Milford

I spent approximately 2 years working on a solar powered lighted buoy system. My goal was to make a system that would automatically turn on each night as the sun set, expanding the amount of time we could ski and adding some ambiance to the lake as it got dark. Nothing better than sitting back with a few beers looking at a course lit up like a Christmas tree. I showed my system to Dave Goode and he immediately loved it. We started working together to come up with a design and found that the 2009 Big Dawg finals were slated to ski under the lights at night. The the project took a turn and was developed to light up that course, in a reliable way. That tournament was the first tournament to ever use lighted buoys. I flew out to FL to attend the night finals, as a spectator, and make sure the buoys performed as they should and everything worked great. I had no plans on going to nationals that year, but these lighted buoys got me there. Ironically, I won the M3 division the next day. Obviously, I am really glad I made the trip. Goode still has the power buoy, but they require each buoy to be turned on, manually. This works great for competitions, but is not ideal for the average lake. My solar prototypes worked and would charge each day and light up every night. It was beautiful! I used landscape lighting products form local hardware stores to make working prototypes. I had a solar panel that floated 12 inches below the surface of the water that would recharge each day. This solar panel also had a photocell that would turn on the light each night and each buoy would stay lit the entire night. The light was inserted into a traditional buoy with some hardware that clamped the light into place and created an airtight seal. This worked on our lake, as it is very clear. Don't know if it would work on lakes with lots of particulates or algae in the water. I still think that there is a market for these automatic solar lighted buoys, but that market is very small. The R&D, tooling and manufacturing costs would not make sense, in my option. Would love to see it happen, as I think, similar to landscape lighting at a house, these lighted buoys would give you something really beautiful to look at each night. They would also extend the ski able hours in the day by about an hour. I still have a pile of stuff in my basement and if I get some time, might decide to pick up where I left off. The video that @BrennanKMN posted above is Dave Goode's lake in Ogden, UT lit up with the power buoys. Jeff Milford

Luckily, after 6 years of using my snap in system, I have not had to throw the handle once. It only becomes a concern on really short set up lakes. Thanks for the clarification. Most Regional, National or Big Dawg stops are built with plenty of set up. I guess if I ever have a problem, it is my problem and hopefully I can get some understanding judges. If not, I will live to ski another day. Not being at the final and not knowing how bright the lights were, it is hard to speculate. Based on Jeff's actions prior to entering the course, I still believe throwing the handle would have been the right thing to do. If a skier is signalling that there is a concern, and decides not to ski because of that concern, I don't think it is much risk at all to throw the handle. Once again, the number one goal of every tournament is to have a safe tournament. Of course, I am assuming that the person that throws the handle is not gaming the system and has integrity.

@Bruce_Butterfield thanks for posting the rule. I think it definitely helps to educate the group, so that if they are posed with a situation that might be unsafe or unclear, they know that it is at least an option to throw the handle. I believe it is always better to error on the side of being safe than to give it a go and risk injury. With regard to my personal equipment, if I don't get the back binding to line up and snap in, I can not ski, period. It is not a question of if it does or doesn't feel right, the boot physically comes off the ski, so if I were to give it a go, without being snapped in, I am at risk of breaking a leg. Not worth it. Once again, correct me if I am wrong, but if a skier has an equipment malfunction, then they have 2 minutes to correct the situation, which I can easily do, if this occurs. With regard to the situation that Jeff Rodgers faced Friday night, I can not say what the right call is, only that if I were posed with a situation that caused me to waive my arms prior to entering the course, I would throw the handle. I don't think a skier is going to be penalized for proactively not skiing do to a serious concern that might affect safety. Skiing into a set of blinding headlights, could certainly be argued as a safety concern. Everyone who organizes these tournaments number one goal is to have a safe tournament. Once the concern is brought up and fixed, the show continues.

