bbirlew

@jipster43, We are about an hour to the top of mt Washington. It's no whistler or anything but a great local hill. They routinely get 20+ ft of snow!

@bigtallweed, You got it! (but don't tell too many people - we don't want too many people to know how nice the skiing is here on the island!)

@bigtallweed, Good to here some other BCers are still at it! The rain showed up for us a couple of days ago on the island, but I haven't had to break out the wetsuit yet! Hoping to get a few more sets before hanging it up for the season.

@GravelSki, Getting much closer! Not quite there yet!

Lake sammamish looks beautiful, and has always been on my 'bucket list of lakes'! We got the rain here today too. No other guesses? Another hint: It is the FM test lake though I've never actually tried one!

@OB, I appreciate that there are things that you can't determine, but I disagree that there aren't any learning opportunities from watching someone free ski. Similar to how I might tell a beginner to hold the handle with a baseball grip, or to keep their ski on edge through the wake, I know there are much better skiers than me on here and I'm sure some must have some advice that can help me for the next time I do get a chance to ski a course. Sorry you dont have any advice to offer, but not everyone who free skis is only concerned with the size of their spray... Just trying to learn a thing or two from some people who know more than I do.

@GravelSki, Further north & further west. The big plane in the background might give it away to some...

@OB, If I posted a video of me on the driving range I'd still expect a few comments on my swing! I mentioned in a previous post, I used to be a course junkie 15+ years ago, but now can only make it to a course a couple times a year. When I get there I'll ski into -35, but I'm hoping to get better with some pointers from you guys. Surely there are a few things to pick apart? Grabbing for the handle too soon? Dropping my inside shoulder in the turn (a holdover from the slam dunk), letting my arms get away from me in the edge change? Don't need any red dots to see that! Just looking for some advice on how to get better. Any and all comments welcome!

Farther north guys, but keep guessing! No tips on the technique?

@scotchipman, yes, a wide ride. Got it used on ski-it-again a couple years ago for a deal I couldn't pass up. It replaced an 8yr old obrien mapple. The stability in the turn really helped me iron out a few kinks in my form. I used to have a "slam dunk" turn @ 1,3,5... Fun to watch but hard on the body and not terribly consistent! But now that i have that worked out I'd probably look at a mid. Not in the budget for now though.

Its a great time of year to be a skier in the pacific north west! 20 miles of glass calm water and not a cloud in the sky! Looking for some technique pointers here. Working on -32 & -35 in the course, but I only make it there 2 or three times a year. The vid is free skiing @ 28 & 32 @34mph. My 35 & 38 passes had the lens cap on the camera! I'll see if I can get some vid next weekend. Bonus points if you can guess the lake!

I ski behind 2 identical '94 nautiques. Mine has a tower, the other does not. No noticeable difference in wake from long line to -38. Much bigger difference between a full and 1/4 tank of gas.

@behindpropellers, I have an OS systems suit that I got in the early '90s, and just this year the first seal finally went! I'd buy one again in a heartbeat.

@braceMaker, Any suggestions for a boat that would have either: A slalom wake as good as my 94 CC, and a better wakeboard wake, or A wakeboard wake as good as my boat but a better slalom wake? All the new slalom boats seem to have a really rounded washed out trick/wakeboard wake. I slalom into -35 in the course or free ski @ -38, and have a good mix of ~10 inverts and a bunch of 3s and 5s on the board. Our mix would be 40% slalom, 35% wake, 15 surf, 10% tricks. Maybe 2-3 barefoot sets a year too for good measure! The nautique handles about 900lbs behind the doghouse and 150lbs up each side. Tools, amps/sub, anchor, etc up in the bow level it off nicely. Freeboard is an issue for surfing, but not wakeboarding with our weight setup. My biggest beef is the trough beyond -35 for slalom, but of course I wouldn't complain about a bigger wakeboard wake either!! Suggestions appreciated!

@jfw432, I've been looking for years for a crossover boat that gives a better ski/wakeboard combination than my '94 nautique. Slalom as short as you like, but Weight it down and the wake is big and clean. Of course in a perfect world I could afford a new sport specific boat for each event! Hmmmm..... In the mean time, it's not the boat holding me back in either case!

Along the lines of the other thread, but a dilemma of my own. As a teenager I used to be a course junkie. These days however I only make it down to the course 3 or 4 times a year (for the last 15 years or more!). On a good day I'll ski a few balls @ -35 @ 34mph. However I do get to free ski regularly (2 to 5 times a week for the 4 or so months of summer up here). Anyone have any recommendations for line length to free ski? I usually work on the pass above my last course score (so usually -38). I'll drop it to -35 or -32 depending on water conditions, etc, but does that sound reasonable? Any other tips for a short line skier who only sees the course a couple times a year? Any and all ideas welcome! I'm definitely going to get some video soon, because I'd love you guys to give me some pointers... but that is the topic of another thread! Thanks.

Will I get banned if I say wakeboarding?! But anything (and everything) towed behind a boat really...

Delete.... I should have read the new posts first!

I'd love to ride my own ski one day. I consider myself pretty good with tools/wood/foam/epoxy/carbon fibre after building a few kayaks. Anyone have a how-to on how these guys are building them? Construction methods, etc? I was planning to make a surfboard or wakesurf board as my next project, but I had no idea you could make such a high performance ski as a DIY!

In the past I replaced an older obrien advantage binding with a newer HO one (just the front binding). I spent a lot of time lining up what I thought would be the center of the ankle of the new binding to where the old one was on the ski. Couldn't get the ski to work to save my life... The conclusion I came to was that the new binding also had about half an inch thicker footbed than the obrien and that was changing the attitude of the ski. After messing around with it for half a summer I couldn't get it to work and just sold the ski! Long story short, there are a number of different variables between brand of binding that probably all play a part of how the ski rides...

When I was up north where the lakes froze in the winter, we had success with both methods. For a while we would pull the whole thing, but after a few years we started just removing the balls. Our course was in about 15 - 20 ft of water and we had sub bouys about 3ft under the water. Those stayed on and made it easy to get the course up in the spring.

@klindy, How did you get up on the paddle?? After seeing a video of someone riding one as a kid I have always wanted to try!!

To those recommending a new steering cable, they are probably right... However, first disconnect it at the rudder end and try to turn the wheel. If it is still stiff, it is the cable. Otherwise, if that has freed up the cable, with the cable still disconnected, try moving the rudder back and forth. If it is stiff, some lube may be all that is needed. if it does need a new cable, when you pull out the old cable tie a rope on to the end and pull it through. That can then be used to pull the new cable through. It should save you some time fishing it through.

2 weeks and only 2 vids posted on youtube? Im not from the states, but let me get the ball rolling here guys. To me, the waterski lifestyle is all about hanging out all day at the lake with good friends and family. My regular ski crew consists of people from 6 to 65 years old (and wil include my 9 week old daughter as soon as my wife lets me!) I'll ride anything you can pull behind any boat that will pull me! Anyways, here is my crack at it: Let's see some videos guys!