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How many know who won US National Open Men Overall? I bet that most ballers have never heard of the winner. And no........... Storm did not win it!

Again it gets back to cost. In addition to myself I have a teenage 3 eventer. Buy five sets (double high wraps on slalom, trick, & jump) of bindings each year as their foot grows. Plus, keep them in the proper size equipment each year. Skis, vests, jump suits, toe harness, gloves. I did it on the cheap. Getting used skis and factory blems, but it was still insane. Then go to Nationals and listen to the bios of b1-3 and g1-3. How many have several coaches that they train with or get lessons from. Travel time and cost for ski schools......... it goes on and on. To be competitive in a sport that has no financial gains. We never did much of the ski school thing. Couple of days with Cory is about all I could afford. You stay for the passion and know that you can never make a living of it. I am sure we have all heard the stories of some of the best skiers in the world sleeping on back porches in hammocks. LOL. The other problem is that it is NOT easy. If it was, it would be called wakeboarding. LOL Friends brag about how great their kids are on a wake board. They go out every weekend to the big lake with the fat sacks and..........."man they are really good" They come out to a trick tournament and can't believe the speed and number of tricks done. When you pull them on the wake boards all they can do is clean BOTH wakes. Forget about any rotation.

Richard The costs of the "elite" teams that represent the USA in international tournaments, should be covered by USAWS. Why would Freddy, or Regina fly half way across the world to compete? Out of their pocket expense? I know that last year some of the events were paid, and some not. The ones that the expenses were not covered, people were asking why the "B team" was sent? Because the A team did not want to take on the financial burden. I recently went on one of the international tournaments. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. It cost me about 5,000. We had a great time and, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Would I do it twice? I don't think so. Keep in mind that I am just talking about members of the US team. The costs of independent skiers that go to compete, they should be responsable for their own expenses. The cost of the World Teams, Jr Worlds, Pan-Ams, U-21 Worlds, ...... any international tournament that the USAWS sends a team, Travel, lodging, and entry fees, should be paid. After all they are there for their country. I would not expect five star accomadations. Motel 6 should be fine. LOL Now, that being said, are there some that are taking advantage of the system with trips? You bet. The costs of the "extras" is what should be looked at. Not the cost of the skiers.

Part of the problem is the cost. We live on a private site. We have a club boat. It costs me about 3,000 per year before I ski a single set. (pretty cheap) The problem is, that our homeowners, want to sell memberships for 2,500 per year. Why do I want somebody playing in my backyard for less than it costs me? They come out, ski, put hours on the boat, wear and tear on ropes and equipment and leave without giving anything back to the site. Most of them won't do so much as to wash a boat, fill it with gas, or maintain the height of bouys. I have seen members knock out turn balls and since it was the last pass, put the boat back on the lift, and leave it for the next guy to put on. I will say that most of the time, (don't hurt me) the worst offenders are the slalom gods. Most 3 eventers do the fair share of work to maintain courses and jumps. I know that this has been discussed in other places, but what do you think is the "real" cost of a set. Assume a 1-2 year old boat, with ZO. I bet it gets close to 30.00 - 35.00 per set. Make sure to add in wear and tear on the lake and the cost to rework shore line every 10-15 years. People that OWN private sites will most likely agree. I don't want the headache of a bunch of people in my backyard that feel they are entitled to ski for a five dollar bill. I am not the US goverment

Shane, I think he means Ohio. As in Miami, Ohio

If Krista starts each day looking like that, it is a pretty impressive transformation.

Does aquaplex have water???

I would look at the Dallas/Ft Worth area. Ski year round. DFW airport is a hub for American Airlines. International flights are non-stop Several nice private sites. Ski Haven north of Ft Worth near the Texas Motor Speedway and a non stress 35 min drive to DFW airport. Princeton in North East of Dallas about a 60 min drive to DFW depending on time of day maybe more. Plus, Dallas is not in the Hurricane paths (Houston & Miami) and has better rain fall for lake levels. (Austin) I know of several houses For Sale. Prices are MUCH lower than CA. Both Ski Haven and Princeton have places for sale.

