miski

I am coming back from an ugly ankle injury, just skied first set in 10 months on new binding setup and trying to figure out what is rust from time off vs. new setup. One new addition is the cuff range limit strap which would have saved me from injury in the first place. This limit feels great checking release on the dock - I have it set to engage before my ankle hurts and I feel completely safe that I will release before over ranging my ankle. On the water in the few passes I attempted, I have much more tip pressure than I remember. I love it on my gate turn in, but wasn't able to figure this out off the buoy - again, after just a few passes. One obvious option would be to loosen the strap, but that isn't an option for my ankle. I believe I do still have a reasonable ankle/cuff range so am not relegated to straight leg skiing, but I will be on the strap a lot if not most of the time. The Reflex manual doesn't include setup info for the limit strap. I would be grateful to hear other skiers experience with settings on this limit strap. Thanks ahead.

I had same thing w/ regular pain. Mike McCormick told me about Lucky, Lapoint, & other long time slashers having rear hip replacement & recomended rotating my rear binding as far as possible. He helped me cut left rear & right front plate & horsehoes (willey at the time) so heel was as far left and toes far right (I am LFF). Was a big challenge getting back to same level of skiing - had to figure out hoe to keep rear knee in behind front - but hip pain was gone right away and hasn't come back in 2 years. Stretching hip sockets is also big help for everything - back, hamstrings in addition to hip. It takes some odd contortions to get stretch around all 360deg, but it's maybe most important stretch for my body. Good luck whatever you choose to do!

Is anyone skiing in Atlanta area that would/could pull me a couple of sets next Mon-Tue? I would gladly pay guest fees, buy gas, food, etc... I'm working in Atlanta area (Braselton) for 10 days and hate to go that long off the water. Would happily return the favor in SW-Michigan if anyone gets up our way. Thx ahead for ideas!

Boody - saw your note on FM lower boot being too tight. They are super easy to mold the boot - I had a local snow ski shop blow out the area below my inner ankle. Jager can give you the scoop on this too - I don't remember the temp range, but it's not that high to mold them. I stood in the boot w/o liner and slid foot all the way to one side, then checked the gap between foot/ankle and shell on opposite side. Was in general about .5-.7" - it was easy to find spot where shell was close to ankle just feeling with fingers.  After this we looked at the liner (had heat molded once) and it was only .2" thick there, so not much padding. They heated shell locally with heat gun and pushed it out, then we remolded the line and it is sweet - same area is now ~.5" thick and consistent with most of rest of liner thickness. Now if I ever think about my feet while skiing, it's to note how comfy they are - never hurt even in coldest water.

Also had 2-3yrs of SI alignment issues - PT was big part of solution showing me how to stretch, mobilize, & strengthen - certainly recommend this as the goal is to put you in control. When I started skiing again after many years off, this actually fixed 99% my SI issues. Was already doing piriformis, ham, hip-flexor/soas stretches, and general hip socket retraction 2x daily prior to when skiing started bothering rear hip & hamstring. I swear rotating rear boot was pretty much an immediate fix for me.

Is it your rear hip? Mike McCormick recommended rotating my rear boot to get rid of pretty bad ongoing rear hip pain. Mike rattled off names of 3-4 skiers that have had their rear hips replaced including one of Lapoint brothers and Lucky. At the time I was on Wiley rear boot - trimmed plate front and rear until d-rings were very near edge of ski. Took awhile to get used to setup, but fixed my hip 100%. It's probably not optimum setup, but it was worth it. Had to figure out how to get rear knee in behind front knee...

Sharkster - I know you said that FM was off your list, but I would chime in that the Quattro-6 2-plate system is really good for me. It certainly has saved my front ankle and after molding liner w/ custom insoles, they are the most comfortable things I put on my feet. Coincidentally, I just saw a orthopedic this morning about fixing up a longitudinal tear in my posterior tibial tendon (front foot) from when I didn't come out of my Wiley last spring - surgery coming in November. I needed my front foot heel to release any time I overload my ankle goind forward - a single plate system will not help here. Had two pre-releases in my first 5 sets before I got the release preload adjusted up to normal setting, but none since in 83 sets. I have release 4 times that I know would have busted me up and am very thankful for that. A sore front ankle with a low forward range of motion is a real challenge to ski around. When I pick up my ski, I wish the boots were lighter considering how light my ski is, but you already have the mass of your feet & legs in the same location on the ski. If you factor in the added weight including what's already there w/ lower leg & feet and the location, the weight might not be as big of a factor. It's not like the mass it at the tip and tail of the ski, so it doesn't contribute much to pitch/yaw inertia and how fast the ski rotates. I ski w/ guys in several types of other hard boots, and know there are cracks and tears here or there in some of the boots. The FM shells seem like they are very durable in terms of material type and thickness.  (all true - but would be happy for a discount on parts/liners when I need them Paul!)

Thx - I'm thinking of trying binding move to rear on 2.0... not sure though. It is slower right now than the way my 1.0 was skiing, but I am also tending to get back on tail on 2.0. Does it make sense that I am riding back on ski because bindings are too far forward? Bindings to rear would also speed it up right?

Have all the 2.0's been the same size - like 67.0 (170cm) instead of 67.5 as listed on Obrien website (2008 products)? I thought the 2.0 I'm trying was 67.5 and set it up exactly as my 2006 1.0, but then figured out it was .5" shorter...  any comments good/bad on same settings w/ .5" shorter ski?

