Waternut

Here is the pic of my chart...

Hmmmm... The new EXO Form bindings I just installed have a different chart. Is it because they are forms or has HO updated the chart? For 148-174lbs the setting goes up to "B.5" at -1 instead of "C" and 175-209lbs is all "B.5". Only 210+ is a setting of "C" on my chart.

Going to hardshells will make you a newbie really fast. You will get it pretty soon and then love it. Try loosening the upper binding a little for the first few runs. My first run on hardshells I couldn't turn on my onside.

General rule of thumb is that a simple knot will weaken the rope by approximately 50%. The problem is the outside of the rope is under a higher tension than the inside of the rope so it's taking all of the load. For the wakeboarders or intermediate slalom skiers, this isn't really a big concern but for those guys getting into shortline and running faster speeds, it can be pretty serious. As for the argument of rope handles and rope section ends are knotted... The rope is doubled and spliced back into itself so 50% of double is still full strength.

What about just the front cuff option? That's supposed to be more like the rear toe plate option if you need more flexibility in the rear boot. I'm personally running the double cuff form's and I have the upper ankle straps fairly loose because I just made the switch from soft boots. Maybe at this time next year I will be saying I want the pro's but right now the form's are still too stiff for me.

@Joeprunc and @itch2ski, you guys both sound like me and about the same age too. I do know my technique isn't very good but I get really sore and feel quite old as well. I completely agree with Greyhind on his diet kick. I've noticed in the summer when I ski, wakeboard, mt bike, and standup jetski that my protein requirement is through the roof. If I don't binge on proteins and vegetables, I will typically ache 3-4 days after doing anything strenuous. Since I don't wait 3-4 days before doing something else, I usually ache all summer long. The problem is that a couple days of protein and vegetable binge doesn't fix the problem and eating healthier is a pain in the butt if you're always cooking for one. However, the diet is the ultimate fix and I can vouch for that. Protein shakes can help with that extra bit but won't solve the problem by themselves. Stretching before (not just after) does help with pulling muscles but my joints still hurt unless I eat right consistently. Drinking more water than you think you need helps also. If you can eat right consistently, you're a better man that I am. I know it works but it's tough for me to buckle down indefinitely.

Well I moved the boots up a good bit and gave that a shot. It was still comfortable and controllable but I was on open water so it was hard to tell how hard I was cutting. What shocked me the most was when I asked Radar for the stock specs for boot and fin placement. I bought the ski new and the only thing I've ever done to the fin was move the back edge up 1/32" to make it turn a little easier on my offside but the fin was WAY off from stock specs. Recommended specs are: Front Boot - 28.75 Fin Length- 6.84 Fin Depth- 2.48 Fin DFT- 0.75 Specs before this post were: Front Boot - 28.00 (today was 28.6) Fin Length- 6.91 Fin Depth- 2.466 Fin DFT- 0.821 That's a lot of changes all at once but I've got everything written down so I can go back if necessary.

Thanks for the help! I will move them up and give that a shot tomorrow on open water.

When you say "The front-binding to rear-of-ski measurement should be as close as your binding plates will allow", are you saying move the front boot as far back as possible or was it supposed to say "as close [to nuetral/factory recommendations] as your binding plates will allow"? I did go ahead and pull the wing off based on recommendations from others at the lake.

I'm struggling with where to put the bindings on my Radar Annex. One thing I read was the water should be breaking under your front foot when riding flat if the bindings are in the right place. The problem with that concept is the water always breaks under my front foot. I don't know whether I'm naturally adjusting my body to compensate or what but it doesn't matter if I move the boots an entire inch forward or backwards, the water always breaks right in the arch of my front foot. I've noticed if I move the boots too far back, the ski will slide out on a hard off side turn but feels safe across the wake. When I move the boots forward some, I no longer slide out on off side turns and I feel more acceleration through the wakes but if I'm even slightly out of position and/or start to get tired, I feel like I'm going to go OTF. I'm still learning the course and have completed a maybe a quarter of my passes in 10 sets but haven't really felt confident enough with my passes to go past 28mph yet. If I try to tweak something on the ski, it could make it so I'm comfortable and in control with decent body position but not making passes or twitchy and out of control but making passes. What's too far forward and what's too far back?

Thanks for the reassurance. It's definitely a new world skiing with hard shells but I think I can learn to love it.

It's going on a 2010 Radar Annex. I went ahead and installed and plan to ski on it this afternoon. Still curious on opinions though.

I just went to install my new HO EXO Form bindings and adapter plate to my Radar ski. After everything I've read, the rail is supposed to be curved slightly upwards to allow the ski to flex normally. I understand that. My question is, the toe plate looks to be curved slightly downward which is opposite of the rail. I called HO product support and they said that's normal but I'm not confident he understood me. Anyone else seen this?