I have a 09 SN with 900 hours that I would be VERY happy to part with for 29,000. Just saw a 08 SN with trailer and ZO sell for 25,000. 600 hrs, limited with hydro gate. Guess it depends on the part of the country you are in

Get it below 25,000 and I bet you will have some interest.

Or.............. you could buy a 3200 sq ft house at Ski Haven in Dallas/ft Worth. 2 lake site 12 total lots with two community boats (ski nautiques) for less than 300,000 And............. we have water in the lakes.

What I want to know is, how many "code reds" did you have. LOL

I think that the rule concerning devices affixed to the ski, was in response to a couple of devices. The HO "power sticks" that went in front, and behind the bindings, and were said to be able to change the stiffness of the ski. The other was a wing that was adjustable with the turn of a knob mounted above the fin box. Both could be adjusted between passes. Where was Kimberly this year? I hope she did not become a one year wonder or get burned out by the age of four. Dave, was Kimberly's story what inspired you this year?

It also looked like they were attached with something on the bottom as well as the top. I also remember the 2010 incident. I wonder if that was the inspiration for this rig. I think in 2010 they were at least just tied together and not solid fixed.

I saw this set up at nationals and scratched my head and said "what the heck" If the level 6 ranking was achieved with this contraption, is it really a level 6? Never should have been allowed at regionals and for sure not at nats. Just my .02 Not worth much

I used to tell my son to "edge thru the air". That is what is going on here. LOL

I know PLENTY of people that ski WELL past 32/35 off on Wiley's. Don't get caught up in all the hype that you have to have the latest and greatest bindings or skis out there. I ski with a guy who runs 38 off every day at 36 MPH on Wileys and a three year old ski.

Go with good old fashion Wiley's. At 16 years old, and only running into 32 off, not worth the risk of injury. I did not allow my son into hard shells until he was into -38. Even after 3 months, there has not been a major increase in scores. The only benefit has been that his feet don't cramp. You are at a level and age that you should be safe. If you have to go to hard shell look hard at the EXO's

WOW. You are a stud if you can take 10-11 gates per set. And, do it 2-3 times per day. You are a addict. Is a intervention required?

I train behind a 09 CC and run b2. I run b2 on everything except the new CC's (10 & 11 model year) when I run A2. I never feel like I can get free of the boat with b2 on the new design.

I know Karina was running a 7 deg stock size wing about a month ago with the thin fin. (right after masters)

Skibug you are right on target. You measure and make adjustments to your ski. Everything is relative. But, then you post your numbers that work for you, and whoever duplicates them are off by ???? The two toughest are the tail and the length. Five skiers, five sets of numbers, same ski. How can anyone expect to duplicate any set of numbers posted, except that they are a starting point and may be up to .075 off on the length and tail. Don't make a big deal out of .001 or .002. You are trying to split hairs. At that point, the skier and what he is doing has a bigger effect on the ski than the movement of the fin .005 in any direction. Is our reach the same at every bouy within a inch? Do we get the same angle out of the bouy every time? Do we release the handle in the same place the same way every time? Maybe Nate does. LOL That's what I think makes a great skier. ShaneH I know. I don't laugh. It does make me smile. SOL does that make sense?

Great post Than. I bet someone will show up at a starting dock with a temp gauge, check the water temp, and adjust the fin just before they ski. LOL It really is getting over the top.

@stevie boy Do you guys know what the difference is between 2 thou and 3.5 thou? A piece of paper is about 3.5 thou. Most human hair is 2 thou. You are splitting hairs. It cracks me up to sit and listen to guys on the dock talk about moving the fin .005 forward or back. Up or down. Most skiers I know, don't know how to use a caliper correctly. I bet you could get five guys on the dock. Give them a ski and tell them to measure the fin. I bet you get five sets of numbers that wont be within 20 thou on the length, 20 thou on the tail and 5 thou on the depth. fyi, I work as a quality control manager and have over 30 years with calipers and precision CMM's

I and several friends had the same problem. I discovered that it happened on the first pass. I solved it by making sure that I got my face and ALL my hair VERY wet. DUNK your head all the way underwater. I know, it sounds crazy but it works. In fact, one ski partner was going to risk lasik until he tried it. He had the problems for years and this solved it. Give it a try. Don't just splash, DUNK