Do any M9/M10 skiers ski at 32 in Tournaments because its more skiable than 30 ?

[swbca]

I watched the 2020 National M7-M9 events yesterday. Made me wonder if 30mph is actually harder than 32. All the 30mph skiers were pulling hard through both wakes and their skis were getting a lot of bounce on both wakes even at 28 and 32 off . . . It looked like 32 mph skiers had more efficient conditions for slalom skiing.

 

An analogy that seem slightly relevant to me; Alpine ski racing is done on ICE, not slush.

 

The real question is, will an M9-10 skier get a higher buoy count at 30 rather than upping it to 32 if he trains at 32 ?

[dbutcher]

For me, 30 is easier than 32 except for the wake crossing. I don't think I would get a higher buoy count by skiing 32 since M9 scoring is at 30 (the M9 maximum speed) even if you ski at 32. Others may be different.

[ski6jones]

Was wondering this same thing with a buddy that just went to M7 (34 to 32)

[lpskier]

This doesn’t directly answer your question, but under AWSA rules (10.06B) you can ski at a higher speed than your division maximum, up to 58k for men, 55 for women. But in an E tournament like Regionals and Nationals, you are scored as if you are skiing at the division max. So you can ski at a faster speed if you think it is an advantage, but you don’t get credit for going at the higher speed. There is no similar rule in the IWWF rule book.

 

In a class C tournament, you may ski at a higher speed and get credit for it.

[swbca]

@lpskier @dbutcher I realize the buoys at 32 aren't worth more than at 30, but was just thinking that my first difficult rope length might be easier 32 than at 30. I'll probably start this season at 32 and then after a few weeks, see if I can go deeper into the rope length at 30 mph.

 

Is it really true that M9 get more points for going 32 instead of 30 in Class C ? If so, I assume 32mph is 6 more points correct ?

[MISkier]

@swbca, yes. 32 mph is worth 6 buoys more than the same rope length at 30 mph for M9 in a class C.

[Andre]

@swbca You're taking your comeback very seriously.How long since you've been skiing your last tournament? When was the last time you ski recreationnaly?

 

[lpskier]

Rule 10.06 B 2

 

Just as a heads up, every skier skiing tournaments should read the rule book. If you are skiing only slalom, at least read Rules 8 and 10. Doing so may avoid aggravation and misunderstanding in the future.

[ALPJr]

@lpskier has the ZBS rule changed? That’s what got me back into tourneys, having fun, connecting with skiers, giving my body a break and running a few passes at 32mph in mens 6.

[MISkier]

@ALPJr, it didn’t change. You can still only use the higher speed than your divisional max in a class C and receive the commensurate score. At Nationals and Regionals, skiing above your divisional max speed is only scored as your divisional max speed.

 

At class C and Regionals/Nationals you can still ski below your divisional max speed, shorten the rope each pass, and be scored appropriately.

[swbca]

@Andre re 'taking it seriously'. "Serious" may not be the right word because its fun. Going at it from every angle at 110% has worked in the past . I free skied a few times last summer. Last competition a long time ago.

 

I have no idea how well I will actually do, but am expecting to do OK. I am at my high school weight. Have been working out consistently and feel OK.

 

Another reason 32 mph could be more fun; many of the top skiers I used to compete with are currently 'national' level skiers and ski in 32mph divisions. If I ski at 32 in M9 it will be like old times with those guys.

[dbutcher]

Can someone tell me the history of and reasons for the rule mandating different scoring for different levels of tournaments (C vs record) when skiing above maximum speed? Is that fair? Does it skew the standings list?

[MISkier]

@dbutcher, it was originally supposed to be all tournament classes. Some people complained. They changed it to just class C.

[lpskier]

Well, actually, Zero Based Scoring (“ZBS”) is an AWSA rule, which applies only in the US. ZBS doesn’t apply in L/R tournaments because those tournaments are run under IWWF rules. ZBS doesn’t apply in E tournaments because records can be set in those events and records may only be set at age division max speeds.

 

IWWF just changed its rules, not to adopt ZBS per se, but to allow a skier to ski in a “younger” age division if that person wants to ski at a faster speed. So if you are a M7 skier (65+) and you want to ski 34, you can ski 55+.

[swbca]

@lpskier I like the IWWF rule to permit skiing in a younger age division. I wish AWSA would do that. Not only would you be able to choose your speed, but choose the competitors you would have the most fun skiing with. The downside, it could catabolize the older divisions which are already thin.

 

This assumes you are able to be somewhat competitive with some younger local skiers.

 

P.S. I put the boat in the lake Sunday. I just looked out the window and its snowing. I have been using a space heater to keep the occupancy heater coil from freezing over night. It was 75f 2 weeks ago.

[LeonL]

@swbca to answer your initial question, is 30 harder than 32?. That depends. For me, yes. If you're not pretty highly skilled at handle control and thus able to carry out well on the inside edge, it's harder. If that's a weakness, then it will be exacerbated by the slower speed. I know from experience!