Laz

Hi. Has anyone seen any archived video of the event? I've searched and have come up blank. Thanks.

Is there anywhere to watch the archive? I can't seem to find it.

Thanks for everyone's replies. Saint Martin looks interesting. Also, the Dominican site looks like it's worth a try. @Luzz I'm going to send an email. @andjules Thanks for the link. We usually make a couple of trips to Florida over the winter already. Acapulco was amazing last year but the flights are not so good for us.

Hi Ballers, My wife and I looking to go on a ski vacation in mid March. I'm looking for suggestions. This is our current list: 1) Acupulco: this is our first choice. We really enjoyed it last year. The only issue is flights from Toronto are not that convenient or cheap. 2) Costa Rica: love it, but prefer to take the kids 3) Orlando: cheaper, but other than skiing.....zzz Any other suggestions? Chile? I vaguely recall hearing about a good site somewhere in the Caribbean. Texas, California? Thanks.

So far I have about 5 sets on the 67" Vapor. I am quite surprised at how different it feels from my old 68" Strada. I've run a handful of '32 off passes in past. Now I've run it twice in back to back sets easier than I've ever run it. I'm having a better time getting front foot pressure on my off side turns. To me, it seems the main difference is how fast the ski is both turning and across the wake. Some of this could be because it's shorter than my last ski. I've had to tone down my effort, which has been a good thing. Regardless, I'm really enjoying skiing on it. Now I'm going to have to face 35' off. That will be a project.

I've been looking at a 67" and 68" Vapor. I'm mostly working on 32' off with the occasional run at 35' off, at 34mph. I'm 5'11" and 190. Right now I'm on a 68" in Strada. Should I stay with a 68" or switch to a 67"? I'm leaning towards 67".

I believe that even when the electricity is created by 100% coal, it is still cleaner to charge an electric car with that electricity than to burn a gas engine. However, electricity is rarely generated by 100% coal. In Ontario, we have (or are about) shut down all of our coal plants. As for boats, I think that if Tesla and others can make a compelling mass market electric car, boats will follow soon. Or at least, they can run on clean biofuel. Wait, I just had a brainstorm: For a dedicated ski lake, I wonder how much a battery would weigh and cost to power an 8 pass set? Imagine if you arrived at the lake, with your ski and a briefcase sized battery, got on the boat, plugged it in and skied. After your set, you yank the battery and recharge it while getting ready for the next set. The boat could be kept very light with just a small backup battery and motor. It would probably weigh less than a current ski boat. Hmmm... A 240volt outlet, running at 80 amps (I have one in my garage) for 1 hour could completely charge a 19kwh battery. That can drive a Tesla 100km. Could that power an 8 pass set?. That's about $2.50 in electricity. Optimistically, at $180/kwh, 20kwh battery would cost $3600. I have no idea what a battery like that would weigh. My initial calculation is 80kg with a power density of 250 watt-hours/kg. That could be a problem.

@rockdog I drive a Tesla and have solar panels. It works very very well. A ski boat has some unique challenges but seems worth pursuing. Has Nautique given up?

Whatever happened to Nautiques electric boat?

Two weeks for me!

My favorite is Thomas Degasperi's coaching and site. He is just on the north side of Disney, about 10 minutes from Downtown Disney.

You would have to check with him. I think it's $65 per set. We paid for 18 sets at once. Maybe he'll give you group rate.

Just got back from Thomas Degasperi's site in Orlando. Excellent experience. Just north of Disney, great lake, great instruction, excellent rates. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tgas-Ski-School/269343396442077

An unsolicited plug for T-Gas ski school. Two buddies and I just returned from a weekend skiing with T-Gas. He really is a fantastic coach, especially for pure amateurs like the three of us. His instructions are simple, direct and he seems to really enjoy coaching. His lake is very close to Disney so we stayed at Downtown Disney which was fun for the weekend. The lake is well protected, with a north-south 8 ball setup which is easy to figure out after one pass. We skied behind a brand new Malibu TXi which has easy soft wakes for long liners. It was a brief but fantastic break from the miserable 2014 Canadian winter. Also, his rates are very reasonable. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tgas-Ski-School/269343396442077

Yes, Total Radar Awesomeness. He is demoing it tomorrow. My understanding is that it is a shortened Senate. We have a good deal on it. Anyone think it is worth considering? Or, should we move on to something else?

Thank you for those great suggestions. What is the Radar Total Awesomeness like?

Hi. My son has been skiing on an O'brien Jr Allegiance and has been making great progress. Is it time for a new ski? His PB is now 4@55k (34.2mph). Here is a video of him at 52k. Any ski suggestions? He's about 95lbs now. We are working on improving his stacked position. Thanks!

You are pretty close to running the course. The first thing to work on is getting into a stacked position. That means leaning away from the boat (not towards the back of the ski) when going from the end of the turn until you cross the second wake. That will get you more speed and more momentum to swing out wider. There are lots of ways to think about this: - hips up, shoulders back - stand tall - lean, don't pull away from the boat. - keep your elbows pinned to your vest - ski proud, puff out your chest - arch your back. All of these tips have the same goal: stacked. Good luck.

I had a great time at Arturo Nelson's place in North Miami.

My wife really enjoys skiing although she is not an addict like me. I bought her a Radar Lyric last year and to my pleasant surprise talks about how she really likes the ski. As for driving...well that is an issue. She is not a good driver at all. I think this is mostly a confidence issue. Fortunately, my 67 year old father is a great boat driver and regular swerver.

My 12 y.o. daughter will not ski under any circumstances. My 10 y.o. son ran the course last week with gates at 30mph for the first time. He never says no to skiing. Maybe his first tournament this summer. My 7 y.o. daughter is trying very hard to get up on one ski. I really enjoy skiing with my kids.

@shaneH I'm not sure about the other two, but the blonde cannot be at her healthy weight.

@jdarwin 's site looks great so does the VRBO site. Thanks for you input. I'm about 85% of the way to convincing my wife!

Hi. As the weather gets colder in Canada, I need to look southward. We are thinking of heading down in March/April and am looking for a house to rent for a week including a boat on a slalom lake. I know something like this exists near Orlando and that is one option. Are there others? Looking for a change from Florida. There must be skiers out there who are not using their perfect lakes that would rent to a Baller who treats house and boat is if it were his own. Thanks.

I just spent 3 days on that lake a week ago. It's a great site with a jump and an 8 ball slalom course. It is quite protected from the wind. The location is great as it's 5 minutes from Disney. Jason has a lot to offer. The house is also a nice place to hang out between sets. Two thumbs up.