BCM

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I have been pondering the multi-year idea. If a promo boat was held for 2 years the manufacturers would only have to provide 50% of the current promo boat numbers per year while allowing for the same number of available boats. That would result in fewer promo boats on the market each year (maybe increase price for promos and/or true new boats) while not reducing boats available for tournaments. Maybe add in the $/ride idea to handle depreciation since the promo owner would hold the boat for 300-500 hours. The multi year thing might get weird when there are major hull changes (e.g. MC 190/197 to ProStar). But, when I show up to a tournament during that weird year change I either see the boat I have been skiing behind for a few years (e.g. 197) and am happy, or I see the brand new super fancy best thing since sliced bread boat, and am happy.

A few years ago I was skiing on an old 'dead' ski, transitioned to something else, felt great. Last fall I was struggling a bit and pulled out the old dead horse. Last fall and this winter I have skied the best I have in years. Maybe that ski is broken down, maybe it isn't, I have no data to support either claim. But, I can compare this winters practice sets to last winter and this winter is going better (on the 12 year old ski). In this case, I believe the dead ski was in my head. I would love to see actual data on ski degradation. Do they degrade linearly (e.g. 1% loss of stiffness per set from set 1 to set 100) or is it some kind of curve with an initial 'off the lot' decrease then flat for a few hundred sets then catastrophic failure? Do different manufacturing techniques and materials degrade differently?

@Nando - I went with a 2 because the 3 was not long enough for my snow skis (188cm). I wish the 2 was a 1/2" or so wider, the slalom ski fits a little tighter than I would like and it is hard to get two pairs of big snow skis in it. But, it works.

@Gloersen - are you suggesting that the A/B/C/1/2/3/+ would correspond to one of the K variables in your equation? Maybe the letter is Kp and number is Ki? If so, I may have reached peak nerd and that might be the best description I have read regarding how the letters/numbers work.

Danny Hart's 2011 World Championship run in the rain in Champery Switzerland. The announcers are almost as good as the bike riding. @DW - it takes a whole different level of mental toughness to compete at that level for that many days

I use a neo beanie, doesn't come off. When I get pulled out of the water a little water splashes and and can create some weird pressure stuff with my ears, nothing painful, just annoying. I tend to roll the back/sides up over my ears until I am out of the water. I believe mine came from ONeil, hasn't come of in 4 winters of skiing and keeps the head warm in 34* water with air in the 30s.

My local site can get busy on a Saturday afternoon or the occasional week night, but, I don't think I have waited more than an hour to ski. Finding a ski partner is often more of an issue than the lake being too busy. I regularly drive by 3-4 private sites and it is very rare to see people skiing on weekday afternoons (4-5pm) or weekend mornings. I would argue that all of these sites are under utilized.

This might be the most worthwhile thread on this site in at least the past year. I firmly believe that part (not all, maybe not most, but part) of the sports decline is due to culture. That culture has to do with how we talk about the sport. If I talk to an avid mountain biker or snow skier I will hear about fun people, good exercise, beautiful places, etc. If I talk to a skier I don't hear that (some do, but I would argue most don't speak that way about the sport). I hear about how expensive and terrible the new boat is and how bad the driver was at the last tournament or how the current wind is 3.2mph out of the south west and you can't ski anything beyond 3.178645237 mph out of the SW. I also hear about AARP, ED, and hip replacements, when your 35, that is a conversation you don't want to have on the dock. As skiers I don't believe we generally communicate very well (this is coming from a scientist who hangs with engineers). I want to be positive because negativity brings me down. I want to encourage others to ski so I have someone to ski with in 30 years. I don't want free government boats. I don't want to lie. Skiing takes some dedication and some amount of expendable income. We don't need to spout sunshine and unicorn farts, but we could try to be less negative.

@Skiwoodgate - as a research scientist who works in a field that people often care deeply about, I commend your approach and ability to address questions. What you are doing is not easy. From what I have seen, good job, and good luck. When you publish, be sure to post a link to the paper. If someone wanted to read up on the mental toughness literature, do you have a list of top 5 or so papers? I'm thinking peer reviewed and preferably open access. I'm curious, this topic is way outside my field, and the weather here is pretty bad for the foreseeable future. Thanks.

One of my favorite athletes to watch is Danny Macaskill If you haven't watched any of Danny Macaskill's videos, they are worth a viewing. His bike skills and imagination are incredible. Danny Macaskill Gymnasium Video Imaginate Video

Regarding herbicides - be sure you use an aquatic labeled herbicide that is labeled for use in your state and use by the label recommendations. In most states the label of the product in your hand is the law. Those labels are there for a reason, read them and follow them. Regarding toxicity - many herbicides are relatively benign to humans. Many work by disrupting plant specific cell processes, such as photosynthesis. This is how you can have species specific herbicides, they have been formulated to only disrupt the process in certain types of plants. If used at the labeled rate with the proper protective equipment listed on the label and you pay attention to the re-entry period on the label you will likely be just fine. The Sonar label I looked up did not have a use restriction for swimming after application, meaning, according to the US EPA you can swim after application and likely be just fine. I agree with @than_bogan, do your research. But, look for legitimate sources of information, there is a lot of non-science based BS surrounding herbicides. Reach out to your local ag extension office (WSU Ag Extension Locations) or a local, licensed pest control applicator. A key to understanding how the herbicide might effect you is to understand the mode of action for that herbicide. Sonar is a Chlorophyll/Carotenoid Pigment Inhibitor because of this mode of action it is detrimental to plants but not humans (we don't have Chlorophyll in our cells).