Skied it - liked it - probably will keep it....  I pasted ski log below. JH - is it possible that the year on the 2.0 got you dialed for the follow on year on the SS? One question - I set ski up identical to 1.0 (w/in .001-.002" on all numbers), but the ski tip label says 67" !! Standing the skis up side by side, it is .5" shorter. Everything on internet including Obrien site lists only 67.5"....  what gives? %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% First pass on new demo Sixam 2.0.  I’m looking for more forgiving ski for my current level of skiing.  Setup ski w/ identical numbers to Sixam 1.0, but I need to figure out if this is correct. The ski is labeled 67†not 67.5â€Â, and side by side, the 2.0 looks .5†shorter. Couldn’t find numbers or info on 67†2.0, so went ahead and skied…  >> First set – first pass was pretty good. Skied at 33mph to take a little edge off and give my brain a little extra time in pass. Ski feels much more solid in turns, but does turn hard at top of turn. Arcing out to buoy seems more stable and slower turning – maybe this is slower roll that some people talk about – but then at the ball it turns fast and comes back under me really nice.  If I get back on the tail, the tail feels hard/solid – maybe less slide than on 1.0???  This seems to make it easier to get back forward on ski w/o wheelying or falling out the back – do not go so far down course waiting for tip to reengage and gives you a chance to make up for error. Ski feels slower over all, but if you finish turn in good position it gets across wake fast. Think slow feeling may be more from slower roll.  Looking at video, I was not staying open finishing turns – reaching back for handle early. This stops turn for and ski goes down course for a few feet while I continue to fall in towards wake and back from boat. Ski eventually starts turning again and finishes well, but I have to work to get it back forward and have more lean & load than I need. I think this ski will be really nice when I get the open finish going again.   >> Second set on Sixam 2.0. No changes to settings. Stayed open more and kept hips ahead of shoulders 90% of pass. Still could get hips/knees forward more coming into buoy. Ski is nice, feels more stable and smooth. The 1.0 certainly feels faster, but pretty sure this is roll-rate of ski and not necessarily acceleration and speed across wake. If I stay open and let ski finish and have hips ahead of shoulders, I am very early & wide for next buoy and feel like I could shorten up. This is same for 1.0, but I think stability (from slower roll?) will make it easier for me to work on body position. Maybe after some time getting better form (and hopefully shortening the line), I will like the 1.0 better…

trying 2.0 tomorrow! Ski is sooo light it feels fragile. Less surface coat on bottom - can see cloth read through.

Hmm - local shop has had a blue 2.0 sitting there since spring 08... 67.5 - just my size. Maybe a demo in my future. Would you go with identical settings on the 2.0 ?  THX!

Thager thanks - what front binding and where do you measure to? Also, what shoe size?

2006 Sixam 1.0 - 67.5" Front     DFT:     Deep:    Long:    Wing:    Leading Edge: 30.195   0.8     2.505    6.865          6               7.665 5'11", 175lbs, LFF 34mph, -22'

It's the black & gray sixam. I'm skiing better than last year, and only limeted by how often my aches/pains let me ski - 3-5 times per week, maybe avg 7-8 sets/week. Only 2-3 "good" sets per week though. Ski partners vary - all better than me, some really good - but mostly just 2, skier/driver, so coaching is limited. Working on getting video...

Is there anything that would make one better than another for getting -22' & -28' down more consistently? I have been on a 2005 Sixam 1.0 for the 2 years I've been skiing buoys and have not been on another ski for a long long time. I've always thought I don't need to worry about the ski at my level - just need to get my skiing down. And, when I ski my best, it all feels good - but that is maybe 20% of the time. The rest of the time I get out of shape and dumped in the water so much that I don't think I learn anything. Would my ski be considered forgiving or are there better pieces out there for this level?

Holy wow eh? Looks like a good time to turn over a new leaf....  Now I know why the ice-cap is really melting...

I would just comment that you are doing a very cool thing... my uncle prodded me to ski at a family reunion 2 years ago after 20+ years off, and now I am skiing as much as possibly and having all the fun that I did when I was 18. (I had to go get my own new ski though!) You should try to get a modern jacket thrown in w/ the ski - those straps wreck your elbows...

I vouch for what Wade says - he made me do this for a bunch of sets over the winter, and I have a totally different feel/perception of how I should be skiing as a result of it. I also learned to ski in hardshells this way, which I'm not sure I would have ever figured out hacking through the course. It was tough to not get sucked into the buoys at first, but it worked well enough that I am commited to not turning balls this spring until I feel really good about my free skiing rhythm & line loading.

hmm - I'd try w/o bindings first... I've read that you should get your bindings right before working on fin setup - maybe that holds for when you start tossing parts too :)

10-4, thanks John. When it gets a little closer, I'll let you know if a drive up to Bakersfield in doable and see if you're skiing - that would be fun for certain. I could show you my own prowess making big BOS!

Any LA area ski-schools/clubs that a guy could get some sets in at? I'm looking at skiing April 15, 19-20th.

Adam - Bruce's article and this whole discussion is all about what I don't have going on... I have a lot to gain by figuring out these moves from the wake to buoy line. Like you said, it's all so connected though - I've worked on body position and not overloading going to the wake, but it's hard to be in good position for this if you don't have this part right getting out to the ball...  Thx.

I found the handle position (palm orientation) made a big difference before. In my initial reach/stretch/counter, I was holding the handle vertically (palm forward), then right when comited to the apex w/ last bit of counter I went palm up - same time as trying to slide my hips and sit on the ball....   My shoulders/hips and handle all were in the same motion/rotation right at the ball. It was probably the best day I've ever had skiing and wish I could get that feeling going again.

JH - you need to add fitness/health to the list...  it's certainly big fun (addicting) which makes it easy to stay with it. Tournaments depend on how my skiing progresses... I would like to if I get skiing well enough for it not to be too frustrating. Basketball, hockey, and tennis have the good fun/fitness combination - but my body doesn't do those any more w/o major complaint. I'm hoping skiing gets me back in tune where I can run some b-ball again.