twhisper

@adamhcaldwell I currently use the black Reflex front and back, but I have also used the white. I don’t notice much difference between the two, and really I use the black because I like the color. I use the thin liners from Reflex, and my back line is a lower cut because I like less water drag on the offside turns. I used the power shells for a few years and it only took a set or two to get adjusted to the Reflex. I had taken my spring off of the power shells plate so my heel was not moving. I didn’t like how the rear heel was raised, and I can’t stand when when my heel is moving.

@jimski the double Reflex set up is awesome. There are several skiers in my area that use the same set up. There's plenty of flex/range of motion with the back boot, and I like having the same release with front and back boot. There are also many great skiers that use the double Powershells from GOODE, which is what I used before switching to the Reflex. The double Reflex and Powershells ski pretty similar, but I like the option of the release and plates over using dual-lock. A lot of rubber boots actually force the rear foot into flex, and don't allow for much movement to the rear without the tip of the ski rising. The Reflex has just as much movement forward plus more movement to the rear. I feel like in the Reflex I can stand taller into the turns, and really get my hips aligned over the center of the ski better. I've skied in a LOT of binding set ups. What I've learned is that they all just take time to adjust to. Anything different can feel impossible to ski in until you get adjusted to it. If I put a T-Factor and RTP on my ski I would feel super sketchy, and not be able to run any passes at first. With time I'm sure I could adjust to it and run the same scores eventually.

@adamhcaldwell thanks Caldwell. I appreciate you taking the time and effort. Hearing your perspective helps with my understanding, and is going to be another tool for me.

This is a pass with my intent being on skiing an appropriate amount of angle in order to keep the line tighter at the finish of the turns. It gets away from me a little bit coming out of five ball, and you will notice the drastic change happening at the wakes rather than a nice smooth progression.

@adamhcaldwell what is it that you do with your body to get that ski to change direction? I agree that there is a more optimal line or path to ski the course, and it’s not always about getting the most angle or pointing the ski across the course as much as possible. At some point the angle becomes unmanageable no matter how much physical effort we put into it. With my skiing I think about taking a more manageable path from the finish of one turn to the next, knowing the path I want to take and giving it the required physical input to stay on that path. Out of some turns I have to apply more physical lean or effort, and out of other turns I have to back off. In my mind that ski’s direction is a result of my body’s lean, and knowing whether or not I’m on the path I want to be on comes from my vision. How do we allow the ski to change direction at a certain point without giving away too much? Many skiers struggle with maintaining body alignment and a connection of the handle to the core of their body regardless of the angle they’re attacking the wakes at. If I understood what you wrote, you’re saying that if you can change the ski’s direction then the ability to remain connected to the handle will take care of itself, so I’m wondering what physical cues do you have in order to allow that ski to change its direction. Just some of my thoughts, and I wondered about your perspective since you described it differently than what I hear from most skiers. TW

Yes, the T-Factors should have the plate holes for both the D3/Connelly and HO/Radar holes. Worst case scenario you can get a plate to mount to the boot pretty inexpensively.

Mike helped me a lot with my skiing and coaching. He was completely devoted to waterskiing, and never stopped thinking about how to improve technique. I never agreed 100% with everything he had to say, but I was always able to take something positive away from my sessions with him even if sometimes it was just my disagreement with him forcing me to think about how it could be done better. Mike’s view on technique was constantly evolving, so of course some of his ideas were not completely dialed. I’m sure that if you watch his video he did with Bob and compare it to the WCS there would be some major differences just as if he did another video today you would have changes from WCS. Mike was talking about moving your body and being efficient in a time when the sport was dominated by power skiers. He was coaching me to ski like Nate before Nate was ever around. You guys can rip on him if you like, but it’s just because you were’t around to know what you missed out on. TW

You can drive to Liquid Zone, about an hour and a half from the Bay, and get some ski rides and demo some skis. We have the new KD Platinums https://www.kdskisusa.com/ and Connelly’s and with some notice can get a few other brands for you to try. http://skiliquidzone.com/wp/ I’ll be there in March, but the lake is available for ski rides and coaching any time. They also have the latest ProStars to ski behind. Terry Winter

Yes, I think that's Horton's ProStar compared to like an '11/'12 197. We ski in the deeper lake here in Idaho and the wake is definitely noticeably better with the newer boats.

@chris55 absolutely.

@Horton $75, but if they sign up to be a member of my site it's $60

@mrpreuss Yes, the edge change essentially or that process of letting the ski swing through from the cutting edge to the gliding without giving up all of the outbound direction. The body position through this process is critical.

I-Phone/I-Pad works great. MP4. As long as it's clear enough that I can see the details in the body position. I have a video uploader on the site, or dropbox or anything like that works. Even texting right from your I-Phone works well.

@ToddF Yes, you will be able to use your HO bindings as long as they are the normal HO plates. Animals, or what bindings?

@gavski there is a KD USA website with the more current ski sizing chart that refers to the Platinum. https://www.kdskisusa.com/kd-platinum

Countering helps. As the outside shoulder rotates back it allows for the inside hip to shift weight to the inside of the turns. I would think the goal of countering is to get to where the shoulders are about square with the course, or maybe a little bit beyond that. You also need to get the hips standing up over the center of the ski, and countering alone will not do this. Standing up taller and countering as one move at the same time will give the skier the best results. And... forget about being patient. The goal is not to be patient. The goal is to finish the turn in the right position. Stay level and square with the upper body while the lower body aggressively leans in and reconnects to the handle.

T-Mo is super level with his shoulders, everywhere. His front ankle is in a positive flex, and his hips are balanced directly over the center of the ski. He worked on that through repetition where he could keep doing it correctly. He created a picture in his mind of what he wanted to ski like, and kept practicing until that picture in his mind and what he was actually doing on the water were synchronized. No secret, just a lot of focused work.

Here's a few images of the KD.

@MattP It's a great ski. I find that it's a really good balance between speed and stability. It's a fast ski and has really nice carry out out off of the second, so I feel like I can have strong/short cuts with a lot of time to pre-turn or glide out to the ball and still end up with good width in the the course. What is really nice though is that even though the ski feels fast, it's still really confidence inspiring into and throughout the turns. I feel like even if I'm a little late and fast I can still be confident that I can turn hard and the ski is going to hold. It has a large platform to stand on and turns and accelerates well even if I'm a little off balance. The front of the ski is very forgiving, so I feel like I can get way up over the top of the ski into the turns. There are two sizes available. A 65.75" and a 67.5". I ride the smaller ski at just under 170lbs. If you or anyone has any questions or would like to try the ski let me know.

Great, if you sign up for the membership on the site there is also a steady stream of video tutorials that I am posting and a member's Q&A that you will have access to where you can always ask me anything and you can view all of the other members' comments and questions.

@razorskier1 or you can sign up for my coaching site at http://www.trainwithterrywinter.com/ but really if everyone reading this can just send me a check that would work fine too.