Baller disland Posted January 3, 2009 Baller Share Posted January 3, 2009 what do you think is the biggest factor that makes it difficult to ski in cold water (50 deg or less)1. water density makes it hard to create and maintain angle2. cold makes you stiff3. dry suit limits flexibility4. you cant ski as often so you lose timing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller baja Posted January 3, 2009 Baller Share Posted January 3, 2009 Everything puckers up when it's cold so the drysuit is still more flexible than I am. Ski days drop from twice a week with 3 sets down to twice a month with 1 or 2 short sets with more spinning and fewer drops at each end of the course. I do feel the difference in the water so density is a factor but not worth changing the fin settings when I'm cold and tight and only skiing a few passes at my opener to maintain a little muscle memory. Bragging rights for skiing every month is a bigger motivation than getting an extra ball. Have not checked January off yet... waiting for some sunshine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ski6jones Posted January 4, 2009 Baller Share Posted January 4, 2009 Everything you both said is right on.The only reason I ski in the winter is to keep some semblance of balance, sticking with my easiest passes. Skiing just isn't as fun when it's cold. The first thing I lose when I stop skiing regularly is being able to stay centered over the ski. If I can get a set in every 2-3 weeks through the winter I feel soooo much further ahead when spring finally does roll around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller RichardDoane Posted January 4, 2009 Baller Share Posted January 4, 2009 We try to ski on the weekends all winter, either the Sat. or Sunday depending on which day the weather is better. As long as the air temp. is in the 40degree + range. It does take some getting used to in order to ski as well in a drysuit, but with the proper underlayers you can ski right at your average, or possibly even better if it's one of those "on" days we all dream of. Of course, the proper boat heater/shower/dock hot tub is required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old MS Accout Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I could ski in 35f if I could keep my hands warm. I loose grip strength by the 3rd pass if the water and air are both cold. That is the only limiting factor. That and finding someone that is as crazy as yourself to go with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller tsixam Posted January 5, 2009 Baller Share Posted January 5, 2009 I have the same problem as you have MS. I can usually ski up to my pb in cold water but I have to move my fin forward as the water cools down. If my hands didn’t get so numb I would probably ski all winter long if I had open water. Tsixam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old MS Accout Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Someone should get those heated kevlar liners on the market soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miski Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Does anyone have problems with Willey's in cold water? Mine goes on w/ normal degree of difficulty, but hurts getting it off at end of set. WW thought it may be rubber getting stiffer after being in cold water (should have thought of that myself...) and had me sit on platform and squirt soap down the sides which was easier.Question is, does anyone ever use lube that doesn't rinse away immediately? Willey he's heard of people using sun-tan lotion, but only when they run out of soap. I've also seen hair conditioner floating around in the back of at least one boat... And no, I don't think my overlays are too tight - foot is comfortable and no cramps as long as I can ski, and I tried half position loser this summer for other reasons and it felt too lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller RichardDoane Posted January 5, 2009 Baller Share Posted January 5, 2009 One of the guys in our group uses just a touch of vaseline to make sure his feet come out in a crash. Be careful not to get it on your drysuit seals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller tsixam Posted January 6, 2009 Baller Share Posted January 6, 2009 I had olive oil in my Wiley´s by mistake once. I can assure you that it will not rinse off but it´s almost impossible to ski with. Tsixam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lkb Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 i heard of a guy that ran a thin tube from the hotwater shower allway down the rope to his handle so he had a stream of hot water coming out near his hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miski Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Hot water tube & vaseline, stay away from the merinade.... ;) Thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old MS Accout Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Use wire pulling juice. You can get at any hardware outlet. Its the lube that they use to pull new wires through construction. Works great if you mix with water. For cold water Wileys, just get some hot water on the bindings before you put on and if you can, when you take them off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberto Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 miskiMy animal binding stiffens up considerably, I am a firm believer in the use of Baby oil! Top of foot, back of heel. (After a few sets your front foot will be as soft as a babies bottom.)When things warm up, there are plenty of other uses for it...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miski Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Good stuff - this could be a big help! Thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean B Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I had Robert at Wiley's build me a pair of bindings with their stiffer rubber wraps, I always had a problem getting my feet out of the bindings. When the water was cold, they were worse,  I couldn't get my bindings off unless I pulled myself up onto the dock. I started putting a small amount of vaseline on my heal and a small amount on the top of my foot. It helped to get my bindings off a lot easier. However try not to get any vaseline on the bottom of your foot. Vaseline on the bottom of your foot will make you slide around on the bottom of your bindings, as you probably would guess you doen't have good contol of your ski. I am now using HO approach bindings and don't have to deal with the Wiley's bindings in cold water any more. