TWB

I've had the X5, Nomad RCX, and now a Fusion. I skied most of last year on an A2, but ended the year back on my Nomad. I could get more buoys on the A2, but not as consistent as the RCX. I skied last week for the first time in 3 months and decided to take my RCX instead of my new Fusion. That turned out to be a good choice because this week I took my Fusion and just never felt comfortable on it. I skied much better on the Nomad after not skiing for 3 months than I did on the Fusion after skiing last week. The Fusion is faster and I had some nice turns, but it's going to take some time to get used to, so, it's going back on the shelf until summer. I couldn't keep it on that sweet spot that Horton talked about in his review and skied inside a lot of buoys at 28 off which is usually not an issue. The week before I ran some easy 32's and even felt wide and early at 35 on my RCX. The Fusion has me shaking my head right now. I know January isn't a good time to jump on a new ski, but I couldn't resist.

I've been on a D3 Nomad RCX for three years. This year I bought a 2011 Strada and skied it for three weeks, after skiing on an HO A2 for a month. The Strada was great if I could be in just the right spot over the ski, but I'm not that consistent. I ran my first 25, 28 off passes in a row on the Strada, but struggled at 32 off. I ended up selling the Strada and skiing the A2 for nearly the rest of the season. I set several PB's on the A2, the best being 5@35 off. After getting frustrated with my lack of consistency on the A2, I went back and skied my RCX. On the RCX, I felt much more stable and confident coming into the ball on my offside turn than the Strada or the A2. In fact, my off side was often better than my on side. I sold the A2 at the end of the season and am right back were I started - on the RCX. Next year, I'll get a fusion, but I'm definitely going to give the S2 a try. I thought I'd never get another HO after my Moza, but the A2 was a great ski. I've determined the best ski for me is the one I'm most comfortable on, and you have to ski them to find that out. I set a PB on a ski and sold it because I felt more comfortable on my D3, even after not skiing on it for two months.

Terry has a great description of where he's trying to build speed and accomplish edge change on the home page of his website. He's one of my favorite skiers to watch. I skied with him last year and tried to again last week but he wasn't available the day I was in Sacramento. It makes perfect sense, but not so easy to accomplish. I've studied a lot of his video and agree he skis better, but this is one of the best videos I've seen of him.

Ty O. told me to "Man-up."

OB, Did you ride the Fusion last weekend?

I'm 5' 11" and 175 lbs. and skied a 66.5 inch A2 for most of the summer. I set a couple pb's on that ski. After getting frustrated with my performance a couple of times, I went back and skied my 67 RCX. It was much less effort than the A2 and I was more consistent on the RCX, so I sold the A2, and am looking for a fusion. I do want to try the S2 though. Not sure what size of S2 I would need. I was in Orlando last week with the A2 in hand but, it rained all day, so I went to Performance ski and Surf. Looks like the S2 is noticeably wider than the A2.

I sold my Strada after two weeks for the same reasons as thompjs and ShaneH. When I did get my weight on the sweet spot, I had the best turns ever. I just couldn't do it consistently. Never tried the vice. My previous ski was an RCX, but I'm on an A2 now.

Your ski partners may be better coaches than you think. We ski most often with just a driver and a skier, but when there are 3 of us at the site, it helps me to know what I'm working on that day, and have the observer key in on that. It may feel like your performing those key movements, but an observer in the boat can tell you what your movements actually look like. I've had my ski partners tell me my knees aren't bent, or I'm looking cross course, or I'm reaching for the handle instead of skiing back to it. Some of the best advice I've had this year was free, from the guys I ski with every day. And watching a video of yourself skiing is very eye opening.

I had to change the HP fuel pump on my 97 SN last year. I don't think the fuel cell had ever been off. I tried using an oil filter wrench, and two strap wrenches at one time. Neither of those techniques worked. I bought a chain wrench for about 28 bucks. It did the trick.

