 I feel like I am flying into the buoys. Question for all you shortline guys. Where do you load, and release load, and does it change at different lengths. Thx.

I wonder why more folks don't put their name in their user profile. You don't have to have your name splattered over every post if you don't want to (good for those who do), but anyone who cares to look can see who they're talkin to. My names been there from day 1. Marco-AKA Mark Carlson

The reason I haven't entered any is because I am in injury recovery mode this year. That bodes well for next year though!

Terry- Look forward to seeing you for practice tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully the wind is not what is predicted, but it looks like Saturday will be perfect!

Ditto on Laku being world class. Big Dawg qualifier a few weeks ago, Western Regionals last summer... awesome site.  I didn't mention it because I didn't know if there were still memeberships available. Terry- See you at the tourney on Saturday!

The 200 at our lake was upgraded from the 343 to the 409 because it couldn't pull 36. The 409 doesn't seem to be loud to me at all. Can't remember about the 343. At our altitude, (5600'), the 409 has an actual HP output of around 340 (or so I'm told), so it will feel like the 343 does at sea level. If you are at 3,000', I would err on the bigger engine just to be safe, especially if you are pulling 36 and if your lake is on the short side (assuming the extra $$$ is not an issue).

Careful...you could get put on probation for that!!

Have him sign up for one of the October tournaments. There is one on the 2nd (Lakeside) , 3rd (Buchli), 16th (SanTan), and 17th (Buchli).Â