Gern Blanston

as a Packer fan, I was routing for the Saints all the way. The primary reason is that I imagine the vast majority of the state of Minnesooooota thinking it should have been them there.

I went and watched Wade et al tear it up the day they tested out the site. I'm told that the tournament is definitely on. The site tested out very well. The spins are a bit tight, but whatever. It was 46 degrees out, reasonably windy, and kind of rainy/sleety, yet the water was actually quite smooth. The main gotcha with the site is that viewing would be somewhat difficult. There's a lot of brush that will be cleared, but I doubt they'll be able to knock down some of the trees.  as for who the sponsor is....I didn't get a very clear answer from the guys there. I thought I knew, but.... I'm back to my original guess - Miller.

I have to qualify my statement by saying that I do love to run. The thing that drives me nuts about it is that some days 5 miles is really easy. Other days, 2 miles is work. On the days that 2 miles is work, if you cut the route short, you feel like garbage mentally. If you gut it out, then you physically feel like garbage. Either way, I feel like I can't win.  I think the important things with running are 1) make sure you have the right shoes; 2) have someone do a gait analysis on you to insure that your form is good (do you pronate or supinate? do you need arch support? do you run on the balls of your feet? etc). 3) vary the work out - hills one day, interval training another, distance on a third day.  All told, I enjoy bicycling more than running, but sometimes I don't have 2 or 3 hours to get a nice long ride in. If you've only got 30-60 minutes, a run is a much more efficient work out.

I thought the RS-1 boot looked like the winter "moon boots" I had as a little kid. These are sharp looking! I also like the "matrix" like towel in the background. Richard, where did that bad boy come from?

Matt -  I was thinking of starting a thread on this very topic. Great minds must think alike. To set the record straight, I use a schnitz speed slot fin. It's thinner than the standard D3 fin. It also feels a lot faster. I'm guessing that Schnitz is correct in that there is "zero parasitic drag" because the wing is not bolted on and that's why it feels faster. I would like the option of having a different wing angle than 9, but alas it's not a choice. My understanding is that different hole sizes, counts, and locations releases some of the pressure of the turn. But how much is too much? How much is not enough? I'm betting it's a feel thing that varies from person to person. I'm somewhat surprised that there aren't any/more (?) weight and speed specific fins and wings available. That there aren't tells me it's not important - but I've been wrong before. And thus doesn't the conversation turn to materials used? But like everyone else, I don't know what a carbon fin gets me in comparison. I don't know what a Jager CR fin gets me.  And what about the fin block? I can certainly understand weight savings and ease of adjustment as being extremely important. Does anyone have an opinion on what works versus what doesn't for you? I'm admittedly not a tweaker. I set it at standard settings and only move it if something is dramatically different. I'll be looking at this thread with interest......

my hobby is rehabbing the injuries I sustained skiing! If my kids weren't so little, I'd play more golf. I like running and cycling. I think I'd really enjoy rowing - but don't want to blow the funds on a scull when I don't know if I'd like it or not. I really like the idea of ripping across the glassy lake under my own power.  Ah to be rich and retired while still young enough to enjoy it....  I'm VERY shocked no one has said porn star or something along those lines.

Eric - is the "rare saddleback butterfly fish" an actual fish, or another name for part of the female anatomy? I've never heard that one before (perhaps I need to get out more?) If it's the latter, I submit it's not all that rare....

How to tell the difference between a photoshopped entry and a legit one? Actually, that might be pretty funny - see what wacky stuff someone could come up with real, or not. BallofSpray.com on the side of a cow, for example.

I recall reading an article a while back that I cannot reference. I *think* it may have been in Waterski Magazine. It suggested that to get better fuel efficiency, that you wax the hull of your boat. Does anyone do this? Can anyone suggest a reason not to?  thanks! Jon

I stand corrected. The sponsor is NOT Miller. Wade, you've shyed away from mentioning it, so I don't think it's my place to either. All I can say is given the history of the brand in question, I'd have to try it again before saying yes or no.

http://twitpic.com/ldojg 3rd Week in August.ÂÂ

I'm in Milwaukee. Heard a reasonably reliable rumor that there will be a pro event at the Summerfest grounds this coming June. Supposedly they're dropping a course and testing out the site tomorrow. I can't say if anyone is actually skiing the course, however. We had a high of 48 today and last night we got to 26.  I cannot say if the event corresponds with the summerfest dates, but it seems silly not to. There are well over 100,000 people there on any given day. The most likely candidate would be Miller. the local micro brewerys simply don't command enough national attention to warrant the advertising budget.  If I was supposed to shy away from naming the company - I apologize. Sometimes, I'm not that bright.

