jipster43

@jhughes I gave you an “insightful”, but my logic 101 training leaves me wondering why Radar built the Senate Pro if merely upsizing a Vapor yielded the same results. I am a few buoys behind you, and recently I’ve been wondering if a ski like the Senate Pro would be perfect for me. Or would upsizing any of the top end skis meet my needs? I’m a buck-thirty, so a 66” ski is hard to wrap my head around, but @JoelHowley recommends folks my size ski the 66 GTR. I’ve also been looking at the KD Platinum. Horton suggested downsizing might be an option with the KD, but at my level I’m wondering if sticking with my standard 65” length would give me added stability and speed. I know my real problem is poor technique, but I’m hoping these new crop of skis will give me a better platform with which to achieve better stack.

Joe Rogan has a couple of podcasts regarding stem cell therapy. Including one with Mel Gibson and his experiences. Some of the claims are pretty phenominal.

Halloween sucks.

I’d be more inclined to go with the less ubiquitous reverse gelcoat - adding a simple white vinyl stars & stripes wrap to this:

Skiing just outside of Bangkok is always unique.

Green Lake just west of Seattle’s University District was a tournament site in the 70’s and 80’s. There are hundreds of people enjoying the park on any given day of the year, but in the summer it really jumps. There hasn’t been a motorized boat on it for decades, but I would love it if they brought the tournaments back. It would be tremendous exposure for the sport.

The Waialua River on Kauai is a pretty amazing place to ski - call ahead if you want to ski buoys. The free skiing is phenominal if you decide to go that route. It would be a very cool place for a tournament.

It’s happened to every one of my ski partners who uses the reflex binding.

Thanks @Ed_Johnson ! I have gradually brought my dragging arse closer and closer to an engaged position and I’m also breaking my habit of turning and then adding lean and then subsequently getting broken at the waist by the second wake. Since my lesson with Terry, I’ve been trying to get my weight up and over my ski more which is currently where I’m needing a little more confidence. The EVO has definitely sounded like a ski that would suit me pretty well. The GTR sounds like a ski that may actually correct mistakes that I might make. That sounds pretty intriguing too. I’m not worried about how the ski performs at 35 as I’ll be more than happy to purchase another ski if that becomes a problem!

I have always thought the high-end skis will give me the speed advantage that my poor form struggles to create, but I’m beginning to question whether their slightly less stable platforms are undermining my ability to gain the confidence to change my position on the ski and really ingrain good technique. I have been on the Mapple 6.0 for rhe past five seasons and it has been great, but I’ve been reading various comments about skis like the Radar Senate that can help with my progression level. What other skis might be better suited to finally running my 28’ off consistently and knocking down 32’? What skis have others found success on at my level? Are there top-tier skis like the Vapor, GTR, or EVO that will do the trick too? I’ve gotten some fantastic video coaching from @twhisper and have been drilling good form at my opener, but I thought a change of arrow might be another confidence booster.

I just switched from a 12” US Gear radius handle to a 12” Masterline curved handle. The radius feels much more like a traditional 13”. The difference between the two is most noticeable on the dock and when I’m out of the course. Once I’m rounding bouys I don’t seem to notice. I have the custom carbon handle and once the arm protector is installed, the weight difference doesn’t seem all that noticeable either.

Quiet Mark!

We’re in the same boat as Jayski, but here in Montana we are experiencing high winds as well. No skiing this weekend and we’ll be pulling our dock next Sunday before the real weather sets in. It’s been an awesome season, but way too short!

This sport is the greatest in every way, but access to the pros is pretty flippin’ special.

Wim needs to post a new, better quality video!

A 65 would be cool.

I love my radar strada rear boot. Tight lower laces. No upper laces at all.

@AdamCord @adamhcaldwell Any chance y'all will be producing a 65" ski? If not do you think a 66" would be fine for someone 5'5" and 130lbs skiing into 32' off - on a good day! Gracias!

You’re never going to ski back to the handle if you’re not stacked. Get stacked as soon as you get up. Make sure you’re stacked in your glide. The rope is a rubber band attached to 350 horses, so don’t try to add lean once you hook up - you’ll lose your stack before you get to the second wake. Just focus on maintaining your stack with your elbows in tight. Stand tall or push your feet out at the turn - whatever you need to tell yourself that will get you up on the front of the ski. Look back up the rope line as soon as you know you’re clearing the buoy (at this stage you’re thinking about so many things that trying to pick up the next buoy tends to complicate things too much). Go as slow and with whatever rope length you need in order to comfortably accomplish these things and stay there for as long as it takes to ingrain them to your muscle memory. If you have to chase buoys, be sure you’re doing this at least twice as much. Be patient. Even the greatest skiers have to improve their form if they want to gain more buoys and muscle memory is a mother bear!

I didn’t notice the difference between the two when I ordered my custom carbon handle. I wanted a plain handle with no protective sleeves, so I just pulled the sleeve down and sliced it off. My ski doesn’t rub my rope handle on “get-ups”. However I use an arm guard, so the extra protection on the triangle portion is great for fastening zip-ties.

Go to Terry Winter’s website and get some video coaching from him! He’ll send you a side by side video of you and him skiing the same pass with highlights of what you are doing wrong and a demonstration of how to do it properly. It’s the greatest learning tool since foxy tutors.

How much are the monthly HOA fees?

I would love to try an s-wing on my fin. Are those ever going to become available for purchase? I’d love to try a c-65 too. Are those ever going to be available in a 65”?

The original Wooderson.