andjules

@Than_Bogan I agree re: Nate and mostly agree re: Rossi (I don't see it as a dramatic move forward) but interestingly, the opposite happens (at least in the clip provided) with Regina - she glides on the ski pretty flat but then rocks back a bit just before turning. And CP may even be ahead of Nate... although that's probably just the mechanics of an offside (LFF) turn... more front foot.

It's really interesting to me how neutral/balanced Nate, Regina and CP are just before they turn in vs Asher/Rossi/Mapple all being very heavy on their back foot. But by the time they are mid-way in to the turn, they're all in a balanced position.

You're a little less than a 2hr drive from Catalina Ski Lake, just north of Boca Chica (you can search on google maps). I believe that's Robert Pigozzi's home site. Never been, hope to go one day.

I don't know the full story, but I'm pretty sure that's Luca Spinelli @ TE Wake n Ski in Bangkok (Luca is an Italian 3-event Reflex skier who spends his winters in Bangkok, where Reflex skis are manufactured). I follow TE Wake N Ski on Facebook, and about a month ago they had a few videos like this except the foil was on a wakesurf board (no bindings). Looks like they're having fun experimenting over there, trying to develop something new...

Damn, that's a very nice price on a no-structural-wood, fuel-injected slalom tug with PP stargazer

Amazon has a budget snow ski bag that I've taken to Bangkok and Florida without incident. I've put my ski in my regular bag first, with some extra padding. Added my vest, towel, shorty, handle, etc. The standard length is fine for 67-68" ski.

One nuance that's beginning to make this conversation even harder: carbon fiber's falling costs and wide availability in different weights and weaves. It's no longer just expensive, high-end carbon vs regular glass. There is a variety of carbon and some weights/weaves are becoming cheap enough that manufacturers (skis and other industries) are replacing glass. Radar's 2018 Senate lower-end "alloy" version is "all-carbon" lay-up... but almost certainly not the same layup (stiffness) as the lithium version. I'd love to see a blind test (no graphics) of a range of skiers trying their hardest pass on Radar's probuild/lithium/graphite/alloy Vapors and Senates. I'd love to know to what extent the marketing speak lines up with the performance of all these material/layup variations.

I owned one for a while and enjoyed it (have also owned a Response and a Sunsetter). I'd disagree a little with @jhughes - while the predecessor Tantrum was "extremely barebones" (bench seats, weird dashboard), I thought the sportster was "basic" in ways that didn't matter that much - 4 gelcoat colours instead of 5, simpler upholstery, etc. It was carb'd. The wake was not as soft as a 98' and later Response (when the Response moved to the better-for-slalom "diamond hull"), but a little nicer than the original (95-97 Responses) given it was a few hundred pounds lighter. Like the Response LX, the Sportster LX is a walk-over bow, so even though the boat is a little narrower than average, the observer seat is still more comfortable with two than most walk-through bowriders.

It's worth noting that top wakeboarders generally wear impact vests without complaining about restricted movement and folks are doing a whole lot of frenetic handle-passing for 1080s, 1260s and mobe5s.

The long-time tradition of not wearing a vest for tricks dates back to a time long before today's (non-approved) impact vests. Life jackets were thick and less flexible. Honestly, I'd bet if you gave today's thinnest wakeboard pullover impact vest to both novice trickers and top contenders, and gave them 5 sets to get used to it, it would have exactly 0% effect on scores. On the flip side, it's important to note that any thin impact vest is NOT an actual approved floatation device, and really means nothing in terms of coast guard regulations, insurance, etc.

@Alberto Soares can hook you up in Brazil. There is (or was) a course in São Paulo. I don't know about ZO or top-level coaching but there are clubs in Columbia and Uruguay where you can grab a set. I don't know of anything near Buenos Aires but if you find something, please report back... You aren't the only one daydreaming ;-)

@APB any chance you're mistaking past episodes of his FlowPoint Podcast for FlowPoint TV? This is inline with several past FlowPoint TV episodes. @MarcusBrown Patagonia's tourism board should be happy! I had already wanted to go but this ramped up the desire even more. Nice shooting. And I love the bulky orange PFD behind the tillered outboard.

On a nerdy note, I notice on Radar's site it's called the Carbon/G10 Sequence universal boot plate. The description mentions Carbon, not G10. My understanding is that G10 is a glass-based composite alternative to carbon fiber. Which is it? Or is it genuinely some kind of hybrid?

But maybe with practice. I like that you've got a consistent structure to your written reviews, and this seemed more like a collection of idiosyncratic thoughts. Interesting, but not as helpful. On the other hand, Buford is thoroughly entertaining.

