jimbrake

@AdamCord - you wrote "The idea with this fin is to make the transition easy and simple." Transition from what to what? From a stock fin to the CG fin? I thought your CG fin was awesome and easy to transition to from a stock fin.

Just an update on my setup/adjustment process if anyone is interested or is going through the same process and getting different feels. I went through the process of sequential forward binding moves with the fin set at the initial setting that Jay advises. I'm on a 67" D3 EVO (2018 model). I started with my front boot all the way back at 29 5/8 then went to 29 3/4, then 30.0 +/- (I was measuring with my back boot in the way so having to eye it). 30 is too far forward for me. I ride the front pretty hard anyway and at 30 it was dumping me in on my onside. Moved back to 29 3/4 and shallowed up the fin about 1/4 to 1/2 turn of the set screws. That made for a "nice" ride. Nothing to get super excited about, but nice. Symmetrical, a little smear into good angle. Next I'll shallow up some more to see how smeary it gets. Just 28s and 32s so far.

@Krlee and @SkiJay - took my second set on the WF last night in much better conditions, so got a better feel for what the ski and fin were doing and I felt the exact same thing as Kevin. 28 no issue, 32 too much smear which killed speed through the turn and hampered acceleration. It was doable, but not right. 35 would've been worse. I'll bump bindings forward for next set. I'm already thinking forward + more fin area, but I'll do one at a time.

Took my first set with WF last night. Have had it for a couple of weeks, but wanted to get into some semblance of ski shape before trying it. After six sets with another fin that I was already super happy with, I decided to give the WF its first shot. Conditions were marginally skiable crap at our lake last night with a pretty strong head-tail gusting. Only skied 28s and 32s, but the ski was noticeably faster (easier on the body) and my offside was noticeably better and it had been pretty dang good with the other fin (which I will now give to my youngest at college). Will ski a few more sets at this initial setting, then decide if some experimentation is even worth it. 2018 67" EVO with my bindings ALL the way back (like 29 5/8 ish, I think).

@Chef23 - that's a good way to say what I was trying to convey. Don't "lean on the rope" with the upper body, but do take load into the ramp on the right ski via the hips.

If you're landing on your left shoulder sounds like you are trying to edge into the ramp using your upper body and not your hips and knees and that you have too much weight on your left ski. This is a pretty worthless guess though without some video. What do your coaches say about these "out the left" falls? I would assume that jumpers that PB in the 140s would be telling you to edge in strong on your right ski. Do that from a balanced stance with your hips and not your shoulders.

My first question - Curtis is still at SDSU?

@Wish - you know, your spelling has really gotten a lot better.

@adamhcaldwell - I get it. Sort of. Fortunately slalom skis are designed to work in a relatively uniform environment. The ocean wave environment is anything but and the needs of a surfer on a board are also widely varying. I probably shouldn't have even brought up the surfboard in my question. I'm just mainly interested in the Denali rocker and outline and you explained the reasoning well.

@adamhcaldwell - you probably have already described, but I'm not finding, your description of the reason for the rocker matching the outline of the ski. I'm really curious about this - the reasons for it. I make surfboards, which have a nearly infinite range of combinations of rocker and profiles (not to mention bottom contours, rail shapes, lengths, widths, on and on), and am wondering about the matching of outline and rocker. I design outline for certain purposes and rocker for others. I consider how they work together, but never have tried to make them the same. Apples to oranges, I'm sure, but still I'm curious about it in the context of your skis. Thanks!

Looks like she has more (higher) in her, too.

@skierjp - me, too. I took out a 15-yr loan in 1987 on an American Skier. My first "big" purchase after graduating college. House came the next year. Priorities.

@lpskier - don't EVER discount the positive effect that a new pair of trunks can have on your buoy count. Properly timed though - you bring those shorts out at the start of the season, because we all know the devastating effect that changing to a new set of trunks mid-season can have.

Not me. Just a pic of mongo pushing.

There is no "goofy footed" in water skiing - only in board sports with a heel/toe stance. I'm goofy on boards and LFF on a slalom ski. Even weirder is that I push "mongo" on a skateboard (push with your front foot while back foot is on the board). That is like goofy squared.

@Dacon62 - that's their parents' fault. A lot of kids aren't lazy and get really good at pursuits that are really difficult (but also fun and rewarding). Usually those kids have active and supportive parents that want to share their love of something with their kids.

LFF slalom skiing. RFF surfing and skating. Left-leg dominant except when kicking a soccer ball, then I'm right-leg dominant. An in-line stance and a toe/heel stance have nothing to do with each other. Now, snow skiing, that's a whole different deal - I'm RFF and I turn better on my heelside except in the southern hemisphere where I reverse everything.

@Dacon62 - Ah, OK. I thought maybe you had actual spots in mind and that maybe you have been out at Zicatela when a big south swell was running. @Chef23 - no spot on earth is always what you see in video. Even a spot as famous as Pipe can be flat and better for snorkeling in the summer. Zicatela I'm certain has its flat days. Every spot needs some form of swell to work.

@Dacon62 - Gordon Rathbun was looking at setting up there a few years ago and partnering with the condo developer. Didn't happen for reasons I don't know, but it looked like it was going to be a good setup. I'm curious, what are the #1 and #2 "surfing beaches" in the world and have you/would you paddle out at Zicatela when it's on?

Except for you, Alex, in case you read this. Your pull-out improved so much last year and you're already better than me.

@ToddL - I hohardly agree. I use the pull out at the end of the lake to see how good of a stance and stack and connection I can have and what it does to my acceleration, load, angle, etc. I'm constantly pulling skiers that do an arms-out pull, then suddenly let off losing connection. They have a hard time getting up on the boat. I don't point it out usually, though, because if I do they'll start skiing better than me and that pisses me off.

@horton - I rewatched/listened. I hear and see you saying/showing both - 4:10 you appear to be referring to coming into the ball. 5:19ish you appear to be referring to the pull. As has already been discussed here, you can be all full o' angles in the pull and still be stacked, centered, even forward, efficient, and strong (especially in an onside pull). Yeah, maybe that's more athletic. Coming into the bouy? We all are best served by being tall, long, and centered to forward. I'm this close to starting an alpine ski racing technique analogy. So...

There's a big difference between being knee- and ankle-flexed in your pull and into your edge change and being that way coming into the ball and through the turn. Some of the most flexy, compressed skiers like a Terry or a Marcus get very straight and long coming into the bouy, especially into their offside. It's a distinct up and forward (or at least centered) move. I took @Horton's video to be about that - being long/tall/straight back leg coming into the bouy, not about being in that position at all times.

@horton - thank you. That is better than a panda. I am honored.

I propose we call one toe-side and the other heel-side. This also makes no sense. (come on, Panda. come on.)