JackQ

I hate to disagree with Horton but a wing can lift the tail of the ski!

 

Just last week I came back from the Nationals with a ski to try and in my rush to set the fin, I somehow in my biggest single boneheaded move, I put the wing in a 9.5 degree up position rather than down!

 

Went out and ran 28 but ski felt like it had lots of tip, squirrelly and very fast. Ran another 28, two ugly 32s, and tired 35, the last thing I clearly recall is ski turned harder at #2 than the shorter passes.

 

When I came to, I was next to number 3, wind knocked out of me, and my left side was numb and I could not more my right arm. After 15 minutes I could feel and move my arm, but still feeling the results. This was the single hardest crash in my life, and self-inflected. I did not realize my mistake until later in the day when I felt good enough to bend down and curse at the ski, and realized it was me.

I think a lot of judges that are competive skiers would have taken action. I would like to think I would (a regular judge) have done something. But I have a low tolerance for incompetence and as a 20+ year Naval Officer I dont care if I piss someone off.

My personal driver gripe is a driver that drives in tournaments but does not pull skiers of the same level in practice regularly. IE if you are not pulling skier at 38 or shorter don’t pull skiers in a division where skiers run 38.

 

The best example, when I moved to San Diego, Phil Adams looked my ski partner Scott Larson and I up, and coordinated our schedules so he could drive us twice a week. He said, “ If I am not pulling skiers into 38 or beyond every week, I have no business driving a tournament”

 

I don’t know the driver in question, hopefully I will never ski behind him; so I don’t know if he wasn’t experienced enough for a modestly challenging situation or just didn’t give a damn.

 

 

Although i skied poorly, the conditions and site were great. Easy access and accommodations, friendly atmosphere.

 

I liked the concept (but never seemed to work) of having the Nationals at same site two consecutive years so you can “get the lay of the land” and better plan what, where, how for the 2nd year.

 

Reducing the burden on the hosting site should improve the likelihood of 2 year bids and actuall execution

Getting back to the topic of W4, glad my wife or I did not experience this as I would have been banned from skiing for life. At a minimum I would had strong words, if not climbing up the rope, climbing in the boat and showing him how to drive.

 

The excuse that Lake 3 was too challenging and part of reason for the crapy driving is BS. There are challinging lakes to drive but lake 3 doesn’t deserve an honorable mention.

As a multiple victim of skiing at the Nationals were my division was pulled on two lakes often with widely differing conditions, I suggest: a runoff from the top five from each lake. This is the only fair solution an would only take an additional hour.

An incompetent driver (yes, some get selected to Nationals) is one thing, but a driver that gives repetitive bad pull because he is pissed is another. At a minimum should be suspended if not banned from Nationals/Regionals an apology is not sufficient for ruining on or more seasons.

If your boat and speed control are operating properly I don’t think you should be feeling a difference.

 

I ski on a 196 in practice, and feel no significant difference between it and Malibu, MasterCraft, CarbonPro, CC200s in tournaments. The 2019 Correct Craft, well that is a horse of a different color.

 

I have dual pucks but did not feel any difference from single puck.

Try the Anchor downtown, “gastropub” with 18 different IPAs

I am 64, 175pds, 6,2" and I think better than average condition/shape and cannot ski 5 day in a week. That is too much, but everyone is different and shorter line lengths typically take more of a toll.

 

I weight train every other day, heavy especially legs during the off season, light and not much legs during ski season. Play racquetball 4-5hrs a week and bicycle 1.5-2.5K miles/year. I cannot ski more than 3-4 days/week at the most.

 

A month ago I was overly enthusiastic and tried skiing two days on and one day off, and after a week I had to revert to skiing one day and resting 1-2 between, it was just too much. I typically ski only one set ( 8-10 passes) Listen to your body and skiing too much is worse than too little.

 

I found that women driver tend to be better than men for a given amount of experience as they tend not to overdrive the boat. A great driver is the skiers dance partner and need anticipate your moves, not after or before. My wife has pulled more passes at 35,38 and 39 than most Tournament drivers. Practice for drivers is as important as for the skiers.

 

 

I did not mean to imply t-factors or other rubber binders did not have limitations or risks just like the various hard shell systems. But when taking the totality of the risks, I believe rubber binders are the safer alternative. I am sure a better system than all the current alternatives will be developed over time, just don’t think we are their yet.

I am in the extreme minority! but the safest binder are rubber binders like the T-factors.

 

Most skier unappreciated the benefits of the give in the rubber before release, vice hardshells have no give until release. This attribute of a rubber binder is particularly beneficial when you "stuff the tip" and the ski stop you are thrown forward. Many torn Achilles and broken lower leg/ankle result from this type of fall.

Yesterday I was skiing in a R tournament with my 2nd attempt skiing behind the new Nautique when I was taken out my a fish maybe a turtle. I was in good shape making the transition from pre turn to turn at #2@38 when I hit something, momentarily I thought I hit the ball, but saw the ball in front of my waist.