I agree with @Drago. Of course hindsight is always 20/20, but if we all know the rules, it might help eliminate this type of situation. Correct me if I am wrong, but the rule book states that a skier can throw the handle prior to entering the course, if there is a problem. From what people are saying, it sounds like Jeff was waiving his arm and pointing, prior to entering the course. The right thing to do would be to throw the handle and have the boat come back and get you. I remember this happening a few years ago at the night finals, where a skier noticed a gate buoy was not lit up. That skier threw the handle and allowed the problem to be addressed. All was well. I ski with an double hardshell binding set up that allows me to release my back binding from the ski. The theory behind my design is that leaving both feet in during deep water start puts a lot more pressure on the lower back. By allowing my back binding to release off the ski it takes load off the back. Occasionally, I have difficulty getting the back binding to snap in after the deep water start. On short set up lakes, where I can't get the binding to snap in quick enought, I rely on this rule and throw the handle, prior to entering the course. I believe this rule was put in place to create a safe ski environment and give the skier an option to make a good decision and ski safe. Night finals pose unique challenges and it becomes important to know the rules. At the level all of these finalist are skiing at, I would think that most of them have run tournaments and are chief officials at many of them. Ok - so I have hit my post quota for the year. Now back to work... Jeff Milford

I just purchased a 64" Goode Fire for my 10 year old boy and 12 year old daughter, to share. First set on the ski and my son improved his PB by 6 buoys and my daughter improved her PB by 11.5 buoys. The next day they backed those scores up in a tournament. They are so excited, they can't wait to get back out to the lake to ski again. I have been putting this purchase off for awhile now and am kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Seeing their renewed excitement is truly priceless. Son weighs about 90 pounds and daughter is right at 100. They are growing, so I wanted to get a ski that would last them awhile. As a bonus my wife will be able to use this ski, as well.

I picked up a pair of 2013 Goode Carbon Fire snow skis about 3 weeks ago in a 185cm length. I can honestly say that these are the best skis I have ever tried. Goode has gone to a wood core ski this year, which changes the characteristics from a light weight ski to one that really handles the high speed runs and is more stable than its earlier foam core models. I am an all mountain skier and love how these handle the bumps, powder and groomers. I have skied K2, Volkle and Rossignol. Broke my Volkles 3 weeks ago and have always wanted to try the Goode Snow Skis. So glad I did! The Carbon Fire comes in a 135/98/125 and seems to be the perfect all mountain ski, especially in Utah. If your in the market for a new waterski, it seems that they are throwing in a free pair os snow skis with this promotion. Can't wait to get back on them this weekend. Jeff

The Goode Bubble Buoy was introduced in 2010. In 2009, they did not exist. Definitely felt something at 2 ball, but was centered over the ski enough to ski through it.

Eric, I am at 29 3/8 to the front binding.

I have been riding a 9900 wide ride for the last 3 years and have loved it. Tried the Nano Mid this weekend and can't believe how well it skis. I am 6'2", 190lbs LFF and am on a 66" Nano Mid. The ski carries out to the buoy, off the second wake, so much better than my wide ride. My off side turn improved considerably and my onside turn didn't lose anything. The "twist" seems to make the ski finish the turn better, allowing the ski to come up underneath you with minimal effort. Very fast ski! Skied a new personal best on my 3rd set on the ski. Unbelievable. I would highly recommend the Nano Mid to anyone skiing 22 off through 41 off. Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention that I am using the Raley Ventral. One small ventral mounted per Goode's instructions. It is magic. Jeff Milford

I would advise you to be very careful with your low back. I had a similar issue 6 years ago and decided to ski through it…It got worse. If you can avoid surgery, that is your best option. I ended up having surgery, which could have been avoided if I would have made better decisions and limited my skiing. 6 years later, I still struggle with low back pain. Focus on your core and stretching. I have tried just about everything and found that a good workout program and yoga seem to give me the best results. Everyone is different, so you have to keep trying things until you find something that works for you. If you do decide to keep skiing, do yourself a favor and pick up a Goode Powervest. Go with the standard, not the elite, as the standard helps with the lower back, the elite does not. This will allow you to ski and protect your back. Good Luck!

