Laz

I think the closes slalom course would be on Lake of the woods near the Manitoba border.

@Brent This is what I can afford:

It's a good thing I'm the boss or else I'd be fired for spending too much time on BOS. Sitting here in cold and almost frozen Ontario, trying to figure out how to make it through the long Canadian winter. My situation is not that bad as I'll be at McGinnis and then Waterski Costa Rica in three weeks. However, nothing planned from mid January until April. Brent, and everyone else: what's the best destination to fly in on a Friday night and fly back on a Sunday night from the Great White North in February and March? Is Orlando okay then? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

Anyone know of anything new? About a year ago the 100% electric Nautique could run for about an hour with a 4 hour charge (or something like that). Is there a second prototype in the works?

I hate PWC. They go way way way too fast. The power to weight ratio is insane. Two teenagers with a combined IQ of 50 hit me head on while I was sailing a small catamaran. No injuries, but I had to jump Water World style at the last minute.

Hey, my 9 year old son just ran all six red buoys at 37k followed by a great fist pump and cheers all around.

The Canadian winters are long. A good HD video helps.

Agreed. We put our EZ-Slalom course in about 10 times per summer. Have it down to about 20-25 minutes.

Of all my ski buddies, only my wife skis. There is no price too high for that. I'm on the only one in my ski group with a wife that understands my...."issues". Bought her a lyric ski and lyric bindings which she is really enjoying.

I've been skiing behind a 2007 Moomba Outback for for 4 years. We moved from an old I/O to this boat when we caught the ski bug (badly). I now ski about 2/3 time behind a Malibu LX and the rest of the time behind the Outback. I ski 34mph and 22-32' off. I can't tell much difference between wakes. The Moomba is a bit heavier and bigger than the LX, but very similar the the LXi. I prefer both boats to the older Nautiques. However, 10x more important than the wake is how you ski across it! When I'm skiing well I'm unaware of any wake at any line length. It's the perfect boat if you are new to DD boats and are not sure you want to over-spend for the bling! My next boat will probably be another Moomba. That way I can spend all the money I've saved on a trip to Waterski Costa Rica in the winter!!! I have had no quality or engine issues now with 400 hours. I think a Moomba Outback is the best way to get into the ski boat market.

Wow, all these stories sound very familiar. When I was about 10 my dad bought a "fix 'er upper" outboard since he suddenly decided that we would be water skiers. To this day, I'm not sure what possessed him. We then free skied for the next 25 years and went through two more boats. All this time I knew you could do this sport on some sort of "course", but had never seen one. Then, with small kids and still not finished school we nearly gave up skiing. And even, (tough to admit), looked into selling our I/O and getting a sailboat. Then, on a lark, my dad and I drove down the highway to McClintocks and had a lesson. This was 4 years ago. The first time through the course I had no ideas which buoys where for me and which were for the boat--I was so confused. By the end of the lesson, I had run 5 at 28mph. I was hooked and wondered why no one had told me about this say...20 years ago. Within two months we had ordered a Moomba Outback and that winter I ordered an EZ-Slalom course. I have now run 32' off once and am trying to master 28' off (34mph). My wife (who is loving her new Lyric ski and bindings, BTW) complains that I have nice winter hands and horrible rough summer hands.

Great "keys". Just read it 3 times. I am now starting to understand the theory. That gives me hope for the practice part of it.

That would be great. I will see if I can figure out a good way to be in your area.

I bought my wife a Radar Lyric ski. She is also great in the mini-course and starting to make progress around the red buoys. I was quite surprised at how much she likes the ski.

The update from a year or two ago would detect a turn and hold the RPM constant through the turn.

Time for a little Canadian rah rah! What do Whitney McClintock and I have in common? We both have our PB's at Summerski (www.summerski.ca). Mine is 1.5@35' off, 55k and her's is ...well, better. This is from the Canadian Nationals two weeks ago which were held at my club lake. http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/media-release-whitney-mcclintock-sets-pending-world-water-ski-record-national-championships-1549910.htm (Go Leafs, Go).

My question is how should I make this decision? My skiing is not consistent enough to decide based on "feel". Something objective would be help. Horton says that the Strada runs a little big, recommending a 67. Is 34mph vs 36mph a factor? Laz

Hello, I just tried a 68' in Strada and have yet to try a 67". I quite liked it but it was a very windy day and was hard to get a good assessment. My current ski is a 68" Connelly F1 which is getting a bit long in the tooth. I ski at 34mph, sometimes make 28' off and have pb of 5@32' off (oh, will I ever get there again?). I am about 185 lbs. According to the Radar website, a 67" is 160-190 lbs and a 68" is 180 to 210 lbs. Should I go with the 68" because I ski at 34mph? What does BOS recommend? Thanks.

Rib injuries are miserable. Lots of ice, advil and mostly time. The injury is usually not a fracture, but lesser injuries can still be pretty lousy. Don't get back on the ski too soon and yes, the bump will usually go away in about 3 months. Laz (speaking from personal experience and MD)

When July is too hot for Florida skiers, you all welcome to ski with me in Toronto's perfect conditions. (if you are here in January, we can walk the course).

I think the one handed gate might be better for me specifically because I am not a great skier. With two hands, my shoulders stay to closed.

Great thread. This is my problem at '32 and '28. I think the article in handle control is addressing this issue. I have just started making 28's with some regularity and have only recently tried 32'. I tend to overcompensate and pull like crazy through the gates. This above advice sounds most useful.

After thinking it was just a gimmick, I finally decided to learn the one-handed gate. I had only run 28' off 3 times, usually with a helpful headwind. I kept getting lousy gates, poor acceleration and would ski straight to ball one, turn and get slack. I learnt the theory behind the one-handed gate from Paul Roberts here at SummerSki, tried it out a few times then practiced it for two days of free skiing. Then, I took it to the course. After a few passes to work out the timing, I suddenly made it up the line and to 5@32' off, 34mph. Very exciting. That was almost a full pass improvement with the one-handed gate. Now I'm a believer but I gotta keep working to prevent this from being just a lucky set.

I second that...or at least some archived video. The field looks very good.

The only way to deal with a water ski addiction is to fool it by giving in completely.