MarcusBrown

@greghayes and everyone else...thanks for the love. Trying to create something that can reach and inspire an audience that otherwise might go unnoticed and/or untouched. I know standing on the podium at a pro event can inspire and promote water sports. But pro events aren't what they used to be....there aren't as many eyes. And those podium finishes don't have the impact they used to. Its a shame, because the level of skiing today is better than it has ever been. But the viewership and audience is smaller than its ever been. I know there are many many reasons for this, but it just absolutely kills me to see the shift in focus, from the industry leaders, away from pro skiing and towards Big Dawgs. It may be a great business model in the short term. But what about the future? Until my body allows me to get back into shortline skiing, FlowPointTV is my avenue to reach and inspire. BIG thanks to HO Skis for believing in my project and supporting it since day 1. Let me know what you guys want to see on FlowPoint TV next season and I'll see what I can do!! MB

Situation sucks. @matthewbrown for prez indeed FW and Nate are class acts. @9400 is almost spot on.... Instead of making buoys safer by making them easier to run over, how about we change the effing turn markers into something that is safer than anything so far, AND easier to judge??!!! Snow ski racing has evolved. Why is our $hit still round and only 10cm tall??!

Because of the clean edge technology, the Freeride is a ski that makes deep water starts easier than any other ski of similar width....this allows the Freeride to be a deep water start monster, yet something you can still cut and carve on. The TX is a decent step up in performance and ski ability, and still makes getting out of the water a breeze, just not quite as effortless as the Freeride. MB

@mellig I'm in Chico. Not sure if that's on your way or not. I provide lessons on my lake just outside of town. Let me know if that might be something you are interested in.

1 handed gate

1 handed gate Nice skiing Mr. Winter!!!

engine & tranny weight is 1000 lbs. +/- 100 lbs or so

Carbon Pro 2,100 lb value is the weight of the Carbon Pro without an engine/tranny.

@kingshredd I think its time you swing by the ridge and take a ski ride. Or maybe we could hit a ride in upper park? Shoot me an email through the contact page on my website.

Lot of good comments here. @bishop8950‌ is spot on. I don't think the ideal set of movements, from centerline to apex, are as complicated as many tend to think. There is undoubtedly 1 " most efficient" set of moves that gets you from centerline to apex better than any other combination of moves. I don't know precisely how many "moves" there are in the sequence, or what all the right ones are. The physical fitness and flexibility/mobility of a skier definitely plays a role in how and what that skier can do, on a ski. But that doesn't mean every skier shouldn't be working towards the same goal (skiing the most efficient lines and passes), and thus, be trying to execute pretty much the same moves....with one exception: if you can't get your body into the best anatomical shape, at the appropriate time throughout the course....at the very least you should understand what the ideal body shape is, at that point in the course, and learn how to maximize what you can do within your limited range of motion. We all do this...sometimes its for the better, sometimes not. For instance, many people either ski with really restrictive boots, have their feet mounted too far apart, or have really poor ankle flexibility: so to make up for their inability to move their knees forward on the ski, they tend to bring their shoulders and chest forward. This is a very common adaptation on the water. Its their band-aid for not being able to use the most anatomically (and efficient) body position to move their center of mass. Instead, they do what they can in the moment, and it becomes a part of their "style". Terry has developed an adaptation in his transition. Sometimes he overloads the rope on his cut into the wakes....usually not, but sometimes. The harder the load, the harder it is to manage the unload outbound. As result, Whisper gets popped to the inside quicker than he would like...along with 99.9999% of the skiing population (although Terry handles it better than most). If he were to keep his arms long when he pops to the inside, the rope would go slack momentarily. So, he's learned to manage that change in rope load by pulling his elbows into his sides. Its a result of something else, its not his goal, nor his focus. Which highlights one of my biggest frustrations with the technical culture surrounding water skiing, and happens to be exactly what @bishop8950‌ was getting at. Analyzing the best of the best is a delicate and dangerous thing. Most people don't know what they are looking for, and therefore often make the wrong conclusions. The anecdotal approach of "it works for the best, so it should work for me", is where we came from...back in the 1970's, 80's and 90's. Its grabbing straws and hoping we get lucky. I think BOS has played a huge role in elevating the level of dialogue surrounding technical aspects of water skiing....by providing this arena for some of the most passionate skiers and greatest minds to share ideas openly and freely. @horton deserves about a million Anti-Panda's for all he has done to move this facet of sport forward. I'm just hoping that folks continue to think outside the box, critically and creatively. I think a lot of you out there have great ideas, and maybe a slightly different approach or vision than the next guy. That's what it takes to keep things fresh and spark new ideas. But at the root of it all, the foundation of everything we are talking about, is physics. The better a skier understands the forces that are acting on he/she, the better they will ski. Learn to love that aspect of skiing, like a lot of the guys on this forum, and you will ski better. 2 final thoughts: 1. Pulling your arms in through the transition is bad. I promise you will ski better if you can resist the urge to pull your body closer to the handle. 2. @skijay and others have mentioned moving the ski/hips/feet/etc outbound and wide as possible through the transition. This is a common misconception as well, but this should never be the goal. Maximum width at apex doesn't come from projecting or shooting or pointing your ski outbound....it comes from riding the handle outbound as long as possible. I'm pretty confident that to improve your skiing, you should try to do the opposite: Slow the outbound movement of your feet ( @horton and his flat ski technique is genius) and keep your hips as close to the handle, as long as you can, through the transition.

