bko

@skialex is right (as usual): all kinds of Razors are still being sold at hotwater.cc https://www.hotwater.cc/slalom-skis/razor/ And I believe the Razor R2 is the same ski as the Fischer. Volker Engelhardt can give you insights on all the Razor models: mail.us@hotwater.cc

@adamhcaldwell "A higher radial position on the boat takes more time and distance to swing back below a 45deg position where you will be able to load into a 'supported line' and productively accelerate from a wider point with less load." Sorry, I don't get it. Shall we start the turn in from a spot that is at an angle of more than 45 degrees, in order to then have the body position ready for the load at 45 degrees)? So do you recommend to have 'more' time and distance for swinging back to 45 degrees? Or shall the turn-in not start before coming down to 45 degrees? The widest (and optimal) point to productively accelerate from - with little load - is at 45 degrees, isn't it? Can this point be wider than 45 degrees? In your latest videos on Insta it seems you start at pretty much exactly 45 degrees...

Ooops! I am afraid, my first response deserves a panda. Sorry! We are using that app in our boats for over a decade - not over a century...

No, Mike! It works on any current Android-phone as well. We just use older models because we use the phone solely for that purpose and always leave it in the boat. 6-7 year old waterproof Samsungs are just fine.

I can highly recommend the use of this time tracking app, preferaby installed on an early smartphone. https://www.xperttimer.com/ It is cheap and easy to use. Let me know if you need help setting it up for your purpose. We are using it in 2 ski clubs for over a century now.

@Drago @switchbackr All paths of skiers at any line length have the same length? Maybe. Someone needs to plot skiers' paths in drone videos to really find out.

@MarcusBrown The shortline-skier has to "cover more ground" - he has to get higher up on the boat (when going around a buoy) AND back behind the boat each time. So isn't his path longer than the path of someone on a 15off rope? And doesn't this conclude that the average speed of a short line skier must be higher than at 15off?

@wawaskr Yes, rear leg (which seems typical)But I speculate that the root of my hip problem was a kind of accidental split when I learned the barefoot backdeep start on my own decades earlier

Don't worry!At the age of 48 I got my left hip replaced. 10 weeks later I was alpine skiing, after 18 weeks I started the waterski season as in any other year. In the 9 years since I did not have the slightest issue.

In case you are ready for a lengthy explanation of what Ski_Dad and Clydesdale already have pointed out in short: You are encountering the most common problem of beginners - the feet are too far from the butt, thus your center of mass is too far back (not above, but behind your feet) from the very beginning. In order to stand up the easy way, we need to extend our legs “downwards” - in a 90 degrees angle to the planing skis.If our mass is behind the feet, we can only extend our legs forwards (not downwards) which does not do anything to help us rise from the planing skis- it only leads to the skis slipping out in front of us while our butt is dragging in the water. In other words:in order to extend our legs, we have to push the feet away from the body.If the feet are in front of the body, we can only push forwards.We need to have our body directly above the feet to push the feet downwards – this enables us to stand up the easiest way. Standing up sooner, as recommended in the guide, (before the skis are in a vertical plane) - is the method used by more proficient skiers: it requires (and allows) pushing the feet forward (in a 90 degrees angle to the rather upright, not yet planing skis).This approach requires higher amounts of strength and body tension (because you are creating more pressure pushing your legs against the boat's pull) and balance (because your center of mass will already be elevated while getting onto plane). In preparation for the start procedure on dry land you shall practice to SQUAT - not to sit!Be aware: the squatting position is quite a challenge for most grown-ups - but obviously you got some months to practice till your next attempts... In the water you must focus to have your ankles bent (while having the ski tips out of the water), your heels against your butt, your knees against your chest - as in a squat! - and your arms around your knees. Be patient: let the boat do the work, have the skis get on plane and ski with your center of mass directly above your feet - as in a squat - for several seconds before slowly extending your legs.

@skialex Baseless is what I expected when I started watching the promo video

@Hucklefin Yes, I also believe that up to now all skis are being designed, tested and fine-tuned WITH a plate

The absence of a binding plate changes the flex pattern of a slalom ski - for better or for worse?Since the bending of a ski might increase without the plate, the pressure on the release system will also be higher to some extent...

@adamhcaldwell Are those numbers a universal recommendation? Shall one try them to progress at 38off/36mph on a medium C-85?

I drive ski boats for a living (for the last 38 years) and had the rope around my neck in 3 or four cases, twice I could deflect it with my forearm before it reached my throat, once it happened in a barefoot jump crash. In some cases, the boat took a hard turn to the right while I was defending myself from being strangled. And, like in Cent's case, once the rerview mirror got smashed - in a beginner's first attempt on two skis! (the skier not being particular heavy or strong looking and using a certified tournament rope). I have to admit, I am still not using a shock tube. The last incident happened at least 15 years ago.