HO 410

If those were my two choices I would try to get a D3. Specifically I would go with the X5, I just have not met enough skiers that liked the original Nomad enough to spend my money on it. One reason I would stay away from the Goode is that you don't really know the state of its flex pattern. You might get a noodle and for all intents and purposes you wont even have a Goode, let alone a 9700.  If you can find one to try, get a set or two on a Connelly F1. That ski gets no respect. For one, it is the cheapest top-end ski on the market. For two, those who ski it tend to ski it well and swear by it. It also doesn't hurt that it is now the record holding ski.

Why leave Denny? Look for a D3 .ÂÂÂÂ

Do you remember the first add for the Connelly Draft? Most of it was in shadow, but they gave a little tease. I think that actually built up the anticipation as opposed to this, "Great new stuff is coming soon!" type ad that HO put out. The anticipation is killing me... well not really. Please tell us that they are going to unveil a few of their new toys at nationals.

Patient: Doctor, doctor! I experience this excruciating pain when I raise my right hand above my head. Doctor: Well don't raise your hand above your head. Just a joke. If you ski all week with no pain, and you change one thing and begin to hurt, then you should probably go back to the way it was before. (Am I understanding it right, you used a new handle at the tournament and began to hurt?) Also, ARS handles can help relieve elbow pain.ÂÂÂÂ

What is good at -28 is generally good at -22, but I don't know how much you can apply that to the gates on a -15 opener. Maybe I'm wrong, but rhythm and timing are more important on gates than physical geometry. (Or how about this, show me a -39 1/2 skier that can get 3'-5' outside the turn balls on their gates) If you miss your opener a lot then you probably need to address it, but as long as you are getting free of the boat I don't know why you should want touch it.

And when we get a solar flare we can can break out the hand timers. Just kidding, or maybe I'm not! Can't wait to see what the Zero Off people came up with.ÂÂÂÂ

AWSA Rulebook  10.12 © 1 point when the skier has crossed the line of the gate buoys before passing the level of the next buoy (or the end gate in the case of the final buoy) with a tight line under the power of the boat without falling. Debates have been floating that this rule is dangerous. At the Waterski event this week, CP held onto a slack line in order to score a full buoy (I believe if this was scored last year, if he pitched the handle he would have received a full 1). He could not hold on and the handle was slingshot into the boat striking the driver. Letter of the law, if you can hold on you get 1. I do not dislike the rule: it rewards skiers that are able to maintain the rhythm of the course and continue on to try and reach the next buoy. I thought the rule implied that a slack situation would not count as 1 so everyone would be best served by pitching the handle. I believe this is the interpretation that the IWSF and AWSA intended, but the language was not created to explain what does not count as a "tight line" I suppose the questions go: Do you like the rule? What needs to be tweaked to make the rule safer?

This is kind of interesting... Under the Athletes tap at proskiers.com there is a poll: Favorite Slalom Ski. Surpising?

It should be available at masterslive.net

I see the the release, in the one-handed gate, as a tool to eliminate coasting on a flat ski.  For all intents and purposes Wil Asher does a one-handed gate, he just holds on with two hands, or at least that was the point that Trent Finlayson was trying to make in his article. The most important thing in his gate is to maintain speed and carve right back in. If he coasts he gives back the energy that he spent to pull out, why do that? It is the antithesis of what all this new-school stuff is about: efficiency. Also think about the skis used. They abhor riding flat, they don't really do it at all. If riding straight down the lake, and a gentle edge is not applied, the ski will bounce from edge to edge. That bouncing does not always follow a strict rhythm and could, if mistimed, make you late for the gate or dump you off the ski all together. ÂÂÂÂ