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller eleeski Posted March 14, 2009 Baller Share Posted March 14, 2009 I used to slalom more in the winter than the summer. Sometimes the coldest water would come on nice ski days. The physical issues for me were trivial. I found that the ski rides quite a bit higher on cold water. The water feels harder. The ski will not roll over as well. It will bounce off the wakes and chop a lot more. All the problems were magnified by the feel of the water. My water rarely drops below 50F so I have never learned to ski cold water. But when it gets cold we try to ski just for the novelty factor. Or fly to Tahoe for some season appropriate snow skiing.Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller RichardDoane Posted March 14, 2009 Baller Share Posted March 14, 2009 We skied yesterday on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, air in the mid 50's, water's up to 47. Spring is almost here ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller eleeski Posted March 15, 2009 Baller Share Posted March 15, 2009 Water 68, air 82. Total 150. Still too cold. Skied poorly today. The total needs to be 180 for waterskiing - especially if the snow is good.Richard you're crazy!Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller RichardDoane Posted March 16, 2009 Baller Share Posted March 16, 2009 That's true, and on Friday it was a beautiful day at the lake, and from now on the air & water temp is only headed up ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAJ0004 Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 For those of us who live up north we spend almost half our season in a drysuit or a full wetsuit. I have a Ski Warm Sahara which works very well. I also have cold water gloves. I ski in Pennsylvania. The earliest I have been out is on March 28, and the latest is November 3rd. If I did not have my boat to worry about I would keep it ready to go until Thanksgiving. It takes me a couple of sets to get used to the extra gear. It feels much better when you stay warm, and it reduces the chances of getting hurt. I think it is well worth it. In the spring it is a great training tool. The extra restriction really makes you work on endurance and technique. Once I am able to switch to my warm weather gear I feel that much further ahead. In the warm weather I wear a Neo slalom vest, barefoot shorts, and a spray leg. I use a regular nylon 4 buckle vest with my drysuit which is lighter and less restrictive, regular ski gloves in the fall and cold water gloves in the spring. I know it bugs alot of skiers to wear one, but I am converting my crew one by one. It is nice to jump in the cold water and not scream.... The coldest water I have skied in was 46 degrees. 32 miles per hour feels like 36 miles per hour does on a warm day. I wear the drysuit in the spring until the water hits 70 degrees. It makes a good early season training tool, and keeping warm reduces chances of injury. October is some of the best skiing in PA. Don't want to miss it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller RichardDoane Posted March 20, 2009 Baller Share Posted March 20, 2009 I actually like skiing in my drysuit, and I know my back & shoulder muscles appreciate it as well. We ski in the drysuit from October through June, so after 8 months it's quite a change to actually get wet. Post us a picture of your ski site in Pennsylvania, are there any Amish skiers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAJ0004 Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 No amish skiers that I know of.. I may be the closest thing to an amish on the water. Wakeboarders are taking over. There are a handful of barefooters(myself included). I slalom, trick, kneeboard and barefoot. The lake I ski on is called Lake Latonka. It is about 2 1/2 miles long and about 1/2 mile wide. The course is out in the middle in the widest section. It is not the perfect place to ski. You have to drop at each end of the course to keep the backwash under control. It is pretty good most of the time. You have to get out in the early mornings on the weekends to get good water. I have learned to handle rough conditions. I can get into 32 off in 6 inch white cap wind chop at 34 MPH.  It is as good as it gets unless you can get to a specialty ski site like Dave's Pond in Edinboro PA, or Ski Utopia in Newton Falls OH. The owner of the property built it back in the 70's. I think the Eastern Regionals were held there last year. The course is in water that is 15 feet deep on the north end, and 22 feet deep on the south end. Here is a picture of my boat with part of the lake in the background. http://www.planetnautique.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=12879 I will post a winter time shot too. Speaking of cold water. I will be putting my lift and docks back in soon. I am waiting on an order of new slalom course buoys. Our docks have wheels on them so we can move them in and out without getting in the water. The ice tears of lifts and docks pretty quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAJ0004 Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Finally back on the water. The water temp is PA is 60 degrees. The air temp is in the 40's sometimes in the morning. We are trying to beat the wind. My whole crew has drysuits now. Got the course put back in before the end of April, and got all six timing magnets in too. Just about back to form. I am getting into 32 off at 34 MPH. I am still adjusting to my D3 Nomad RCX after being on a 2000 O'Brien Mapple for 8 seasons. The water temp is still bouncing like a basketball so I have not messed with my fin settings. This new ski is more sensitive to cold water than my old one. It rides a little higher.       Slalom is not so bad in a drysuit, but it makes tricks really hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swerveit Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 what do you call cold water?? having to scrape the ice of your car window before you get to the lake is hardly motivating.. (UK from oct/nov-apr) skiing in hardshells has made a huge different putting on neoprene dry socks doesn't affect the performance. one thing I do notice is wearing a wet suit adds a ton of weight. takes time to adjust to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gern Blanston Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 My buddies and I have a 100 degree rule in WI. It adds at least 2 months onto the season. If that means being fit like a polar bear, so be it. One trick that we do that I've not heard mentioned is to keep a cooler full of hot water in the boat. After the set, dunk your hands and feet in there. They warm up much more quickly. The heater then maintains that. I get nauseous from the cold air hitting my sinuses. I therefore have to ski with a neoprene diving hoodie on. I don't like it because some times it fills up with water.This last spring, my FM E's have drastically eased my mind about releasing in the cold. I also don't get "cadaver feet" as easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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