sunvalleylaw

That is so cool! I thought long ago as Andy was retiring, how much better can the scores get? I mean, there must be a limit given the length of the line, etc. But it is so cool that people are pushing it further still. Says a lot about the newer skis I would suspect. Maybe zero off too? In any case, it is very cool. Makes a re-newb like me motivated to improve what I am able to do.

I have never been there, but I would think from a spectator's perspective (and maybe a competitor's too), it would be good to keep it rolling and finish it under the lights. The final contestants are determined under natural light so we have the best on that day finishing it out. Then it is a great, fun event under the lights. I would bet more lights would help with web cast. A course is not wider than Olympic stadium in Britain, and that place was lit up plenty well for webcast. As is every high school football field in the country on Friday night in the fall. Those guys have to catch passes dropping on them from out of the light. So though it is harder, it is doable. I think it makes for a fun event.

@Ham Wallace, I am going to wander down and take a look at this boat today I think, and try to find out what motor it has, etc. I know it is a nice boat, but I don't know all the details. As i said, he was not sure what year it was. They got it in around 05-06, but he couldn't remember what year it was. he thought '05 and his wife thought '03. Before skiing behind the '09 S/n 196 (also a nice wake), my favorite wake was a 90's Malibu closed bow, and I skied behind this boat before, and the wake is very nice. I hope this all works.

@Horton, ok then! The board part of him should not let the personal him have a choice! :-) @Chef23, yes, that should be covered too. Everyone thinks slalom is dead, but I think the stories of its demise are premature. The local shops I have spoken to recently all are talking about how people seem excited about skiing again. Hope exists. It should be kindled with a new article about the kids.

BTW, that Bakersfield SNOB sounds like a great deal! @escmanaze, I hope that works out for you!

Well, the idea of sharing the '03 Bu LX made it out of committee on my end. I will contact the owner and see if he was truly serious, and ask him to submit it to committee on his end. Likely a next year's project other than maybe a test day or two at this point. We are surrounded by forest fires up here, and the air quality has been very poor where we camp up at Redfish and the north lakes to ski, and where this family uses their boat. The authorities say they this fire (up near Stanley, ID, called the Halstead fire on the inciweb site), is going to burn until the snow flies or other wet and cold weather kills it. If we get a break in the smoke, and we can get the families together, this time of year is usually a great time to get out there, into early Sept.

Wow!! That is amazing! I have been reading a couple of his articles from 10 year old magazines while I wait for my re-subscription to show up. He should get the cover! The rest of the mag board should not give him a choice.

@ToddF, Nice thread and nice skiing! I am nowhere near that ball count or line length, but I learn lots from reading these threads and appreciate all the guys that share their vid. @ShaneH, in addition to the focus on the lean using both arms, you also said: Counter- Need more effective counter rotation to bring the inside hip forward and engage the rocker of the ski Extend. You're only halfway reaching/extending. Part of what allows the ski to roll over and get onto its turning edge is a full reach. Am I thinking correctly that those things will be easier if I have accomplished the good, stacked lean against both arms with elbows on the vest, because the cross course speed and rope tension, etc., will set it up? (EDIT: as I re-read my comment, that seems like kind of a dumb question in retrospect. I think the answer is obviously yes. But I'll leave the comment up in case anyone has anything to add). I have some other questions, but I think I will work up another thread rather than derail ToddF's thread.

@horton, i agree. I bought a used RCX because I wanted a decent used ski to get back into it. Even though it had the typical (for that year anyway) D3 top sheet sun fade. Who cares what the top sheet looks like if it is not functional? @tsouthar - just looked at some HO's and Radars at a ski shop in Boise yesterday. Both lines looked like good quality skis. I would not expect anything less. I have not skied either a Radar or an HO recently myself however. As I am returning to skiing more, I hope to have the ability to demo a few skis before I buy next time. I hope you have that opportunity too as I think that is the best way.

My relatively uneducated vote went to the field. But that does not necessarily have much to do with what ski they are on.

I have been on Denny Kidder designs since the Redline back in the 80's. I most recently picked up a used RCX and really like it. I maybe should have gone an inch shorter, but it sure is a nice ski!