@Horton first I need to say thank you for ruining my life again by bringing advanced topics back online. Hard for me to resist. But I want to address this last thing you said: Yes, its true that a straighter (and shorter) path will get you to max width sooner than a longer (more outbound) path.....but only in a closed system. When we water ski, we don't exist in a closed system, we hang onto a handle >> boat. Think about this: imagine you let go of the handle at centerline, and your goal is to get to the buoy as quickly as possible. You'd choose to ski directly at it, with no outbound pre-turn. We ski with a handle that is (ideally) always a fixed distance from the pylon. If we take a shorter, straighter path to max width, we haven't caught up to the side of the boat as much at apex....which means the boat is further down course. I am almost positive you will be later or no earlier, than if you take a longer wider path. Actually, its less about earlier or later...and a lot more about your actual direction of travel when you reach apex. The straighter narrower path will not get you to the buoy any earlier, and it will require you to bite off more ski angle at the finish (loss of speed, higher line load, sore back) The wider path allows you to (ideally) initiate a carve before the buoy....such that your direction change to finish the turn at the buoy, is far smaller. This allows your speed to say up, your line load to stay low, and your true angle to build as you move into the wakes. Sorry for the rant. *I will say, there is somewhat of an exception to this however....and its something we've been talking about for over a decade now. And its also something that 2 of the greats seemed to do, really well.

@Horton @dlokshin‌ I don't know where to start. This. Looks. Badass! Pretty much every single theoretical principle (is west coast better?....or should we call Schnitz and get his notes on Coordinates) that has been discussed in the past 15 years can be tested, to some degree, with Trace. For someone who feels like they had a hand in completely changing the conversation in slalom skiing, from "try what Mapple does...try what Rodgers does...try what Coxy does..." to "we wanna go faster, be more efficient....here's what physics says you should do to make that happen", I feel like its simply the next level of exploration: we can now "TEST" these ideas, to a certain degree. How accurate is this device? And to what degree can we test different Hypothesis'? Don't know yet, but I'm intrigued as hell. Let me know when you need my address guys....I'd like to strap one to my dreads and see what kinda accelerations I can achieve outta 2,4 when I drop my armpit in the water and dread-whip myself in the face.

This place??? http://vimeo.com/m/106117503

@skierman you might also want to take a look at the all new HO TX. Its a wide ride version of the CX, which is our top end ski in the Crossover series. The TX is built for those who really love to carve, and be aggressive free skiing or in the course.... take a look at HOSkis.com

We don't do memberships at The Ridge, but I coach private lessons. Let me know if u guys are interested. Brand new ProStar. Never windy. 12 min from Chico. Marcus

@horton ......I think its genius. And I think I've heard that idea somewhere before.....

2 Pictures of Nate at 41 off. the first is him cutting 2 to 3. He is basically at centerline, but you see how much his COM is still leading his feet. Also, notice how little lean he has for what you'd expect you'd need to run 41 off. 2nd pic is him pulling out for the gates. Again, notice how much COM shift he has, in the direction of desired travel. This is the fundamental reason Nate is the best. He moves is COM better than anyone else. @gregy is right though, dry land is one of the only ways to really "feel" the movement....due to the lack of good on water drills in water skiing. However, the statement "I can put 90% of my weight in the front foot however if my hips are back I'm still plowing water." is not valid. Not to get too deep, but the physics dictates that your ski doesn't care what you're body position is.....all it knows is where your COM is in relation to it. If you have 90% of weight on front foot....it doesn't matter if your ass is back and your chest over the tip, or if your hips are up and stacked....the ski will react exactly the same. HOWEVER, what body position does change, is the skiers ability to handle the compressive force from the ski and the tension force from the boat. Sorry for the rant. Here's the simple truth, maybe I can find time to go deeper later: The best time to accelerate is from the Apex of the turn (widest point), until centerline. Waste time poppin' wheelies or overturning and getting pulled out....and you've wasted acceleration credits (and therefore speed....which means no angle). That's part of the reason we can run our easier passes earlier....because the longer the line or the slower the boat speed, the easier it is to execute a nice carve around the buoy....which means we get more time to accelerate. The best way to accelerate is to move your COM forward....balancing the amount of COM shift ahead, with the appropriate amount of lean away from the boat. *Too much lean away from the boat => Reduces the ability to lead with the COM, because the added ski roll results in higher rope load, which increases the drag on the ski, which makes you feel uneasy about shifting anything forward except for your ski. Result is less cross course direction than desired. The best way to move COM forward, is to Stack your body properly. Now everyone is going to be different, based on body type, mobility of joints...etc. Some people WILL NOT be able to simply get into a perfect stack....maybe their hips are too tight, or their ankles or boots are too stiff. Or maybe their feet are too far about. Million reasons...but those skiers out there who cannot properly stack, yet still get it done, have learned how to move their COM forward without the perfect stack....and without stacking through the wakes. (Dave Miller is a great example) @wish and @gregy if the ski moves in front of you, you are slow. If you want to hit the breaks into the wakes, move your ski in front of you. *Thats also a great way to let your feet move outbound too soon, and get separated from the handle before getting through the second wake. Again, look at Nate above.....that's 41 off where the Centripetal Force from the Rope at Centerline is much much higher than at 32,35,38 off....and he's still able to lead with COM. Thats the secret. But really its not a secret....we started this Conversation 16 years ago...just sometime bad info has clouded the message or derailed the train from time to time. Glad to see the evolution in slalom theory since then....most people out there are understanding it. Now....how the eff do you actually Stack?!!! @Horton maybe you need to make a trip up here to the Ridge soon. We could get a lot more done in person. P.S. Anyone/Everyone is invited. MB