Check out etrailer, they have some great resources. I would measure the vehicle hitch height with the tongue weight on the vehicle to account for sag. My F350 sags when I hook up my 196, not much, but it does move, maybe an inch or so. I am a huge fan of adjustable hitches, a good adjustable hitch will be the last hitch you ever buy (if you buy a locking hitch pin to go with it).

@ALPJr and @aupatking - the Ferrari conversion they list on the website shows an increase in total vehicle weight of 336lbs. Run time is a bit under 1/2 of the IC version but they added 100hp and a fair bit of torque. For me a 60 minute run time would be more than enough for 99% of my needs. 300lbs sound like a lot of weight but if you think about skiing with an almost empty tank and only a driver to a full tank with two bigger guys in the passenger seat, you're looking at 600-ish pounds of weight change between sets. I would imagine you could get creative with where you place the batteries to better balance the boat as well.

I am currently running this liner in my Reflex Supershell. I know a few folks running the same liner in the white and black cuff boots. I am using a reflex liner in my trick boot. I find the wrap around tongue to work better, more comfortable and I believe longer lasting.

I have been using FM Intuition Liners for many years now in my slalom, I am a fan. I have used them in FM boots, PowerShells, and now a Supershell. I have a Reflex liner in my trick boot (Reflex black cuff) and I am not super happy with the tongue. I really like the wrap around tongue on the FM Intuition liner. I have not had good luck with longevity of floating tongue style liners. My last set of Intuition liners lasted me almost 10 years.

@jimbrake - back in '07 Cal Poly skied D1 @6balls - I would tend to agree. However, not all majors are offered at all universities. In my field there are only about 10 programs west of Colorado. Trying to become a nuclear physicist might be hard a liberal arts college, no matter how hard you try.

I'm not sure about this one, I think 2 full passes is a little short for me. I could maybe see a max number of passes, maybe 6? But, at the last tournament I judged at this season (about 40 skiers) very few ran their 4th pass, I would say the majority fell/missed on their 3rd or 4th pass. I have noticed tournaments with similar skier capacity, same format, same promo boats, same skiers, etc. with very different entry fees. I don't think reducing a few trips down the lake will drop entry fees. I do think adding more rules about where you have to start in relation to a PB would further discourage new tournament skiers. The reason mountain bike racing is growing is because the rules are simple. Fastest from A to B along a given route and be respectful of your fellow competitors. People like simple.

Thanks for the help.

Looking at a potential career opportunity in Redding, CA and am wondering if anyone here skis in the area or has info on available sites. I have looked at the Google Earth sites and see a few and I am interest in access, price, etc. I would be most interested in the immediate Redding area, I know there is stuff in Red Bluff, Chico, Sac, etc but would like to find a site in the Redding/Anderson area. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

@gpcarson - I think I notice motor difference in ZO boats, but its hard to tell, it is rare I get to jump behind two ZO boats of the same manufacturer with different motors within a few weeks of each other. Within Stargazer (there is no Z-box jump settings that I am aware of) there are a variety of background settings for jump, it would be worth doing as @Horton said and have someone who know what they are doing help make sure it is setup properly. We have recently pulled some jumpers in the 190ft range who enjoyed the pull with Stargazer.

Besides the use of GPS course mapping (no magnets) with the newest StarGazer update, I believe the jump pull is the same or very similar to Perfect Pass Classic. I don't believe Z-box has any jump settings (StarGazer does, but not the Z-box module). I jump around 110 and regularly jump behind a freshly upgraded StarGazer boat and ZO and can't tell a difference. I do notice a difference between ZO boats, but not between my SG boat and my ski partners ZO boat.

@moski - the bags are used inside Brute Force training bags, I have thrown mine across and onto the garage floor several hundred times without issue. From my experience with these bags I would be very surprised if you broke one. One of the common exercises with the bags is to pick them up on your shoulder and throw them to the ground as hard as you can, another is an overhead toss. Assuming you aren't shot putting them into the boat from across the dock, I think they will hold up. The closure is surprisingly strong as well.

I use one of these with about 50lbs of sand from big box hardware store. It seals tight and is easily washable, no rust and so far no sand leaks. It was the cheapest and easiest method I could find that I was comfortable with.

I am somewhere between options 1 & 2. If I disconnect Z-Box I think the SG settings are about perfect. With Z-box hooked up it works well, occasional (1 out of every 10 passes) surge at 3 ball, and it feels like a stiffer pull than ZO, though I haven't played with the Z-box settings since taking a few sets behind ZO, started at 8, then went to 12, back to 8, maybe going lower. I am generally within 0.01-0.02 on ball times and end course time. I did feel like it was easier to get 34 dialed in than 36. In a few weeks I plan on skiing a bunch of back to back passes between Z-box and ZO and tuning the Z-box settings.