Laz

This past summer I went through too many pairs of gloves. I used the Masterline prolocks for a while but they bother my thumbs.

I'm now back to my favourite gloves, the Connelly Prophecy. They seem to pretty durable.

Very sorry about your horrible experience. But, thank you for posting it. We have looked at going there in the past. Now I owe you a favour for avoiding it in the future.

Thanks.

Great webcast. Enjoying it now. What language are they speaking?

I do believe I just heard the commentator say after a fall, "He is absolutely filthy with himself". I don't want to know what that means.

Last year I used a pull-up bar before going to Costa Rica to ski. The bar could swing down and let me do reverse pull-ups. That seems to be a similar muscle action to skiing.

I think it helped.

I have a 68" 2012 Strada. Is that the correct size for me? I ski at 34mph, 28off (ish) and am 185lbs.

I haven't had a chance to try a 67".

I have been to Waterski Costa Rica twice. How could you beat a vacation with as much skiing as you can handle followed by jungle adventures every afternoon?

The lake is first class and Jim is an excellent host.

I am already plotting my return.

Based on the advice from my 28' off video, I need to work on 3 things:

Stacked, stacked and stacked.

Again, thanks for the analysis. My self perception of my skiing took a serious hit after watching the video. However, it is a really great way to improve. I don't think I will get around 32' off without fixing these problems.

This is why I have enjoyed skiing so much. I started out 4 years ago at 46k and 15' off. Each step up in boat speed or line length has been a major project requiring coaching, analysis and practice. I will keep at is long as I can (or until I complete the sport by running 43' off).

Thanks Ballers!

A few random pics.

https://plus.google.com/photos/105358716884502489081/albums/5703856556540485073?authkey=CIvimufnuMexygE

@Horton Any idea why that link is not working?

This is all great advice. I notice that my back foot (right) seems to have too much weight. I don't think I'm keeping my weight even and that might be because my hips are not forward enough. I will try and fix that before moving my bindings. Probably won't ski again for two months, but I have a lot to think about.

Thanks.

Here is an average 28' off pass. I have only made 32' off once.

This is what I see is wrong:

Gate starts out good, but then I lose angle. Turns of the on side are okay, but worse on the off side. The biggest issue is that I finish the turn with my hands up in the air, not in good pulling position. Also, I cross the wakes too hunched over.

What else?

A few weeks ago we spent 8 days with Jim Kilsdonk at WaterSki Costa Rica. This time we were two families, 4 adults and 6 kids.

This was by far the best family vacation in memory. The skiing is without compromise. Jim is a fantastic and patient coach. Most of the kids skied every day, with the older ones skiing twice. The lake, course and conditions were usually perfect. Although we had a few cloudy days, we had very little wind.

The kids (and adults) loved the non-ski activities, especially the zip lining and hot springs.

Everyone made progress and skied as much as much as our bodies could handle. My 6 year old got up on two skis by herself and crossed the wake for the first time. My 9 year old made the course at 40k and my 11 year old actually skied and with a smile. My wife is very close to making the course and I finally got some consistency with 28' off.

Hopefully, we can do it again next year.

See www.waterskicostarica.com for details.

I will post a 28' off video for critical analysis!

I realized that I could not go from now until the lake melts without skiing again, so we booked a flight to Orlando for a weekend in March. I will be there all day Saturday and Sunday.

Were should we ski? My first choice is Drew Ross as I had a great experience there two years ago. Anywhere else we should try? The only other place I've been is the Swiss.

Thanks.