Bruce_Butterfield

@harddock the general statement of a top level ski may hinder is not really true. The real problem is that some brands of "high performance" skis require a very specific setup and very good technique or they will definitely hold back progress. On the other hand some high performance skis are very easy to ride and are very forgiving.

Horton is correct about the vapor. I would put anyone from 25mph long line through 41 off on a Vapor and be confident the skier would be comfortable right off the bat and the ski would do exactly what it should do. D3 would be the second choice. Any other brand, you need to try before you buy and get an unbiased opinion of how that ski works for you.

@MISkier, @lpskier is correct, but perhaps not on the timing when 15mph became the standard starting speed. At least in the 1990's and early 2000's for example the min starting speed for M1/M2 was 30mph while M3 was 28mph. Other divisions were similar, but I don't remember the exact speeds.

@RAWSki I would not recommend going shorter than 40" for any kid trick ski. The theory on shorter trick skis is that they turn faster and are more "agile". You don't care and really don't want that for a beginning tricker - more surface area and stability are the important parts. I know several elite level coaches that start really little kids on 41" with great success.

Ouch that makes my back hurt.

@Horton you are not wrong, but you are being a little dramatic. Yes its important for kids to be on "reasonably" good equipment, but by far the most important part is time on the water and parental / friend involvement.

We'll see if this link works since it got lost in one of the site "upgrades".https://www.ballofspray.com/the-future-of-our-sport-tips-to-addict-the-next-generation

Yeah, the 20-25mph range necessitates a different ski than 10-18 mph or 28-32.

We need an "Agent K" 48" to keep the aliens in check.

 

C'mon @brooks!

Push your hips and front knee forward. You are locking your front leg, which causes you to drop your hips back. This causes you to loose your "stack" and leverage against the boat. As the rope gets shorter, you need to be more efficient - meaning use your body's leverage to generate angle and speed opposed to the brute strength you can get away with at easier passes.

 

Get some zoomed in, in focus video and this should pop out at you.

I have over 1100 hrs on my 6.0 and it runs like a top with zero issues. Some of the early 5.3 and 6.2 did have issues, but I have NEVER heard of anything with the 6.0l.

 

The 6.0 has significantly more power than the 5.7, particularly in the SN200. You should obviously tell "they" that they are full of it.

@dchristman yes unfortunately time is passing quickly. And where's that middle finger emoji when you need it :D

Years ago, the 360FF and BB were considered the same, but that changed sometime in the last 10-20 years. The FF and BB are now separate tricks.

A 40" for a 10yo is ok, but at the rate kids grow and progress at that age, she will need something bigger in a year or 2. I would recommend a 41 or even 42". There is really no downside to the bigger ski and will actually be easier for the beginning tricks.

 

Of all the tricks on SIA, this one would be perfect https://ski-it-again.com/php/skiitagain.php?endless=summer&topic=Search&category=Trick&postid=64706

After they get a little snack, they enjoy an afternoon siesta......until dinnertime for the main entree of kayaker!

 

@drago I was going to make a comment about Jill being almost as chronically gifted as me but I’m older and wiser. I’m pretty sure I have a few …cough….cough… years on her.

@Drago Steve Island is from the north Dallas area and was a young up and comer in the kids divisions a decade or so ago. He's spent a lot of time with Chet and has been living in southern Florida for the last few years. I hadn't seen much from him in the last few years, but he's obviously doing something right. I was surprised to see how much he has improved.

 

Oh yeah, great job by TWBC! Having Marcus and Regina with color commentary really adds insight!

 

Also good to see Jill Knutsen still hanging in there:)

@C5Quest I rode the 2018 and 2020 Vapors, both in 68", but have been on other skis the last 3 seasons. The new 67 is a ski my son is trying out and it was easy for me to put my bindings on and give it a shot. But being on the small side for me and my old man's back, it was only planned as a 1 set ride and a cursory opinion.

Don't tell me he did ANOTHER AirCaldwell?!?!

I had a chance to ride a 67" 2023 model last week. It is considerably softer than prior years, but on the water the "softness" is not really noticeable in and of itself. Its just one piece of the ski design puzzle. Overall the ski turns very symmetric and smoother than prior years. Even though the 67" is small for me (195 lbs), I skied right up to "normal" buoy count. The vapor is definitely one of the best skis out there.

NFW

 

But I will pay to see @thager or @hewhoisforgotten test it.

@scoke that makes 4 times.

@klindy MM is a mixed bag. In 1985 if you were over 35yo you were pretty much washed up. At the time, Senior (over 35) and Veteran (over 45) were referred to as the "Wrinkled" and "Shriveled" divisions.

 

If my memory serves, we have had between 15-20MM in past years. I really wished it blossomed to a premier event, but that hasn't panned out regardless of scores.

IMO the “driver error” is the best option and leaves discretion to the driver, boat judge and if necessary the chief judge.

 

We had regionals a few years ago with a 70 something man with a bad back. First attempt the driver yanked him over the front. Second attempt the driver drug him about 50 ft at 10 mph before he finally let go. I don’t remember if it took 3 or 4 attempts to finally get him up. In that case it was clearly driver error (more accurately incompetence). A mulligan rule would possibly take away rare cases like that.

 

Our rule book has a lot of crap largely from rare or unusual scenarios. The unintended consequence leads to frequent confusion.

There are times when it’s better NOT to have a specific rule and leave it to the discretion of the officials.

Sun glare was by far the worst condition this year. Between 7:30 and about 9:30 am it was a serious challenge.

 

If any nationals level skier was challenged by the wind this week, they really need to step up their training

@scoke, I think this is the 3rd time you have definitively answered my question about whether you are trolling or simply being an asshole.

That was an oddball thing. When I took mine apart, I think there were 3 pieces. I think it is suppose to be a single spring that broke in several places over the years. I can't think of any reason for multiple springs in that assembly.

 

Its not that sensitive and almost any spring that will fit should work as long as you get close to a reasonable tension.

There are 3 Allen bolts in the holes in your pic. Remove those and the base will separate. I don’t remember if the knob at the top needs to come off or not, but there is another small Allen bolt that will let it come off as well.

 

You will want to be sure it’s greased when you reassemble.