Your biggest problem is going to be your buckleless requirement. All the good ski vests I know of have buckles. If you want to venture into the paddling vests, you'll find that there is zero obstruction on your sides and the arm openings are huge. Paddling vests typically don't have buckles or have a lower buckle that sits below the surface of the vest. I love paddling vests for everything EXCEPT skiing. The problem with a paddling vest is that it isn't designed to protect you in a fall. The front side is thicker but smaller in size which exposes more of your chest. They also ride higher on your hips which exposes your stomach and back. I've cracked ribs twice using a paddling vest while skiing. Greatest vest I've ever used minus the fact that it doesn't protect you... On the flip side though, I won't ever buy another vest without some kind of buckle. I've taken two hard falls with my Radar X vest and had the water completely unzip it leaving only the buckles holding the vest on me.

One thing about a rear boot is that it gives you more control or in some cases the illusion of more control. The problem is, if you're used to a rear toe plate, you know that you have to plant your rear heel hard on the ski to keep it there. When you have the rear boot, you feel like your foot is more secure so you aren't weighting it as heavy as you would a toe plate which makes you ride on the ski differently. That said though, you may want to check and see exactly where you heel was on the toe plate in relation to where it is now with the rear boot.

If you can't ski on a separate lake during your downtime, shouldn't you be mingling with others and making connections/friends? I don't know about everyone else but going to a tournament, driving hours to get there, and paying a bunch of money for 1-2 passes before I eat it isn't exactly something I would do for fun. It's more of something I would do for the experience or to meet people who love doing what I do. If I wanted to have fun, I would've probably done a slalom lake close by and skied til I was pooped for less money. If I were to ski at another lake prior to competing, I would want to do that because it was fun and not because it might give me an edge. I didn't really think slalom skiing was a big enough sport that we could hate each other for skiing in our downtime.

I have the Radar X vest as well. They aren't cheap but it's one of the newest designs allowed by the USCG. The vest has a smooth exterior so you don't chafe yourself on it. If you're using decent form, your arms fall perfectly into the pockets between the padding on the front of the vest too. I can vouch for the rib protection. I've broken ribs skiing twice in the last few years from a side impact. For the record, these are the only bones I've ever broken in the last 25 years so it's not because I have weak bones. I've fallen a few more times similar to the rib breaking falls with the new Radar vest and I was perfectly fine. As for the front buckles... How the heck do your hit your buckles? I will hit buckles on the el cheapo vests but anything decent that is adjusted properly has never been an issue.

Wow that's pretty much the most awful advice I think I've ever heard. I've heard plenty of equally dumb stuff in person too...

Thanks guys. I have actually had her work on pull out drills (man that sounds perverted) a week or so ago. I do think it helped for that day because she was cutting back and forth better than any other day. I never really put two and two together though to realize that the drills could've been the reason she was more comfortable.

I will totally admit that I'm no pro at slalom skiing but I can run the course on occasion...usually by the end of the day once I've had some practice though...lol. All the pointers and coaching I've received over the years were for better form and pulling position. Anyway, I've been trying to help a friend at least get up to my level. She has been skiing on slalom for years but has never learned to cut very hard and subsequently just slowly coasts over the wake on a flat ski. Granted she has always skied behind an I/O boat with a nasty wake until this year though. I can usually give pointers to those who come across the wake fairly quickly but I'm having a heck of a time getting her to gain the confidence to even hit the wake with any speed. She wants to and ski's until her grip gives out. She also has decent posture going from the wake out to the outside but she can't figure out coming into the wake. Either she makes her turn too slowly and drifts back into the wake or makes it a little too quickly and the ski gets squirrely so she backs off instead of digging in harder. I can't imagine she needs any fin or binding adjustment at this point but I don't know how to get her to really dig into the turn. Any advice would be helpful.

Seadeck is basically the same thing as Hydroturf or Blacktip. Blacktip is a little cheaper than hydroturf and comes in PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive) backing standard. Just get a rectangular sheet of whatever color you want and cut to size with scissors or knife. My boat came with a fiberglass platform which was super slick and dangerous. I put this stuff on it and it's been fantastic. It's grippy, soft, and I typically only have to take a bathroom brush to it once or twice a year before getting in the boat after skiing to clean it. Here is a picture of mine. Bad angle and funky lighting but you get the idea. Mine cost maybe $50. You don't get the Mastercraft or fancy lettering that Sea Deck has but it's about a 1/5 of the price too. http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m607/jfw432/DSCF1275.jpg