My thoughts regarding recent events and chatter developing out of the Big Dawg controversy. Was biting my tongue, but got inspired to share something I'm having a hard time overlooking, after @horton highlighted the unwritten rule "always keep on skiing, the judges might have missed the call" Its all connected, but this is a key building block in making a better sport, and a better people....in my opinion. MB http://marcusbrown.net/the-big-dawgbacle-part-2-the-end-of-a-sport

no offense @bogboy but having a pretty good understanding of the Freeride design, I'd say the opposite. satori is a great ski....but its a fairly simple design. Pretty simple bevel design. The Freeride was designed to do what no other ski does: create more lift with less surface area. No bevels or sidewall, tip and tail, allows Freeride to create more lift, reduce drag, and yet still retain hi-performance characteristics. There's nothing that I've ridden to date that does anything close to this. At 245, on a 71" Freeride, you will be able to ride at speeds approaching 21-22 mph without sinking.

@onamission You may be fine without any special help, but I would think the most you would need would be a clincher style glove that creates some mechanical advantage for your grip. I think masterline makes a glove based on the clincher. How did you lose the pinky? Had 3 fingers on my right hand re-constructed....index finger reattached, handle wrapped around my hand, at the same time the rope wrapped around my ski tip. @Horton‌ 's dad responsible for my fingers being saved. Used a clincher glove in my right hand ever since. Every 39.5' off I've ever run has been with that clincher. Heal well and you'll be back soon enough

The ProStar is new. Sometimes new = different. Sounds like some people aren't able to adjust. I've driven quite a few new ProStars through the course, and I have to say its probably the best driving boat I've ever felt. Lot of folks worked together to get this thing performing (at the helm) like it does. Is it different? Yes. If you really have a problem driving it, email me, message me, call me, and come to California....I can help get you up to speed. And while you're out here, I'll sit in the boat and help you move better on your ski.

Happy BDay Jack!! Always thankful for the day you saved my hand!!

@volsandskis , the new ProStar has too many 'industry firsts' to list on both hands. One of the sweetest things about the new design, from an everyday user standpoint, is how the walk through transom step, very easily lifts and removes.....which allows for easier rudder port and steering cable serviceability than anything else on the market. It just so happens that the fuel tank is easily visible through that opening as well. regarding the malfunctioning of the actual fuel gauge, I haven't seen it yet. Will have to look into it a bit more. @volsandskis‌ how does the boat ski and drive for you?

@gator1 I would really love the chance to work with you sometime. The concept of using your center of mass to ski efficiently shouldn't seem so abstract and difficult to grasp. Realize that you already know how to use your COM efficiently....you do it when you walk. Its a much more subtle set of programmed moves, but similar nonetheless. FYI, hard to tell a whole lot in the above pics....but one thing that is for sure in the recent pic, is that you are much lower to the ski. Compare the angle of your thigh to your lower leg in both pics. -Older pic, legs are straighter. -Straighter legs allow you to be more stacked over your feet. -More stacked means more balanced = more ski in the water = more speed/more angle/less effort Its a common misconception that you need to have a lower COM for things to work good. Its about the worst thing you could think of when you're on the water. If you try to get low, your butt will go back. Once your butt goes back, it doesn't matter how open your shoulders are, how even the tension is in your arms, or any of that other stuff. You're simply gonna be slow, feel twice as heavy, and take twice as long to get to the other side. And its gonna murder your body in the long run. SOHOT: Shoulders over Hips over Toes Its kinda that simple. If you're looking for a warm place to ski this spring, its 85 and sunny every day here in Chico and my new ProStar is waiting for someone to test her out! MB

Canon 24-105 f4 L on a cropped sensor is a damn good all around lens. Stills or Film. Image Stabilization is nice. 24-70 doesn't have that. 70-200 f2.8 is on wish list...