That is a difficult question.  The bottom line is you have to ski correctly and do all of the things you would normally do to ski well. The vest does not make you a better skier.  If you change your style because of the vest, then your scores will drop significantly. The vest is there as an insurance policy if you need it. If you are running the vest to tight, it is difficult to get free of the boat and wide on the buoy. So to answer your question, I probably would not have considered it pre-back surgery, but now that I have used it, I really like the way I feel. Everyone that I ski with that has started using the vest have not increased their scores, however, they are pain free, which is a really big deal. I normally ski 6-8 passes per set and am ready to come in, so for the guys that are running the vest so tight that they can ski 20+ passes, well I think that they are missing out on the true value of the vest and I don’t think any of you will have to worry about competing against those guys in a head to head finals. I still hit the gym regularly, work on my core strength and operate as I would without the vest, as I do not want to injure myself and miss out on a season. If you are healthy and don’t have any arm, shoulder or back issues, then the vest may not be for you. It is a personal choice and is available to anyone who feels it will help them.

I agree with TW. The powervest is available to everyone, so if you feel it gives a competitive advantage, you should try one. I have personally been using the vest for over 2 years and it has allowed me to ski pain free, as I had lower back surgery 5 years ago that did not completely fix my herniated disc. The powervest has been designed to give skiers with back injuries an option to help alleviate some of the pressure on your back. Similar to other products on the market, such as back braces, clincher style gloves,  and knee braces, the powervest is there to help, but does not fix the problem. I have witnessed many skiers try the powervest that do not feel it is an advantage. It really comes down to personal preference and choices. The skiers that are using the vest seem to have suffered from some sort of injury mainly to the forearms, shoulders or back. These are the skiers that realize the benefit as they are forced to explore all options.  In a sport that is aging and back problems are a real concern, I am a huge supporter of this vest and will continue to use it as I have personally experienced how much pain back problems can cause. I have 3 children who are getting into the sport and as they progress, I will strongly urge them to consider wearing such a vest, so they don’t have to go through all of the pain/surgery/rehab and stress that a injured back can cause. Before you get to worked up and think the vest is a competitive advantage, I would urge everyone to set their ego aside and try one. You may find that the guy skiing with the vest has a significant disadvantage.

Not sure what factory spec are. Here are the numbers I am using on my 66 Mid: Bindings - 29 7/16 lenth - 6.875 depth - 2.50 tail - .754 we have tried a bunch of different settings and I have found that these work the best. Good luck!

Ed, I was lucky enough to get to try the mid ride starting in October of last year and have been switching between the mid and wide for the last 20 sets. I have approximately 10 sets under my belt on the mid ride and can say that this ski has serious potential. When I say poetential, I mean potential to replace my wide ride. With that being said, I get a little attached to a ski, so everytime I take a set on the mid ride, I feel a little like I am cheating on my girlfriend, as I have been though a lot with my wide ride, had some success and spent some late nights at the lake with her, so considering another ski is a real big deal. NIck Parsons jumped on a mid ride last October and set a new personal best, twice, in a 3 round R turnament with 3 @ 41. The ski is increadible. The main difference between the mid and wide, is the mid carries more speed through the turn and allows you to change edges earlier coming into the buoy, without feeling like it wants to intiate the turn to early. As the line gets shorter, I feel that this is important as I want the ski to carry out to the buoy and advance on the boat without wanting to turn. I will continue to switch between both skis and see which one give me the most advantage to post the best score. I believe anyone on a 9900 SL would get a big benefit from going to the mid ride. Going from a wide to a mid, depends on skiing style and what you want a ski to do. I would encorage you to try the mid ride, as it may be just the ski to take you to the next level. It sure is nice to have the option. I hope this helps. Jeff Milford

Marc,  Yeah, I saw the photo. Very cool shot. I remember hitting the buoy, but luckily my boots must have made it to the outside, otherwise I would have been swimming. I have hit many buoys skiing and think that it is only a matter of time before something bad happens. I hit the 2 ball at 39, 4 days before the Diablo Shores Pro Am and didn't know if I would be able to ski. Tweaked my ankle pretty good, when the ski jumped off of the buoy and reconnected with the water. I know several people that are out with broken ankles, torn tendons, etc, so this is something that needs to be addressed. A redesign of the buoy is in order. Until it happens, I do think filling the buoys with some water is a good idea. Jeff

TW, I would be interested in your thoughts about a "half moon" buoy and why it would not work. Any additional info would be much appreciated. Thanks, Jeff