Horton - congratulations. I facetiously say that misery loves company, so welcome to the ranks of married men!  MS - here are a bunch of used Z7's. http://www.ski-it-again.com/php/skiitagain.php?topic=Search&postid=SIA10022 I bought my 08 NRCX from Doug. It was in perfect condition. He's asking $850. Jon

If you look VERY closely, you can see CP balance his checkbook between 2 ball and 3 on his 41 off pass. He's so freaking early at that line length it's unbelievable.

I agree with Ed - I find I break at the waist when I'm not patient enough. I need to finish the turn and bring my hips to the handle.

JaredFish -  I'm told that the Z's run long. In other words if you're on the 65 X5, you'll probably want the 64 in the Z7. The ski is wider so there's more surface area.

I have FM E series because my ankles are toast as well. I've had three 3rd degree sprains of each one. with rubber, a sideways fall can put me out of action for a week or three. My only issue with my bindings is the delamination of the liner - and I've not even had them a complete season. There's also a smidge of rust on the metal in the buckle.  I've had a few falls where the cuff released and the foot and ankle did not contort at all. No sprains. No problems. Any ideas if re-baking them will help with the liner delamination problem? the ease of release of the E's is a function of how tightly you screw the ankle bolts down. I like and appreciate that there's some control there. The release is therefore reasonably independent of the fit. Those two factors are the primary reason I chose the FM's over the RS-1s.

I guess i don't see it in terms of black and white - as it appears to be presented. Stiffness is a continuum to me. With the referenced reinforced reflex as say a 10, cheap adjustable combo rubber at the other end say a 1, where would the rs-1's be as it relates to the stiff rs-1's? From a snow ski boot perspective, I tend to view stiffness more vertically - i.e. shin to top of the foot - and how dramatically you weight the ski (or not) as being the more important factor. The side to side or horizontal aspect is more of a byproduct of the vertical stiffness due to the materials being used. I've never heard anyone complain that a snow ski boot is too stiff horizontally and too soft vertically, for example. That being said, I apologize for being obtuse but I don't understand the emphasis of the side to side stiffness in the post???

you never have to disengage if you don't want to. The boat attempts to hold your speed during the turn, so coming out of it you're at like 38 or 39 mph and it takes a while to slow back down.

I have SG and use it for free skiing because a course is not allowed in our lake. You have to trick it into a one time baseline setting that's not hard. I just wiggled the sensor at the start and end of the fictitious course. The main problem I have is that it likes to try to hold the speed during the turn (as you might expect it should) so you have to disengage it. The issue comes in when you want it to re-engage. My version of the software won't do it. http://perfectpass.com/technotes_3.html suggests I need a software upgrade to fix that problem. I like it for going straight as it is one less thing for the wife to worry about when driving.  skier to skier is where I got mine from. They were helpful and the price was the best I could find.

In the West Coast Slalom DVD, they put a pull meter on Terry Winter and Marcus Brown. They had maximum pulls of 800lbs and sustained pulls of 350 to 400 pounds. If those guys weigh in the 150 range, they're cranking 2 to 5 times their body weight.

My buddies and I have a 100 degree rule in WI. It adds at least 2 months onto the season. If that means being fit like a polar bear, so be it. One trick that we do that I've not heard mentioned is to keep a cooler full of hot water in the boat. After the set, dunk your hands and feet in there. They warm up much more quickly. The heater then maintains that.  I get nauseous from the cold air hitting my sinuses. I therefore have to ski with a neoprene diving hoodie on. I don't like it because some times it fills up with water. This last spring, my FM E's have drastically eased my mind about releasing in the cold. I also don't get "cadaver feet" as easily.

I'm not sure about repair, but 303 works really well so that the cracks don't happen in the first place.

Milwaukee, WI

is it just me, or does Sue P sound like the perfect woman?  Horton - how about adding a category for hitching a ride? I'd love to get more experience in the course - the question is where?