So I just had a discussion with an acquaintance who has an '03 or '05 (he was not sure which) Malibu Response LX (stepover, not walkthrough) that they are not using much. Though he does not have authority to offer, and I do not have authority to accept yet (we both would have to get the proposal through committee ;-0), we talked about partnering on the boat for the next two years, then us taking the boat over after his kids are gone, and they do not want a boat any more. They only go out 6 or 8 times a summer now. Maybe 25 hours a summer he says. It is a very nice looking malibu, though he did put a tower on it since his kids are nationally ranked snowboarders, and therefore, wakeboarders. No wedge. It has been well maintained by him and the price could be very right. What do you guys think of the 03-05 stepover malibus? This is all very preliminary, and it might not make it out of committee on one end or the other, but it could be a decent way to get into a good boat.

@ShaneH, thanks. That is what I was thinking, but wanted to be sure.

@Ed Johnson, I am really interested in that. When you mean hookup, do you mean at the end of the turn, when both hands return to the handle? If so, (or even if not), I am very interested in how you move the COM in the direction of travel. That is a big thing in snow skiing too.

I like how @ShaneH says that. Obviously there is an edge change. My guess is the coaches don't want to talk about it as something you do, but as a result of what you have done. We talk a lot about edge change in snow skiing/boarding, and one can go back and look at the edge change from the evidence on the snow. (at least on the groomers). But it is how the edge change is occurring that is more important. Since the waterski is riding "in" the water, it is a little different. I would guess it would be hard to effectively change edge from just tipping the feet/boots/ankles as you literally can do snow skiing. But in both sports, what you are doing leading up to the point the edge changes (and what you do after) is at least as, and probably more important to focus on. I noticed on one of my last runs at the Black Butte course the other night that on a couple turns, I let that whatever process that resulted in the edge change, whether it was correct or incorrect, happen a bit early so that I popped off the wake as I was changing edge. Obviously not the correct series of events. (though it was pretty fun). Before I was holding my edge through both wakes better then allowing the sequence of events resulting in an edge change to occur after I was through the wakes. I immediately went back to holding my edge.

Man, @rodtig2, winner, winner! Very nice looking boat for not much $$!

@Laz, congrats!

Hi Paul. I am Steve, a BOS newb here as well. Nice skiing in a nice looking place! I also don't ski at your level but was curious where the lake is. Based on your avatar pic you snow ski as well. Where do you snow ski? Cheers!

Hmm. Just tried it on my wife's iPad and it doesn't work on hers either. Maybe it is a Flash player thing or something. there should be a slide show you can just play about 6 posts up from this. Works in Safari on my iMac.

@Steven Haines, it is a picasa slide show. Did you download the picasa app? Maybe that would help.

@jipster43, very cool, and very coincidental! I was just in Gig Harbor and Hood Canal a couple weeks ago. Did not make it out to BroHo. Sometime maybe I'll get out there. That's also very cool about Gary. I do not know him personally, but he is one of the original developers at Black Butte, and my buddy's boat I believe was his old boat! It's the one you see in that vid I posted in one of my other threads. How's that for small world! Oh, and congrats on the tourney PB! I have not entered one yet, and am far from ready to enter one. But I am setting a goal to enter my first next year.

Looks like a fun day!

I will also say that the D3 wraps on the ones that came on the 2008 ski I got need replacing as they are cracking now after I have been using them a couple months, and that they are a bit harder to get in and out of as compare to the Wiley's. I am ordering replacement parts from d3 to fix them up, which is easy enough to do. They seem like they might have got some sun exposure under the care of the prior owner.

I grew up on, and used until just recently Wiley high wraps. D3 Leverage bindings came on the ski I just got. The Leverage bindings feel to me like a slightly improved or slightly more precise version of the Wiley's high wraps, with better cushioning under foot. I have never tried the other Wiley bindings.

Just a note to say that I am still glowing over yesterday's sets at that Black Butte Ranch site I have been invited to. My second day there yesterday, and after freeskiing on the salt water a couple weeks ago, this lake felt like absolute butter behind my buddy's 2009 S/N 196. The water was 80 degrees and just felt soft and forgiving. Worked on some gate timing and where I was pulling out to, and otherwise just tried to keep my arms touching my vest and in good leveraged position. And I couldn't really think that much about even that once I was in the course. Nonetheless, felt some good improvement, felt good on my ski, and enjoyed the heck out of myself! What a treat to get to drive down and get pulled on a lake like that behind a boat like that! Here's to a good Sunday afternoon!