Does Water Quality Helps performace

[jbougie]

Wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

We completed a new lake here in Northern California and have skiers from all parts of the area skiing our lake and others around here locally.  Our lake is Flash flood fed in the rainy season and we filled up for the first time in the early months of 2008.  Our lake was really full of mud and our soil type is extremely full of c lay.  Our course was surveyed in and all balls are correct.  Here is our dilemma, just about everyone that comes and skis here runs either their personal best or just skis awesome.  Terry Winter skied into 41off out here like it was nothin!  Everyone says the water feels softer and easier.  The frustrating thing here is I go ski at other lakes and it does seem more difficult.  The water is not as forgiving.  Anyone experience this?  We are considering moving the balls out 1 foot just to make things even as we ski from our lake to another.

Thanks

Jason Bougiewww.redrocklakeandland.com

 

[Director Darwin]

I would not move buoys to compensate for your site.  That would be very time consuming should you elect to host a tournament and have to reset (survey) them back in.  Just hold some tournaments at your site and if it skis as good as you say, you'll fill up fast.  Part of being a good skier is adapting to different sites and their inherent variables.

[lkb]

dude, looks like the water quality at your lake helps the bikini quotient too....dad gum

[Thomas Wayne]

I don't know if you've got mud in your water but - with this post - you've certainly put plenty of salt in your mine - lol.

TW

http://confusionofideas.blogspot.com/2005/08/salting-mine.html 

[scoke]

 

YES!

 "Our lake was really full of mud and our soil type is extremely full of clay"

 

We see this often down in the SCR as from Houston through LA and into MS, our soil type is a silty-sandy clay material. The more clay that is in the water, the more it seems as though the water is "soft", "ski shuts down in turn" and like descriptives.

Last weekend at Cedar Creek Ski park in Arkansas, you could hold a cupped handle full of water and see the silt floating around in it. Most of the skiers I heard (and felt as well) said the ski shut down in the turn big time. Maybe the silt increases the drag coefficient quite a bit and at slower speeds with the ski on edge, it's felt by some. Olde Oaks (Skidawgs Lake) is similar to this with quite a bit as you can really see the silt in there.

 Also, some lakes dug similarly with the same runoff areas and vegetation are skiing quite similar. My new home lake skis nearly identical as Ski Ranch, LA. Both have small run off areas and both are rainfaill-pump fed.

 There were some articles about Trophy lakes a few years back about why it felt the way it did. Same principles.

 I wouldn't move the buoys at all, just ski the heck out of them and enjoy. Especially with the bikinis that look to be flocking to the lake.

 

If i had the time and energy, i would love to do water analysis from lake to lake. It's tough between skiing and working.

 

 

 

 

 

[ForrestGump]

Our private lake north of Houston is the same way. It's got a high clay/silt content and everyone comments that it skis very well compared to other cleaner lakes in the area. The comment is always that the ski shuts down. We actually drained the lake over the winter, got rid of mud cats that were stirring up the silt, and filled it back up and it was noticeable that the ski glided farther than before.

[Horton]

The bad news is that your lake may or may not change over time. As water evaporates mineral contents change and in time sediment content / particulate may settle. I say practice a little fast and enjoy a good ski site. Move your balls a foot? Bad idea but funny. If you have a tournament that way I want in.

[jbougie]

bikins + cocktails = +/- 3 buoys

[Horton]

for me bikins + cocktails = -12  buoys

[skidawg]

- 12 bouys=+12 on the fun scale

[Horton]

As long as MS is not mixing the drinks I am good