jhughes

@horton I started off a piece on why we "don't" structure our sets that often with a very similar theme, the point you're trying to make to some degree if that helps flesh out the idea a bit. Basically every set is a miracle as it is: Structuring our sets and why sometimes we don't.

IIRC the Triumph is of Monza/System 8 design ethos and era. This is a ski that predates even the A1 by 3 years. I remember doing an official "ski test" of the Triumph back in 2007 in the peak Fifteenoff.com days. It's still on the Wayback Machine is and is horrible so don't read it.

Yes.

Eden is great.

Yeah, I think the big spoiler alert is that mental toughness is pretty rare in this sport, myself included. We blame everything but ourselves, we're picky, we're gear addicts, we're out of shape, and we train with very little discipline or structure most of the time. You'll see those with mental toughness on the podiums with few exceptions.

How sad is it that the most likely/first suggested plausible reason a waterski vendor website is down is that they are suddenly out of business, ha!

Yeah, you know you are a nerd when GenCon was a major stop in the 90s. Most kids were playing football and baseball, I was playing MtG and programming my TI-85!

As a huge MtG fan back in the day, I’m listening.

TBS is great, especially with Freddie Winter there. Great coach (as is Travis of course).

LP is an overlap course with a little dog leg on one end. It’s great but if that’s a factor for you then it’s probably good to know.

Huge difference. I have videos of passes on both skis on the fifteenoff channel on YT. To me the Vapor seemed more flowy and turny, particularly on 2/4 (onside) where I generally like additional help. I went through multiple rounds of settings on the Senate, the Vapor was perfect stock out of the box. Bindings on, skied right into PB territory on the first set. Cool ski. Struggled on it in the fall and then again in the spring, I’m of the opinion that the Radar designs can be water temp sensitive but that could just be crazy talk. Have been on an old beat up ARC-S for a while now that seems to be a good neutral partner at this stage of the learning process.

@jeffklop99 thats more of an excuse than I have ever had for a ski upgrade for sure! Makes sense. I skied the Vapor and Senate back to back a lot in 18 (19 model year) and vastly preferred the Vapor. I’m in the minority on that opinion but that’s what I felt.

2015 Vapor is an outstanding ski and works great at lower speeds. Do you think it’s holding you back at 32mph? The jump to -28 off is mainly about a few key fundamentals vs ski changes.

We have the 5.3DI (16 200) and love the power and fuel efficiency. It is fairly unyielding behind the boat, a noticeable difference from a 6L Malibu at the club. I ski the same scores behind it but it it does feel different, no doubt.

BASL has a good lacrosse ball twist/smash, page 344, for the forearms.

I was waiting to hear Dane. He's fascinating to watch in all areas of the course. He also has this unique "t-rex" arms move-out that I've never seen anyone else do. Super light and balanced move left with really bent arms. Watched him from the boat a few years ago and I'll never forget that set! So cool.

I really liked this. Jenny seems great/knowledgable while at the same time practical and holistic. I'm looking forward to part 2!

There's a family on my lake up north that has this boat 17'6" Dyna Ski OB. They ski the snot out of it, the thing is always running and pulling slalom free-skiers. I've always admired how flat the boat drives and corners, zero bow rise ever. The boat attitude really stands out as just totally flat and composed, you can tell from a mile away that it's something different. Wake looks great, too.

@BraceMaker I just bought a Masterline rope and I will most likely buy a D3 this summer because they are great products made by good people at relatively tiny companies. I won't buy a Nautique this summer because the current boat is simply too ugly. :p

Changing handle diameters didn't really help me FWIW. In my case it's a variety of technique elements that are not correct in the course, which I'm working on. What did help, and what I'd recommend in addition to everything else is to get a lacrosse ball and roll the shit out of your forearms on your kitchen table. Roll lengthwise and across. I bet your forearm muscles will feel like cables rolling across the ball as you break up adhesions and get things moving past each other more smoothly. Next, twist the lacrosse ball into the skin/tissue around the elbow/affected repeatedly. The twisting motion also heaps break things up and get things moving smoothly again. These two exercises/therapies help me the most. Pullups and barbell work also cause elbow pain for me in the offseason (to a much lesser extent) so this is something I work on year round.

“Outrage/call-out culture” has kinda become the zeitgeist in the US these days. Tough to see it hit our tight knit little community/sport.

A zerk fitting has to be aligned pretty exactly with the grease gun coupler/end on all planes otherwise you're going to get this result. Seems obvious but worth mentioning I suppose. Additionally you could replace the nipple or try a different grease gun fitting to isolate the issue.

What about ski friends who could easily afford it but are just too damn cheap?

Nice free ad?

WTPP?