Gloersen

implement wing-nuts or similar so we can adjust flex at the end of each pass... %-)

@ThePantsManCan - negative on a HO; different hole pattern (only fits D3's)

Awesome! But it deserves a pavilion built over it.

sticky topic... if you believe that 25% > viscosity from 80f to 60f water temp makes skiing different (physically harder), then...YES

This becomes a thread hijack. But yes. assuming laminar flow. Also assuming the buoys were positioned appropriately, but once reaching the buoys things would get interesting. Often an example considered but never posted to illustrate ski path length when the rope shortens. So for a given amplitude after shortening the rope skiing in the “X” mph stream; does the ski’s path over bottom lengthen or shorten? Will the answer lead to running more buoys? (of course not).

Eagle front-zip drysuit quite good.

@Wish, just gathering opinion...might rehab the '03 to have something better to look at when falling around 1 ball...

Please choose the jpeg most favored. Unfortunately images cannot be embedded in poll options

i.e., red/white, red/gray, etc.

@Than_Bogan concur -39 UVA; irrelevant to me, won't be needing Wood's glass for a while. Relatively; -41 UVB, -43 UVC.

Colors of the visible spectrum....the real ? is 10.75m violet?

The spectral array of the rope eluded me until this moment...

Unfortunate. Take it 1 week at a time, be patient for the first 8. Good luck & speedy recovery.

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@Horton is spot on. The more intricate the safety design aspects, the greater the user's input into its effectiveness is required. How many dry-land test the capacity of their hardshell release system even just once a month?

Achilles tendon Forehead flesh wounds

Flashback...WCS http://youtu.be/zfBg4jTR-O0

agree, typically the strike is not upon the Silvretta release, but upon the heel of the shell and on that typically the block. Pad it up or wear shin guard. @Stevie Boy. The advantage of the Reflex is its firm fixation to the ski and the ability to clamp the bottom of one's foot with the 2 fore buckles firmly to the top of the ski; this provides great edge control. Too much fixation or immobility due to the upper cuff translates minor (or excessive) body movements to the ski. Unless you are technically perfect such movements will cause too much pitch in the ski. Trimming down the upper cuff (to the line just above the top buckle) will help alleviate this. The higher portion of the cuff in the back will cause early and easy tip rise if getting back on the ski, common for many of us approaching the heelside turn; this tip rise makes it difficult to initiate the turn. Too stiff a liner extending above the cuff will have impact as well, e.g. the Intuition liner, heat mold it and keep the upper portion dilated above the cuff. Acclimation and reducing cuff height will help.

One can only speculate. At least an ankle fx will mend quickly, I'm assuming you refer to an isolated medial malleolar fx which can be conservatively managed (if non-displaced, single malleolus and normal mortise). Torsional and/or lateral forces tend to mitigate predictable qualities of hardshell release systems. One might argue that having the upper buckle on the loose side may have lessened the forces on the ankle prior to release if a torsional or lateral impact on landing type event took place. Regarding the rear leg shin abrasions with release; try a piece of mildly high density foam (I use that from packing materials, it's compressible) cut to size of the heel block and about 1/4" thick. Epoxy it to the back of the block. If done properly it won't interfere with the release and softens the impact with the shin substantially. Good luck with your fx and heal well.

.780/2.500/6.835/8-9, Reflex at 29 5/8 (measured from shell heel below block, AND trim down the cuff. It takes a while to adapt to the brisk edge change transitions.

@mylemsky – I’d recommend testing the release while the ski is on a yoga mat on the platform (fin obviously over the edge) and move forward simulating an out the front; a firm move forward with ample dorsiflexion should initiate an easy release. Gentle forward movement should not cause an easy release. I’d put the brake strap in the middle hole initially, tighten the two forward (foot) buckles firmly, the upper ankle buckle moderately snug. Once comfortable with the buckle tensions, mark them with paint or tape to reproduce the same buckle tension each time as consistent performance on a Reflex is dependent upon such. I had taken my original Silvretta release mechanism (5-years) and placed it on my trick ski (using old black-cuff shell) so as to be rid of that horrific trick wrap Wiley and placed the new Silvretta release mechanism on the M6 with the “same” numerical setting but never land tested the release. In retrospect I had several mild tip stuffs with slow falls at 2/4 that in the past would have created a smooth shell detachment from the ski, but instead was not releasing and recall getting a sore calf as a result a couple of times. I now suspect that this was a partial tear and prelude to the rupture when striking the GBB. While I read all the variations in the cuff break being applied; all is well until one’s Achilles tendon becomes the brake strap. Just be certain that however it is setup, that this is avoided. @Stevie Boy – trim the top of the cuff down it will help. If you retain the full cuff height the ski tip will tend to ride too high when initiating the onside turn, imo.

White cuff better for slalom, the upper cuff freely articulates. The strap becomes taut with OTF situations thus engaging the heel for release. If you set the strap too loose and/or keep the upper buckle too loose you will run the risk of excessive dorsiflexion without engaging the heel to effect release from the Silvretta mechanism which in turn increases the risk of Achilles tendon rupture. At least so IMHO and experience after striking #6 bubble buoy coming back in laterally below the water line with ski just fore of the Reflex. (POD # 21) I would think cutting out the flex brake on the classic Reflex shell would create similar concerns. While the Reflex performs better when freedom of ankle flexion is enhanced; be certain that with acute dorsiflexion that heel lift of the shell is sufficient to engage the release mechanism. Dry land test the release multiple times, err on the side of slightly too easy. Ski well.

@Than_Bogan road trip time to PC. 5k in your '05 to ZO/JodySeal is a great move. That's at least a 1000 hours of great slalom skiing ahead on a great boat now ZO'd. No brainer!

@LeonL, semantics always muddy the water. Basically hide the back shoulder to emphasize staying open, shoulders level, 90 deg to the course across the 2nd wake as opposed to separating from the handle and letting the outside shoulder get pulled up and to the inside too soon. However not synonymous with burying the outside shoulder below the inside shoulder and closed. I've been given many a pylon lesson in leaning with this closed stance as well; good for a few OTFs. Open shoulders with a strong connection into the centerline is not so difficult; after that is a different matter imho

Excellent topic. Certainly impediments in technique result from deficiencies one, two, even three “steps” ahead. Matt Rini is excellent in this regard; identifying what’s errant leading up to the issue such as having the boat take the handle way too early. He’ll describe “lean” as on a scale of 0 – 10, 0 being vertical, 10 horizontal. If one needs to run say -35 with a lean of 5-6, then that lean is best established out wide when the load or force from the boat is least. Get the desired lean efficiently early then don’t add to it entering the centerline else wise the ZO will yank you up and out of it. Hide the back shoulder, control the reach/line tension, etc…. AM alludes to the same concept, establish position early, out wide, accelerate uniformly into the spray then ride that connection out to the other side, the transition to the decelerating edge then facilitated. But for me it all begs the next question; how to do the above? ….More coaching