MrJones

I bought gifted and watched it once... that was enough. I saw "32 accounts" at Nationals and it was very good. I will tell you that there is more "personal story" type stuff than just the constant slalom passes of the original edged in water. I am not saying that as a negative either. There was some funny stuff and more insight into skier personalities. Personally I liked it a lot, but if you are just wanting to look at a lot of slalom Momentum or Slash might be better. Hopefully you will get some more feedback. sj

Mark, What's the typical water temp there in August? Looking forward to going somewhere new!

Gern, He is my thought. I have talked to a couple of RCX skiers who have tried the Z7 and like it any better than their current ride. I rode the Z coming from another brand. Where I had ridden D3s in the past and found them a little "stodgy", the Z7 felt faster and more "crisp" in the course. (Sorry. The choice of words to describe the Z7 is a little difficult for some reason) Anyway, my point is that I think it has a slightly different feel than what D3s have had in the past, and if you are die hard X5>Nomad>RCX skier then the Z might take a little getting used to. Having said that, my wife was on the old Kidder junior team, rode the CR7, and has progressed from Custom 4 to X5 to the Rose over the past few years. She hopped on the Z7 and loved the feel immediately. sj

They are sweet looking skis. The box and general impression when you unwrap it is definitely something different. Kind of reminded me of opening up the Fischer at the ski test. Just a more refined product. Those extra few ounces you feel is the insurace policy inside the ski. Insurance your ski won't explode, break down in 2 months, etc, etc. sj

Thanks lkb, but my forearm feels like it is about to fall off right now. After Nats I have to give it at least a week or two off for some healing. Hope you guys have a good tournament! sj

ShaneH, Aren't you from the Houston area? Where is the tourney Memorial Weekend? Things get a little sparse after nats and we were looking for another one in Sept. thanks, sj

John, Your form (shape) does look a little like The Chairman's in recent years now that you mention it! Do you think drag from that BOS sticker on the bottom of the ski is problematic? Before you say it's not gonna matter... why not? If 1/1000 of tip makes a difference in the fin, why would that 1/1000 flat edge across the tip on your toe side not? (No, I don't think I could really feel it... or could I. Head case) BTW, those pics are cool. I really like the black and white stuff. The one I see here occasionally of the "S" wake of the ski is my all time favorite. sj

A few of thoughts. The ski carries speed at all times. It takes a little time to get used to if you are used to stop/start turns. I have run 8 deg on both the 65.5 and the 67. When I was on the 65.5 I found it very responsive and moved the fin back and deeper to slow it down. That calmed down the toe side which had given me some lean-lock turns at first when the fin was shallower and more forward. 0.765 and 2.512. sjÂÂ

The liners are very tall and look kinda goofy sticking out above the boot. I have been planning to get mine cut down and re-stitched by a shoe shop, but haven't gotten around to it. sj

Mark, I wanted to try a bent handle myself but didn't want to buy one since I wasn't sure I would like it. Anyway, I took and old 12" accurate handle I had laying around to a buddy who has a shop press. Stuck it in there and bent it a little. I have been skiing with it for about a week with no problems. I think it needs a bit more bend, but that is just another trip to the press. I will try to take and pic and post it tonight. (I am computer dufass. Will have to get Lynda to do that in reality) sj

Oppps. I have to apologize. Just went by D3's site and saw that they have some new fin numbers for the Z7. Shorter and farther back. I guess they are learning as they go and passing it along. I think the recommendations could be a lot shorter and maybe leave the depth where it was. Still, they are responding to feedback so "good on 'em!" sj

Haven't written about the Z in a bit since I am on the Elite now. I do have a little more info though. My wife was on a RCX and wanted to give my Z a try. She liked it and skied a tournament last weekend with only 3 practice sets on it. She skied okay, but 4 buoys less than her best of the year on the RCX. She said the ski felt good, she just kept getting later. (She is a shallow 35 skier just for reference) Well, she went back and tried the RCX last night and said the Z was definitely better for her. Today a good friend (and fin doctor) came over the ski with us. He suggested taking A LOT of length out of the fin. I wasn't sure as I was already a good bit shorter than "factory". Long story short she really liked it. Factory (for the 66") is listed at 6.910. I was at 6.870. He took her to 6.845. (Tips) I am very happy with the Elite, but with the way the Z looked I almost wanted to snag it back from her and try it for a set. The ski is really good. I just think the length they recommend from the factory takes a lot of life out of the ski. If you are struggling, try shortening it up. sj

