35 in the bag

I don't seem to have them (mid-season slumps that is). Our season is so short here in Michigan that by the time mid-season rolls around it's over and time to go fishing.

All I have to say is......

I agree with most of the theory you expressed and the advice given......keep working on the body position. BUT......... A fully developed slalom acceleration lean is a very powerful, relatively fragile and courageously challenging thing to developed. With all the body position in the world, you can be significantly hindered if the ski/binding system is not tuned properly to allow you to stably and confidently get there. Even worse, you may be fighting inherent instabilities and/or forces which you have no possible chance of overcoming without an equipment adjustment. I'm not saying that is your problem.....yet if you cannot go out there and with full concentration rocket yourself across the wake then something is wrong. It is the key skill to slalom progression. Without it nothing else matters. So keep working on it. It's either your fear, your ski causing/adding to your fear, or your position. If you study the position and are dedicated to get there but can't....then somethings amiss. I have no idea what to tell you to do.....but safely experiment by doing something. Either that or just throw away another 1/2 season with marginal improvement. For when you are able to learn to accelerate, at will, as required to run the next pass, then it won't be too long until you run the next pass. Change something, anything and if necessary, everything. Just be safe. John M

We have now installed a brand new jump on Lake Jepawhit. It is quitely calling my name. John....John....John.....come play with me..... Now back in the day (1981), my first year in Mens 1, I was going 140+. Early my second year I caught an edge trying to ride one out and blew my MCL. To this day I need to wear a custom Donjoy knee brace to protect it when skiing. The last thing I want to do is hurt myself and take me off the slalom course. Yet is it possible for me to jump this 50 year old body safely and start to do the overall thing? So really this ends up being more of a slalom question than a Jump question. John M.

The opt up idea is a good one. Back in the seventies & early eighties we were forced to run long line (75') at anything less than our max speed. So learning 36 on a 75' rope was a difficult and dicey thing and a prerequisite to learning 15 & 22 off. Most tourneys were single round too. So quite a few times I opened at 34 longline only to fall at 36 longline even though I could run into & through 28 off very consistently. Ah..........those were the days. Our speed control system was located between the driver's ears. JIII

The water temp thing can be like a dog chasing its tail on some bodies of water. On Lake Jepawhit in Michigan for instance, the temp will vary 10 degrees from one end to the other depending on wind conditions. More over, during tournaments when we have constant boat activity, even on calm days the temperature varies significantly from one spot to the other. I have noticed this when swimming to change out buoys for slalom to jump. I bet I have felt 20 degree surface variations within 20 feet. Maybe this explains some of the buoy gremlins that affect some of the skiers. JIII

Horton, FYI, I couldn't seem to make a correction. JIII

I'm sorry.....but correcting boat path is something that must be done. If you see a boat path tending toward one side and you do not respectfully report it ASAP, then IMO you are as much at fault as the driver. Maybe more so. No driver wants to give a bad pull. Site lines are different from boat to boat. The driver cannot correct something that he/she does not know is a problem. Of course it's the boat judges’ job to direct corrections to boat path.......but they frequently don't do it. Plus it is usually much more precisely seen from end of course as the boat is coming at you. Look at it early and often to help out the drivers and skiers. The key here is to be discrete. The whole world does not need to know that a boat path correct is being request and attempted. Even over a radio it can be quick and sort of in code...... " Boat you there"........"Yea" ......” Try moving towards driver side 4 to 6 inches, thanks". Most often a driver has seen me at end course and asked via a hand signal how he looks (this is very discreet). I think this should be done for the first few skiers of every driver change. JIII

I switched this year and had problems due to the liner/binding not being "tight" enough on my foot. I ultimately had to use a different liner (RS-1) to fill the extra space and create the very solid contact I seem to need with the ski in order to ski consistently well. A liner switch is not unusual for this system......I guess a lot of the top skiers who use reflex use it with a different brand of liner.....often Goode. (I just happened to have an RS-1 liner laying around and it worked out well - though the tounge is a bit too short - still working to correct that issue) I also have the reflex back 1 hole from my "other binding position" (I'm all the way back). Other wise I had way to much tip even though the fin is exactly where this ski is dial for me. I'm sure you have notice that a Reflex is not necessarily stiffer than a stiff rubber system. At least not until it is properly (tightly) fit on you. Keep working the problem (binding) until it is right. You should be able to tweek it so that you are at least near where you started.....though this can be frustrating. Make sure every thing is tight.........that screws and the white adjusters are all making solid contact. Just be a bit careful. JIII

Stevie Boy, After 5 minutes of reading I started peeing my pants cause that Veet thing is so funny. I wonder though......could it get me through 39 if I applied it at exactly the right moment. Maybe Dave should get rights to the patent and then re-label it at Goode Power Gel

IMO, bindings may be generally the most overlooked part of ski tuning. I am not talking just the dft as was raised here, but also stiffnesses, fit, unintended foot movement, etc. These things make a huge difference on how a ski performs under you. So, bottom line, if it is not working for you.....then it is wrong and you should work to correct it........that is what the elite do. JIII

He's Cross Handed!!!!!

A different way to think about it in the course that really work for me.........and I see most of the top skiers doing it whether they think about it or not. Rotate the handle. Assuming normal grip configuration......rotate the handle towards a vertical position as you edge change into your on side. Rotate towards a horizontal position as you edge change into your toe side. This really solved a problem for me. See, when "I" think about it like how @Rich describes (which is great BTW) I end up staying on my pulling edge too long. The handle rotation thing just plain puts my upper body and arms in more of a correct position. Look at video of high end skiers...... you'll see it! The other problem you may be having is not enough speed as you exit off the second wake at 35 off. At 35 and beyond........ I am convinced that you cannot have "too much" speed. You can certainly have too little to work with. But "too much" can be dealt with as a possitive. At longer lengths "too much" speed can easily translate into slack. I think the high end skiers that make it look easy, generate speed better than the rest of us. Just my 2 cents. JIII

C1 in my opinion. You want to minimize the speed variance (overall speed delta) as much as possible. If you think about it, that's basically what a very light individual does. They "hide" from Zero Off better because of the lighter load. C1 engages the soonest (less negative speed delta to initiate) and with the strongest power response over the shortest duration therefore keeping the steadiest speed. A3 on the other hand is the opposite. JIII

Turn - the - Handle....... Now for a suggestion on the how to. In the past I have read "keep the elbows pinned to the vest" in the pre-turn. This seemed difficult to "just do".......something wasn't quite right. That is until I stumbled on the following technique by observing on video what may top skiers seem to do almost naturally. Presuming a conventional handle grip (ie. holding it like a baseball bat....like a right handed batter if you are LFF), at the end of the pull phase, twist the handle into a vertical position while skiing toward your heal side turn (on side). Conversely, twist the handle into a horizontal position while skiing toward your toe side. For me this has the dramatic effect of forcing my inside elbow into a bent position near my vest keeping me connected as I ski outbound and upcourse to "advance on the boat". It seems easy to think about and I feel the results immediately when I do it. Try it right there at your desk and you will see what I mean. The body's geometry seems to naturally force the inside elbow into your rib cage when twisting the handle as I describe. Just something that is helping me.....thought it might help others as well. John M