Brian_M

Keeping with what most others have said, but in a more practical sense, check out the 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris. It may may you think differently about how you'd like to approach life, your career all the while increasing time spent on the water and with your wife.

Check out this thread: http://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/comment/71298

I think @T-fromTO hit the nail on the head. Being a life long tall/thin guy, there seems to be an animosity towards my body type by those who fall under "buff' category. I remember in high school winning pull-up and sit-up competitions in gym class and the big football players who always bragged about how much they could bench-press being pissed that I doubled their scores. I think people who would otherwise appear to be way stronger than Nate are jealous. However, he gives us thin guys hope and makes everyone re-exam certain paradigms concerning the ideal body type of a slalom skier. Unfortunately, I can no longer blame my lack of performance on the water on my lighter body type! Regarding personality, he's obviously a reserved, humble individual who fell in love with skiing and got addicted just like the rest of us. @Killer, you don't have to be loud to advance a sport; just look at Gretzky (who similarly took a lot of heat because he was so damn good and a relatively small player).

@Zman Look under 'Shop' on the reflex site and scroll down.

AND when going over the full ramp for the first time, tell your kids NOT to let go of the rope 10ft in front of the jump. This is a pic of my sister circa '89. *Don't worry, I made sure she was okay...right after I got a few pics!

@Horton Was wondering if there's any way that when you click on a thread from the home page (to view new posts in that thread) that you are taken to the first of the new posts? I know other forums that I'm on (non ski related) do this. It would save scrolling around to find the new posts, especially if it's a longer thread. Just a navigation idea for when you have nothing else to do. ;-)

This question may temporarily derail this thread but I'm curious, how does altitude affect prop performance?

@guitarcarr Keep those knees and ankles REALLY bent compared to riding a slalom ski. If the ski is part of a combo set, play around on two skis first.

@footloose42 I was going to say the same thing as @crashman LXi with a power wedge or if you want the latest, the TXi. A good selling point might be that the slalom boats will be way betting on gas. Another compromise could be a used FXi from '09/'10. Haven't seen many of those up for sale.

@dave_n I wonder if putting a solid bar in (see pic) would alleviate the funnel effect, provide some rigidity but still keep it easy to swap on and off ropes?

To add to what HO 410 said, I see a lot of guys making an econo version with just duct tape. In speaking with TW a long time ago, he made a good point that a flexible handle guard such a one made from duct tape or a material mesh or neoprene, could actually "funnel" your arm right into the handle opening rather than the handle guard bouncing off of you. I think a handle guard is like seat belts and airbags. If I'm going to be in a head on collision, I'd rather risk the slight chance of injury from the seat belt and the air bag rather than being thrown threw the front window and all that can result from it.

@sunvalleylaw A Mailibu Response LX (different than the LXi) may be an option for you. Only caveat is that it's a step-over open bow, not a walk through. Great wakes. Be sure to check out the ski-it-again link at the top of this page.

@Horton For me, it was definitely a zoom issue. This is what the site looks like in the default zoom view: screencast.com/t/oDbbZY8XOW This is what it looks like zoomed out (text gets smaller): screencast.com/t/wGbZIDWva4 Now I just need to tell my wife I need a new, larger monitor so I can view BOS in it's full size. That'll go over well! Kind of reminds me of this song:

@Horton Was on another site and figured out the FireFox problem, at least for me. Issue is that my PC is a ~17" screen (can't see all of the BOS menu bar) and the iMac is like 24" (no problem - can see everything). If you're having the same problem and can't see all the menu items on the right hand side bar using Firefox, try this: Go to - View -> Zoom and make sure that "Zoom Text Only" is unchecked. Then hit "Ctrl -" until you've zoomed out enough that everything fits on your screen. Voila! Not sure if this solves the skipping problem but at least you'll be able to see everything now. Might be even be useful to know for anyone using a smaller screen regardless of browser. So in conclusion, Firefox is still the best browser and obviously it does work with BOS (you just need to know how to make it work on smaller screens).

