Patmaster

Ordered mine today. I guess it will be the first OB system in Europe. Years ago, Terence showed me a prototype of "safer" Fogmans based on a similar principle. Never saw this in production. Kept tweaking my (once broken) front ankle in Fogmans 2-3 times each season. Kept having a sore and inflamed Achilles tendon on my back foot most of the time. Yeah they look heavy, yeah they have sharp edges. But have a look at the videos on the website - how would you not want to try them out? Too much of a temptation for a semi-retired, half broken, double hard shell enthusiast. I'll be happy to post my first experience in a few days time!

@gator1, would you have a photo of the Stealths fitted with Gatormod?

If you want to train slalom seriously and still hit the beach - St Martin is your place. If your budget is very flexible, go to Samanna resort that has one of the nicest beaches in the Caribbean. It's just a 10 minute drive from the ski place. Avoid hotel Mercure where the meeting point is. For longer stays, they say it's best to rent a villa. Been there end November 2013. Some great restaurants on the French side!

Well, there is hope then. I'm 52 and just getting comfortable with 32 and 35 off….need to get to 38 at least!

Sure there is. How much would you pay to ski better and not hurt your ankle/s and achilles...?

Well, I'm 52 and I just hit the wall with my lower back. Just when I started to figure out 35 off. Maybe targeted excersise will help. Give us more clues.....

In my experience, it becomes crucial to start your egde change early as of 32off (34mph). Longer than that, you can still get away with a lot of "wrong" skiing....

The only thing that is still in the dark ages are the bindings. How is it possible that no one managed to come up with a snow-ski-safety-degree slalom bindings? I keep seeing serious injuries with all levels of slalom skiers and all types of bindings. As if the sport weren't difficult enough?

@jipster43, been feeling kind of similar. Skied well in practice whole season but sucked in competition. Almost want to cover the Mapple design with a big......Goode sticker! Think I'd feel better then!

O'Neill used to have a fleece-like top, intended for surfing. Forgot the marking but it feels like fleece shirt. You feel it a lot less than any neoprene, have a full range of movement and it really keeps you warm. 13 ounce or something like that. Was difficult to find before, now nearly impossible.

Anyone skiing on the double Reflex hardshell system please let me know your experience. After being tired and frustrated hurting my front ankle and rear heel tendons in another hardshell system, I finally decided to switch. In the middle of the season, appropriately! I will try out the Reflex shortly and my biggest worry is the (im)possibility of rotating the rear foot. Anyone familiar with the problem? Anyone switching from double hardshells for similar reasons please share your experience and help!!!

Been using GOODE (Intuition) liners in Fogman hardshells for a few years now. A velcro strap (from an old drysuit or just home-made) on top is useful to keep the top from flapping open, since the shells are much lower...

@londonskier, Andy confirmed that 29.5 (or as close as possible) is the way to go. I find the factory fin settings work very well, but slightly prefer 0780 dft and 9 degree wing angle instead 8. Pretty good explanation on how to use dft to tune the ski is on Mappleskis website. Ski well, most high end skis are really good, but it is hard to beat Mapple team in customer service!

@londonskier, if water is still cold (it probably is), try 8, 8.5 and 9 degrees of wing.Should help the offside.

@londonskier, I moved from Strada to Mapple, same size as you have. Similar skiing level. What worked for me was front boot (and back) (hardshell) slightly BACK. Currently 29 1/4 from inside of the boot. Not sure why, but it works much better for me like this than 29.5 from outside of the boot. Otherwise everything stock except fin slightly forward, 0780. Could be me. Will bring it up with Andy in a few days time. Measurement from outside or inside makes a big difference so I don't know what is better.

How far from Dallas?

22-35off, 34mph, 170, May-November last year, split to two identical skis. No damage to the skis. Both skis have the standard hole pattern.

I have two 2012 STRADAS 66' in perfect condition for sale. One is in Florida, one in Europe. I only skied one season on both, half-half. I PB-d on both. 650 USD or 500 EUR.

Btw, Nano 1 may be good, but Nano 1.5 may already be out in August, you never know....

Loved my Strada but after trying M6 for a few days I could not resist. #jedgel, my ski ability is about the same as yours and after running the best 32 off ever on a M6 I was convinced. Also, expect customer service second to none and if you take the trouble to go to Team Mapple site and ski with the Master, who will set the ski up for you, you get better value for your money than anywhere else!

No more than one reasonable set per day the first week. A day of rest after 3 days or so. Eat healthy, no alcohol, aspirin before bedtime. Stretch before and after. Warmup in the gym but no crazy workout. If you have a studio nearby do Bikram yoga after 2 days. Repeat in 2 days again. Works wonders for my body. I'm 51 and my scores are still going up. Depending on your age and health, avoid skiing in very cold conditions.....

Skied on it for a week now. Spring (poor) form, but already almost PB. Did not want to change the ski (was happy with the 2012 Strada) but I did! And yes, it is super forgiving and I cannot find anything it does wrong. Awsome stuff Andy! And you get the flex numbers so if you need another one, it will be pretty much the same! Keep it going Andy and the Mapple Team!

Another potentially great product that is doomed. If it were more practical, if it had buckles, maybe it would have a chance. Duct tape to shut the holes! Hahahaha! On a high-end carbon boots, state of the art piece of equipment....you got to be kidding. I tried the front boot once, took me about an hour to mount it and after two passes I gave up, found it too tall. And getting in and out is just plain ridiculous! "Old" Fogmans are a model of comfort, Stealths are crazy! And it's such a shame! I'd take Stealth carbon base, cut them short like old Fogmans, lose the laces, put some buckles, mount them on a G10 Fogman plate, not aluminum, and try to figure out the way how to make the whole plate release more reliably than the old one. I'd also make it real easy to rotate both boots in increments and move them forward and back. Then, we'd have something to really want to try out. I have a pair of Stealths but I think I may as well already display them in "remarkable waterski ideas" museum!

Will and Andy seem to be the strongest candidates, based on track record. But the other three could get into 43off and it would be no big surprise. Truly a "dream" tournament!

Anyone has results of Acapulco tournament? I thought it was last week/weekend?