Horton, You weren't at regionals? Not going to Nats? How will we have a BOS round up in West Palm without the big kahuna present? sj

"the status symbol of choice is the payed off elite, not the BMW" At least I think I heard that on the show. sj

Reading over the last posts I noticed a couple of things that I have felt. The elite has the most balance toe/heel side turns I have seen. It will hold whatever angle you get all the way through the wakes. That is actually the reason I swapped for a 67". I got so much tip in the water on toe side with the 65.5" that I either popped the fin or went on a rocket ride (out of control) across the wakes. I only have a few sets on the 67", but so far it seems that turning the bigger ski won't be an issue. MS is correct. No ski will magically get you six buoys. However, a ski can give you more confidence and therefore allow you to focus on technique, etc with more ease. In my case a ski can be physically easier on the body allowing more time on the water. Lastly, a ski can be durable and not break down over a period of months leaving you wondering why you aren't skiing as well and questioning yourself as to what is going on. I am looking for all of these things. If RTM is for real and I can ride the same ski for a couple of seasons and then re-sell it (like I did for years with the older Goodes) I will be an Obrien man for awhile. sj ps. JWR Have you been married long? Weeks with no sex and mad looks? You mean that's not... nevermind. Buy the ski!

If you are coming from using set screws anything without them will seem like a pain. My Prophecy did not have set screws either and I can say for sure that the Obrien is much less difficult to deal with than the Connelly was.  The Obrien clamps look cool, but I would opt for the screws over cool... sj

Glad you are skiing well Mark. Darwin is talking about having a fall tourney. You need to come down for it.  I agree with you guys about the cross course speed/angle of the RS-1. I rode one for a couple of weeks last summer and it got you wide and early. Only problem was what felt like a soft tip that I stuffed on toe side consistantly. A stiffer one would likely have been sweet. I also agree about the A1 being very hard on the body. I rode one this spring and it killed my back. I think there is something about the skis flat attitude in the water combined with that width that make it very hard to keep on edge effectively. sj

MS It seems I remember you on the RS-1 last summer? If you are going back to it now what has changed, you or the ski? sj

One thing that seems nice about the Elite is that all the numbers I am hearing from people are pretty consistant. That goes for the 67" and the 65.5". The factory recommended binding location seems to be pretty well on the money.  Depth seems universally around 2.510-2.515 Length is typically 6.840-.845 DFT is the variable with the 67" being about 0.780 and the 65.5" feeling better to me at 0.765. Of course if you are a little big or a little small for the size ski you might need to adjust. That might be why the smaller ski felt better to me farther back. Still, these are all very close which gives you some confidence that you are not just wandering in the wilderness with your caliper in hand. sj ps. Maybe we should move this to the Elite thread?

Well, I rode the 65.5" on Saturday. Then me and a guy who bought a 67" swapped skis for Sunday. Both of us are 6'1" and slightly less than 175lbs. I wound up driving home with the 67" in the back of the 'burban. I have frequently tried out different skis at tournaments, but the full on swap is a first even for me! sj

Go ahead and post the RS-1 for sale. You won't be going back. sj

No problem. Just so anyone who is confused knows what we are talking about. "Tennis Elbow" is lateral epicondylitis which is an inflammation of the forearm extensor muscles where they originate from the lateral (outside) of the elbow. "Golfers Elbow" is medial epicondylitis where the forearm flexor muscles that originate on the medial (inside) of the elbow get abused. I never realized how many people were dealing with this until now! sj

dsmart. "Tennis elbow" is on the lateral side and I would not think the bent handle would be of benefit. John. You never answered about whether the compound in the Control handle was the same as the RS-1. Richard. Are you measuring your degree of bend in any fashion when you are on the press or just "eyeballing" it? sj

MS Biomechanically you are incorrect. It has to do with the resting position of the hand. I will explain the next time I see you. I can see why it "could" work, I have just not experienced it myself. I am interested to see how John is doing after 8-10 sets. I know this has been an ongoing thing. I he is better I may just take my RS 1 (handle) to a shop with a pipe bender and make my own "radius." sj

John, Does the Radar bent handle have the same rubber compound as their RS-1 handle? I have been using the RS-1 and love it, but as you know I am having the same trouble with medial epicondylitis.  I am also not crazy about the 13" length. If anybody has any recommendations for a 12" let us know. sj