+1 for the 95 and older Prostar 205 for slalom, I ski behind one fairly often. When you say "multi sport" if you're serious about wakeboarding or (especially) wakesurfing, you'll want to get some ballast. As per @LoopSki 's comment, a Malibu Sunsetter LXi with a wedge (99-04) is probably the best slalom-first multi-sport boat; the slalom wake is a little better than the 205 and (with the wedge) the wakeboarding/wakesurfing wake is also better.

@blakeyates I'll say this: you really have to know your body and your temperament. It's easy to get caught up with the 25 year olds and out-do yourself, leading to nagging injuries. I find I have to be in ok shape before I start CrossFit in hopes of getting in great shape.

With all the hoopla about the poor conditions, it's easy to lose sight of how exciting the Worlds can be. While it's sad to see a favourite go down early, it's also exciting to see lesser known skiers performing above expectations. Going into men's slalom finals, I've barely heard of the top seed (Brando Caruso), and never heard of the 3rd seed (Marek Mlynek). In women's slalom, it was great to see 17 year-old Canadian up-and-comer Jamiee Bull grab the bronze. Congratulations to Adam Pickos - the only American competing in men's tricks - who managed a second consecutive win in a very tough field. I kinda-follow tricks, but I'd never heard of the 17 year-old who came 5th. On the other hand, for all the unpredictability the site conditions are creating, and despite all the interesting stories emerging, it's quite possible that all the gold medals will be repeats of 2015, except Men's Overall. Regina seems headed for women's overall, it's unlikely anyone will beat Jacinta Caroll or Ryan Dodd in jump. It's also looking like the US will take overall. The only question marks are whether Nate will take gold in the rollers, and who will win Men's overall. Lastly, with all due respect to the strong American team, it's interesting to see how internationally balanced the sport has become. While looking at event golds, we may see a lot of American again this year, but there are 4 Italians in the men's slalom finals, and there were 5 French in the men's trick finals. There were 3 Canadians and 3 French in the women's slalom finals.

This thread encourages black-and-white thinking. I think it's a little more nuanced than that. To the extent that random roller patterns mean it's NOT the same for each skier, yes, that's a problem. But less-than-ideal conditions? it's good and bad. At a tournament in perfect conditions, the only unpredictable part is the mental game: consistency, who is able to perform on a given day, under pressure. There's the occasional upset, but over a bunch of such tournaments, we get a sense of where the top skiers stand in relation to each other. At a tournament in challenging conditions, there are more unpredictable elements: whose skillset is more adaptable? Whose mental game is more easily thrown by the disappointing conditions? Some skiers are more disciplined about developing the skills to handle adverse conditions. This Worlds will be particularly hard on skiers who didn't. As a spectator, the unpredictability and greater chance of upsets adds to the drama. I feel terrible seeing Travers, Neveu and Detrick down in the 30s. But I'm pumped to see two series-3 skiers in the top 6 (who the heck is Marek Mlynek and where did he learn to run 3 @ -39 in rollers?)

Maybe I'm too optimistic, but if they have the mold for the size, you might convince them to let you custom order a lithium layup, if you asked nicely.

Thanks @Deke. If the alloy is all-carbon, it makes me curious about the marketing-speak behind the 'all terrain core' vs the 'aerocore' and what it all really means in terms of stiffness/responsiveness. It would be great to here an honest, comparative review of all three by a mid-level skier in the course.

I'd consider the graphite and the lithium, but drop the alloy off the list. Traditional fiberglass, non-carbon skis (like the alloy) are going to absorb too much of your effort when you're in the course. You want a stiffer layup that will get you earlier to the next ball with the less effort.

b) In all instances where a boat older than the current model year is used, the manufacturer must also have a boat on the approved list for 2018.That seems like a strange - or at least, not technically relevant - restriction. Is it political? A kind of punishment if the company has dropped out of the 3 event market (e.g. Moomba; or, if Centurion gets rebranded to Supreme in 2018, you can't use an older Centurion)?

Does anyone know anything about SP skis? Noticed a few posts on Facebook; they appear to be made by Savvos Pantelli out of Cyprus. @skialex?

So... did the ball of spray logo go yellow to match the boat, or did you get a boat to match the new logo?

I wouldn't let the low hours discourage you. Not uncommon for people to buy a boat only to find they don't get out near as much as they imagined. If you put skiing first, I'd take the Moomba or LXi first. The older Sunsetter LX and later Prostar 205s have pretty harsh slalom wakes @ 32/34mph (at least in comparison to the other two). The reverse is true if you put wakeboarding first - the LX with MLS and wedge is a great wakeboarding setup. For the price range, I personally put some value on the Perfect Pass included with the LXi. Great for wakeboarding, awesome for slalom if you ever get in a course. If the other options include a wedge (likely) or even MLS (possible), and if the upholstery is in good shape, that'd make a pretty nice boat