 

Then I swam around the ball looking for a loose sub buoy or something else floating, but nothing. Got out of the water though about asking for a re-ride, but assumed everyone would think "another whining skier" so I started on the walk of shame back to the starting dock, after awhile and looked down and saw my shin (photo).

 

The lake has carp and turtles and assume it was the fins of fish or the claws and bottom of turtle went over my shin. Has anyone seen anything similar?

 

Not it wasn't my ski, it never came off. Nor from hard-shell binders as I have T-factors rubber binders.

I am suprised an Accufloat type course is acceptable for an R. Extreme diligence on placement of floatation and weight of the arm to remain parallel to the surface is required. A survey older than a couple days is not relevant.

 

I have owned a few, skied numerous floating courses only a handful have felt accurate. I particularly like it when in a strong crosswind you have to drive a curved boat course to allow the skier to have a fighting chance for a good pull.

When PP had the switch the opposite occurred where a switch rope would be on a boat without a switch. After ever skier in the 1st round of a tournament skied below their average and the 35&38 skiers were way below norm, it dawned on us. Wrong rope! Thank goodness the rope switch died, just a band-aid for PP algorithm shortcoming and a way to sell more equipment.

I do not think there are as many "questionable" tournament's/sites as may have occurred in the past. It becomes obvious after a while, and doesn't really help anyone if the scores aren't legit individuals get exposed at the Regionals/Nationals. Some skiers have had averages a full pass better than mine, but at the same site and conditions they would always seem to score behind me. Maybe they were just consistently unlucky?

 

I do believe most skier know, when something is not right. Example: About ten year ago I attended a tournament in the Eastern Region (that will remain nameless), where I ran 38 all three rounds and 4@39. At that point I would run 38 in a tournament maybe 1 or 2 times a year and if I had a great start and turns I may get to #2@39. At this tournament 38 was easy and I was waiting for the buoys at 39, even #4 where I was so surprised, I never made it to #5. Occasionally skiers set their PB at a tournament but it seemed that 1 in 4 were setting their PBs at this tournament.

 

I knew it wasn't right and never went back to the site, and don't consider 4@39 as my PB.

Dry Suit! I was skiing and my wife’s new dry suit blew out of boat and past me. It sank before we could get, dove and dove looking for it until I was approaching hypothermia. Of course you don’t ski with a dry suit unless it is cold.

Not sure of the number of set or passes, when the loop that wears out the most starts looking dodgy I replace it. I then hand it down to my wife who uses the loops I don't use or use infrequently. She can use a rope for an entire season, I get about 1/2-3/4 of a season.

Skied not driven as of yet, only two tournament sets. I can’t say it is better or worse than other boats without a lot more time behind it, but I can say it felt different. No pronununced curl next to wake just froth and turbulence, wakes did not seem softer but maybe wider apart. It was only two sets in the fog of a tournament.

My understanding was that tuners are either engaged or not engaged determined by rope length and speed. Intituitvely I would think that a variable setting for particular speed/ length would be more effective but would require variable actuators and significantly more testing and software development for a deployment map. That is all with assumption that the tuners aren’t a bandaid for a Hull with a less than optimal wake.

 

Seems much complication for little if any improvement over the 200. Glad my 2009 196 has a key ($15) vice key pad, I hate to hazard a quess on repair cost for the display/processors/actuators for the 2019

I can reflect on when I lost weight (210-170) and my skiing did not improve at all!

 

Be patient and keep working on it. After about an entire season, my skiing improved. I could ski more passes, hurt less, did not fall as much, then little by little my performance started to come back (from averages of 10 years before), then I kept improving. I had to adapt, learn to ski more efficiently and be patient, not a skill I have much of.

 

It was very frustrating not to see improvement come faster, it took me about two years to lose the weight that I gained over 30 years and at least a year to learn how to ski at a lighter weight. Hopefully it comes to you faster.

This will sound strange, but it is a shot in the dark.

 

I ski right palm up, and my right gloves wears out twice as fast as my left. In the past I had a skier that was left palm up, and he wore the left glove out at about twice the rate of his right. We used the same gloves, and would swap when our one glove would be almost worn out. We both increased the life by 100%, but alas he stoped skiing.

 

I have three left (large) radar boa’s one is brand new, anyone out there want to swap for their right gloves?

 

Jack

No, I am RFF forward but my off side turn is more consistent and the pull on my offside is better than my on side. My informal observation is that it is not unusual for RFF skiers that ski 38&39 to have a better offside turn than on side. Not sure if that is they have more experience and practice to hone their off side or they are skiing in or through 39, because they have a good offside turn. Would be a interesting poll.

I agree with dlradar18.

Which palm up is not an unambiguous answer as many are lead to believe.

 

I switched my grip for an entire season, at the end of year I tried “my old way” and immediately felt more comfortable, and I never looked back.

 

The theory is I should have my left palm up to even out and not have my stongest pull on my onside turn. In my case my off side pull is as strong or stronger than on side.