Nando

We've used the reverse of that for years. We don't use pulleys, but simply clip the buoy onto the rope with a counterweight hanging down instead of the float pulling up to create tension. That way if you need to clean weeds or other gunk off, the "mechanism" is within easy reach without diving (plus, where we are muskrats will chew on underwater floats). On one of our old courses, we did use pulleys, but they're unnecessary- with plastic or brass clips, we don't see any wear on the ropes

I have a friend who owns a liquor store/wine shop- business is up 150%

Scot asks, "Do they even make a high-end ski anymore?" Well, yes!, but a trick ski or jumpers, um, uh, well...

Local news here had a spot yesterday about a hardware store owner who got a pallet of 36-packs of TP. He was charging $89.99 for them! He tried to justify it. What's a justifiable punishment for this idiot? I have some ideas...

Depending on how long this lasts, it may have no effect, but if other distractions continue to be shut down, once the ice goes out here, skiing seems like a perfect, low infection risk activity.

Nautiqueparts.com has it for $229.95.

@DangerBoy, my wife had the double cataract surgery about a year ago (2 separate surgeries). She opted for the higher cost and quality lenses and had good results. There were some minor complications right after the surgery, but they cleared up and now she doesn't need glasses at all, except cheaters when her eyes are tired. She was pretty nearsighted before, but now all is good. There's a lot at stake when dealing with your sight, but today's methods are pretty unbelievable. Good luck with your situation.

Hmmm, I'm a little fuzzy on this, but have a few details. EP and Hart went into a marketing agreement in the late '70s and moved the EP operation to the Hart manufacturing plant in St. Paul in '78 or '79. Roger kept his boat two doors from my parents' cabin just north of St. Paul where I kept my boat, so we talked quite a bit- we had the only two Nautiques on a medium-sized suburban lake and I was the water ski buyer for a small chain of ski shops. In 1980 or '81, Hart was going bankrupt and Roger moved the operation back to Seattle. I remember talking to him at the nationals the following year and asking him how glad he was to be back home in Seattle. He said that the business was getting tough and shortly afterward it was sold. Shortly after that Mark Crone was running it and from what I was told, the Stilletto was either his design or Lucky's- with input from a bunch of the day's top skiers. I was cleaning out old junk recently and found the inversion boots I bought from Roger- couldn't bring myself to toss them.

All of the above are correct but the first time I was ever in the boat with really top-level skiers- BLP and Geoff Carrington (nice name-dropping, eh?)- what impressed me was their intensity and focus. Until they skied, it was like being with my regular ski buddies, but once the switch was flipped, there was a very perceptible difference.

Consensus on whether a 3 is necessary or if a 2 is adequate? I'd prefer the slightly smaller case and would use it mostly for snow skis. Might travel with a slalom and trick, but probably only one slalom and gear- advice?

I kept waiting for something horrible to happen- I guess lucky saves stupid sometimes...

@Bruce_Butterfield, It's already mounted- with those super-comfortable 1970s gum rubber bindings- no concession to comfort there. I was trying to figure out how to measure DFT on that old Saucier- kind of irrelevant since the fin is just screwed onto the bottom. Never saw a slalom with a rubber edge before.

From my brother the pack rat (in addition to the vintage snowmobiles, several vintage dirt bikes, and his road bikes, there are also a '72 Hydrodyne, a '73 Nautique, and a Glastron Ski Machine in that pole barn), here are photos of a 1967 (he was told) Saucier G-12 slalom that's definitely foam core. He also has a pair of the plaid Kimballs and the brochure the photo came from but sadly he and his wife don't have the matching ski ensembles...

 

EP was married to honeycomb aluminum cores for a long time. Saucier made a few in the late '60s berore they really went into production in the '70s. Connellys were in the mid to late '70s and Denny Kidder around that time. There were O'Brien tricks earlier, and their first slaloms came out in around 1970 (?), but were they foam core? One thing is for sure, the early foam cores weren't like those use now!

As my buddy who jumped without one (back before they were mandatory) always said, “no brain, no pain”...

Ours is hit and miss. We're on a pretty visible public lake and I've heard comments from other skiers that it's always empty. While it's hardly in constant use, we did get a complaint from a resident that it's used too much in the early morning. It's not a noise complaint- the lake has an interstate highway at the north end (115,000 vehicles per day) and a railroad on the south end; it's more that a couple of people on the lake have decided it's "their" lake and they don't want outsiders on it. We've come to terms with them, but it will probably mean self-policing and an agreement not to ski too early. We kind of turn it over to tubers, fishermen, whoever, after noon on Saturday until Monday (though we usually get our passes in before noon Sunday). On a public lake it's always a balancing act to keep the neighbors happy.

Yeah, I asked this question too soon- soon enough that it's in bad taste. When I posted, I was just thinking of all Dave did for the sport and the void his passing will leave. Horton is right- on a personal level no one is replaceable. I wasn't asking who would replace him, just saying that as well as Dave the person, all he did will be missed. I only met Dave a few times and only got to ski with him once. The "I love you" thing kind of took me by surprise but kind of reflected the guy's nature, it seemed. I had just taken Jerry Seinfeld's advice of not saying "God bless you" when someone sneezes by instead telling our host "You're so good looking" when she sneezed- Dave got it, laughed, and said it was similar.

While his family and friends have not yet really had time to start the grieving process, I find myself wondering who will help fill the void. The sport has lost some giants recently but Dave was so visible and active that his passing really made me think about all he did.

 

The lore around the first Goode slaloms was that they were based on a Bill Chisnell design that Dave adapted with his expertise in carbon fiber technology. The result of that was a ski that almost everyone here who had a top ten skis list included- the 9100 (or one of his other skis). I never knew how much of the design of Good skis was Dave, but I assumed a LOT. So, can Goode Ski Technologies survive without him? I sincerely hope so.

 

But more than that, he and his company gave back so much to the sport in the form of title sponsorship of the nationals and in other ways. I don't know how far the Good influence extends and have no idea what the financial commitment was, but it was pretty significant. I feel kind of crass even bringing it up, but our sport is so small that the loss of a guy like Dave can have a pretty significant ripple through it. Much more to say, but the point of this is to hear what the ballers who are WAY more informed than I am think.

From the vintage files, back before anyone needed a helmet...

 

Terrible news- he did so much for our sport, as well as snow skiing. Just tragic.

@MarkM -Best sports photo ever!

142' on wooden skis with virtually nothing for bindings and wearing just a (very fashionable) swim suit and a vest- nothing but respect for that. I do wish I'd seen a tournament just once where the judges wore referee's shirts...

@TomH, yup- Island Lake. We did two last year and plan on two this year, too.

There are half a dozen or so "learn to ski" nights around the TC metro- we host two in Shoreview- see mnwaterski.org for details. These usually will get you a couple of passes in the course and some good coaching (we regularly get a guy who coaches at Ski Acapulco every winter). We sometimes do get a large enough turnout that skiers are limited to two sets, but we try and make sure everyone gets at least two. We've considered hosting a clinic, but probably not this year. Our site is public and while it's usually good, it isn't as controlled as the man-made sites, so flying in a pro is probably best left to others.

Hope for a world where jumpers aren't extinct.