@scotchipman I wonder if Eagle would custom make something like that? They have both the wetsuit and drysuit technology and do some custom work. Worth a phone call or email.

@Horton my iMac is about 4 years old. What part of my comment above would cause them to spit coffee? I feel like I'm in the dark (and obviously am).

Here's my screen capture from my PC: screencast.com/t/hHUIqcO68Gj My iMac shows the Search box, Go, New Discussion and New Poll buttons. As seen in the screenshot, my PC only shows the New Poll button. I'm running Firefox 12 on both machines.

On my '08 LXi I used: 1) Hull Cleaner - removes all build up tinyurl.com/HullCleaner This stuff will take crap off the hull like no tomorrow. It is super corrosive and you need thick rubber gloves. Don't get it in your eyes or you will be blind. Have to be careful when you're under the boat it doesn't drip on your skin. It takes the thicket scum off and waterlines off revealing a bright shiny gel coat. 2) Soap/wash the boat. Use any boat soap. 3) Once the gel coat is nice and clean then use this stuff: tinyurl.com/MarinePolishPaste The paste is supposedly the best and it probably works optimally with a high end polisher. It has a teflon coating and offers awesome protection with no build up associated with wax. This lasts at least 3months without having to reapply. If you don't want to buy an expensive polisher, then buy the liquid version: tinyurl.com/MarinePolishLiquid For the vinyl I recommend: Cleaner: tinyurl.com/FabricCleaner Protectant: tinyurl.com/303Protectant (good for the dash, swim platform, and 1000 other uses around the house - awesome stuff) ***I used this stuff on my swim platform about 3-4 per summer and never had any problems with black tracking in the boat like some people report (be careful, it makes the platform slicker than ice for a few days)

@drew I was wondering what binding options are out there for kids (age 7-9)? I believe I've seen a few of them in Wileys but can't tell if Neilly is using something else?

I wasn't able to watch all of the Masters yesterday so I captured the feed to watch later for myself and a friend. After reading a comment about missing parts of it due to a "honey do" list, I thought there may be others who would be interested in watching it. I didn't edit it with intention of posting it so it was done quickly and is just the skiing (except when Canadians were up). It's essentially 38minutes of non-stop action. Also, due to crossing things off my own to-do list, I missed almost all of the women's trick event. Enjoy!

@jamieb It would be great if you/Connelly did a video tutorial showing how to properly setup the Stealth system including your canting tricks. Might help sell a ton of boots (and get the most out of them for those that do buy them). Also, is the Prophecy the only ski that the Stealth are "plug and play" for or can you put them on the Carbon V too?

I would think less weight = less gas = less cost? ;-) Brent, the dimensions of "6'5" & 130lbs" isn't that almost Nate Smith from what everyone says on this board? BTW, Nate gives us thin guys hope!

Mac, that JVC looked great. I bet if you put it on manual focus it would look amazing. You can see how crystal clear it is when you first get up before you start the pass. If you have it on manual focus, it will look like that while you're skiing as well. With auto focus, the camera is continually "seeking" and therefore blurs the picture the whole time it's moving. That JVC looks like a winner for use with a Trakker. This proves that it's not simply just an image sensor issue (CMOS vs CCD) because that JVC has a CMOS sensor. There's got to be something else that makes the vibration affect the video quality.

Unfortunately CCD cameras are almost becoming extinct. I know a lot of people have had great success with the FlipHD which doesn't make sense because it's a CMOS sensor (I believe). I've used an Xacti but haven't got great results. Try using manual focus (there's only 3 or 5 settings in manual) to avoid the focusing issue. That way the camera won't be continually trying to focus as you're skiing/crashing. I've had my eye on a JVC GY-HM100U or the newer JVC GY-HM150U for my business. They have CCD image sensors but are mucho $$$.

I believe an ACME 515 or 525 is what's recommended for the LX. 515 will give a bit more top end speed and 525 will give you more torque out of the hole. Don't know how each affects the wake though. Call ACME to be sure. I've found them to be very helpful.