I skied on Animals and a RTP for many years. Switched to the Vector and RTP this year. I chose the Vector because I've tried hard shells and couldn't ski on them and was afraid the Strada boots would have a similar effect as the hard shell. The transition to the Vector is very easy. Just don't tighten the top tensioner too tight or it won't release. I prefer the Vector to the Animal, and almost wish I would have gone with the Strada. During a long set, my foot doesn't cramp like with the Animal. I have a size 10 1/2 to 11 foot and Trevor at Marine Products told me to the the std. (med.). I was very skeptical about the sizing. I thought I would need a large. He was right. A large would have been too big.

I've had this exact experience on a few different skis (D3 RCX, Strada, and my current ski, A2). Our course tends to have a few small rollers through it on subsequent passes, but even on the first pass of a set, I've experienced the bounce on my off side that you have. The common theme on each of these skis is my body position into and out off the ball. I've really had to work on countering into the ball and skiing back to the handle with my shoulders open to the boat at the completion of the turn. If I do that, I can ski through the rollers, even on my harder passes, or eliminate the bounce when there aren't any rollers (and I've gone OTF on some of these bounces in calm water). I believe fin settings are important, but for me this problem occurs on top of the ski.

I thought if I could get a bikini in the boat I would ski better. It would keep my shoulders square because I was looking at the boat and not across course.

I ordered some Radar products from them 3 weeks ago. Trevor called my house to let me know that Radar was back ordered on one of the products. He gave me the option to wait for it or cancel the order. My customer service experience was a good one. It was before they were the official proshop of BOS. I did learn about them from one of the Ballers here who posted a link to there site.

MS, After riding the Strada for some time, are you thinking about getting an A2, or was that just a one time thing?

I went from a 67 RCX that I had been skiing for three years to a 66.5 A2 for the last two weeks (5' 11", 175 lbs.). I skied the S1 last year and after one set, never skied it again, so I was very skeptical about the A2. From the time I pulled out for the gates on the A2 on the first pass, I couldn't believe how comfortable I felt on the ski. After the first set on the A2, I knew the RCX was gone. On the second set, I was running my normal buoy count, and set a practice PB my second day on the ski. I just bought a Strada and skied it for the first time yesterday. It was already on the way when I got my hands on the A2, so I need to give it a chance. I can't get the Strada finish the turn as well as the A2, but it gets great angle cross course (so does the A2). I think the Strada has a great potential but will take longer to figure out than the A2.

Skied with Brooks twice last year. I agree with the previous post. He's also a nice guy and fun to hang-out with for the day.

Jody, Add me to the list for a cable for my 97 SN.

I have a 67" RCX with an Animal front binding and RTP. I moved the binding all the way forward. That's what you need to do to get it to factory recommended settings. I even elongated the last hole just a little to move it forward more. It skis great. I tried moving my bindings forward on my Monza years ago and nearly killed myself, but it works great on the RCX with Animals.

I went to a Daniel Kennedy clinic this summer. He was able to zero in on exactly what I needed to do to improve my technique, get wide, and keep a tight line. I've been much more consistent this summer after his clinic. I've only run 32 off a couple of times, and once was while being coached by him. He gets a high recommendation from me.

Thanks Deke. Didn't mean to rehash an old topic. That answered my question.

I did two sets on a demo ski (Radar Senate C) and was running my average bouy count on the second set. On the third set I went back to my ski (Nomad RCX) just to get a good comparison. I felt comfortable on the Senate C, but after going back to the RCX, it felt even better than before. I can run 32 off at 34 mph but usually get 3 or 4 bouys, and thats what I did on the Senate C.  I used my normal bindings on both skis. For those of you that have tested a variety of skis, did I give it a fair shot? Tomorrow I'm trying the RS-1.ÂÂ

I broke my pinky toe last year. I tried to ski on it and made it worse. I couldn't ski for a couple of weeks.

MS, I've heard of one of our crew members taking his ski with him on trips.  Do you have any experience with that? Just wondering what the TSA would say if I tried to bring it with me on a long Florida layover.  ÂÂ

RCX is on the way.ÂÂ

I just broke my X5 this week. This was my first year on it, and it really improved my skiing. I'm thinking of getting another one, but I hear great things about the RCX. What are your thoughts on the RCX vs. the X5?