slalom frog

I have a semi-permanent EZ slalom course. It's a SS cable with 2" pvc pipe sections. I deploy the mainline using a ski boat. I use a ratchet strap to secure the spool of SS mainline the platform and I have all of the pre-gates, gates and boat guide sections in the boat. I work from the platform and the other person drives and passes pvc. Once the mainline is deployed we go get the turn arm sections and deploy those. When I take the course out I have the same process, except in reverse. However we will normally do all of the work from a 14' stern drive boat. Everything is so dirty after being in the water for 4 months and it is much easier to clean the small fishing boat when we are done!

We used some helmets from Gath for water related activities in the past. They seem like a nice option for water skiing if you are looking for a helmet. https://gathsports.com/

I installed my course at a 6 foot depth on my public lake and I have never had an I/O snag the mainline. I was worried about installing it at a 5' depth so I decided to go a little deeper. My installation is a semi-permanent course that uses a SS mainline and 2" PVC. Overall I have been very lucky with avoiding damage from other boats.

Birmingham hip in each hip. Left one done January 5, 2021 and right one on November 3, 2021. I started skiing In late April, but took it very easy. A bit of free skiing for the first few times out and rode the trick ski a little bit without any tricks. I took my time to build up strength but was running the course all summer and got back to where I was prior to the surgery in July 2021 at some point. My skiing this past summer was mostly like it would normally be in the summer. I started running a lot of 28s and progressed from there as I felt I was ready. My experience is that it takes a full year to get all the strength and flexibility back. I ski at 34.2 and run through 35 when the muscle between my ears cooperates!

I would say that his turns at the buoy are a very tight radius. I am sure that all skiers at that level turn tightly to ski those lengths but his just seem a little tighter. Combine that with the fact that he "never" lets go of the rope!

A few shots from the lake that I live on in Maine.

This thread is a bit petty in my opinion. ML has been a great resource to the water skiing community. Is their product been getting a little bit expensive over the last few years? Some think that it is and others value their product and reputation differently. It's hard to run a small company, pay your employees a fair and competitive wage and make a reasonable profit for all that work. I have no idea what the overhead structure is of these different companies but I would speculate that ML has a wee bit more overhead. Too often we make purchase decisions mostly on price. Does the waterskiing community want ML in it? If so, we need to fairly weigh all aspects where we send or water skiing dollars. In full disclosure, I did recently purchase a few S-lines product. I was curious about their product based on all the chatter on BOS. I is a fine product. I did not get to the level of measuring the overall and individual sections, my weekly paycheck does not depend on this level of accuracy!

Never met Ed but talked to him many times on the phone. I bought a couple of his courses over the years. Nothing but positive to say about my experience. It's sad to lose a quality resource like Ed's product and knowledge but he fully earned it and I am happy for him. Full.out.legend!

Purchased an S-Line R3 and have skied about 3 sets on it. It seemed a little stretchy the first set but I have not noticed anything since then. Quality seems good. Delivery was prompt. From my experience so far, it appears like a good product. Worth a try in my opinion.

I had a Birmingham hip replacement on my left around January 3 2021. I started doing some "light" skiing in late April, most just riding my trick ski. I got back on my slalom ski in late May and started very slowly. I seem to remember that I did not start skiing buoys right away and when I did I was very measured keeping my speed and line length below where I would normally start my season. It took quite a while to get to the point where I felt my strength in my hip was at a more "normal" level. I had my right hip done November 3 2021 and I plan on handling the start of my season similar to how I did with my left hip. Build up your strength and flexibility as much as you can before skiing. Take it slow when you do get back in the water. Best of luck to you!

I thought that all days were 24 hours?! ;)

I am very happy with my 2022. I have about 20 sets on it or so. I was previously on a 2019 and before that a 2016. It is my favorite Vapor so far.

The 2021 water ski season is completely done and here is a brief summary of how the hip was. My right hip was replaced on January 5th, 2021. I started skiing in mid-May, taking shorter sets and not shortening the rope as much as I normally would. I skied regularly all summer and up until the end of September. Strength and flexibility in my right hip improved as the season progressed and I started to get closer and closer to where I would "normally" ski. However, even at the end of September, my hip was still not 100% in the strength category. I finished the season skiing through 35 like I normally would, though not as consistent as I would typically be. I just had my left hip replaced with the same surgeon and device on November 3rd. I am hoping that I will be a little ahead in the recovery once ski season returns in the spring. Overall, I think the hip replacement was worth doing and I believe that my skiing days will continue as they were prior to the surgery.

I find that the 2022 is faster than my 2019. I tend to pull a little too long cross course and I felt that the 10 degrees was the right deceleration for my skiing style. The boot change was helpful with engaging more of the ski in my pre gate glide and the buoy. These changes were tried at 34 mph for about 3 sets at 28, 32 and 35.

I was on a 2019 Vapor until late this summer when I switched to the 2022 Vapor. I have been running stock numbers on it until last week. I moved by wing to 10 and my boot forward a 1/4". For me the wing and boot changes worked. I like the ski more than my 2019. Very happy with it.

In case you are really set on replacing those, I bet that McMaster-Carr would have something that would do the trick. I did a really quick search and it looked like there were options.

Finally pulled the trigger and got my hip done. Ultimately decided to go with a BHR. I'm only 10 days post surgery, so it's far too early to have any firm conclusions. However, so far it's good. Recovery is going well and should be able to ski in early June.

I'm scheduled to have my hip replaced in late November. Reading this thread that I started 5 years ago is making me question which option is better for me: a traditional replacement or a "resurfacing" procedure? Any thoughts?

I am not aware of any clubs in Aroostook county. Not much of a skiing scene going on in Maine. I live in Waldo county and have a course setup on my lake. My wife and I are basically the only ones that use it. Most of what you see people doing is tubing.

I have a semi-permanent setup. I used something that I call a "box" anchor. It looks very similar to this: I made one out of flat bar steel. If I remember correctly I used 1/2" x 8" and the box was roughly 20" x 24". In a previous course setup that I had, the bottom was very mucky and it was relatively shallow. I used a guy wire anchor. My anchor solution worked well in both situations.

If my plan works properly.......I will stop skiing when I stop breathing! PB's are great but it's ok to adjust expectations with time and changes in life. This is not how most of us make our living, it's what we like to do when are not making our living! Ski on!

I am super thankful that my wife is willing to drive as much as she does. I am not the most perceptive skier when I am behind the boat but I have no complaints about her driving. Does a very good job and is super patient when I get into one of my long sets. She has driven more shortline than I have and does a very good job at it. Happy that she enjoys skiing and driving!

Merci Andre! I was wondering how you knew about the boat. Maybe we will ski together sometime when I visit France and Alain!

@Wac - I am in Palermo, Maine. About 90 minutes or so from you, depending where you are on Sebago. I have a course setup in a public lake, so I am at the mercy of the wind and tubers. Typically ski early morning on the weekends and into the evenings when lake traffic permits it. Let me know if you want to make the trek up this way sometime. Usually it is just my wife and I skiing or a friend that lives about 30 minutes away. As requested, photos of the new boat are below.

I have an EZ Slalom rope mainline that is not in use. I understand that you are looking for stainless but I thought I would throw it out there in case. I am in Maine.