Nando

@PhatTony, yes, lines do sometimes get twisted and we also have some issues with weeds. Generally, the boat wakes keep weeds clear but we'll occasionally have to jump in to untangle things if it's obvious that a buoy is floating loose or low due to tangling. We have subfloats about 3-4' down so that we can find things.

My course uses a counterweight and subfloat that is essentially the opposite of the diagram @PhatTony showed (a counterweight instead of the subfloat[here in the frozen north, muskrats will eat the foam subfloats]). The counterweights are just red solo cups filled with concrete attached to a screw anchor on the bottom that go through a loop on the buoy. Since ours is in slightly deeper water, we use a subfloat, but if it's shallow there's no need. Similar to @PhatTony's setup, at some point of shallow water, the counterweights will hit the bottom, but as long as it's deep enough to ski, that shouldn't be an issue...

@disland, how do you wear your Whoop when skiing? My son uses one and loves it, so I'm thinking of getting one, but what's the best of their accessories to use when skiing?

As a former master alpine boot fitter, it seems to me that the relationship between ski (or skis) and boots is very different mainly because in alpine skiing the skis are relatively flexible and interact with a solid surface while in water skiing the skis are very stiff and interact with water so whatever degree of forgiveness is needed in equpment is largely in the boots. That would correspond with a lot of us modifying our water ski boots for greater flexibility and going with rear boots that allow a fair amount of movement. Having said that, my hard shells are modified in some of the same ways my alpine boots are (bumped out in a couple of spots and heat-molded) and when I was jumping, I had custom orthotics in my bindings that I thought helped (not in greater distance, 'cause I still sucked).

Not only has ski design and technology improved but trick skis, like all skis (maybe even more so if you're doing flips?) fatigue over time. I recently tried a virtually new D3 and compared to the old one I tried the same day (maybe 15 years old) there was a world of difference- even to a crappy tricker like me.

I'm not completely sold on the Direct Connect but it sure is nice to see Reflex's ongoing innovations.

I'm always surprised how large a difference small movements make. I recently switched from a Reflex size 8 to a 10, which kept my heel in the same place but apparently allowed my toes to spread out a little- huge difference. This reinforces my old opinion that binding placement should be measured by ankle bone position, but that's harder than simply measuring to the heel. I've also found that a thin pad under the binding plate (I use foam sheets from a craft store [$0.99 each] and cut them to fit the plate) keeps the screws from loosening (still gotta check 'em).

I have one of @Wish's old Denalis (I think he said it was one of the final test skis of the C65) and it's quite a ski- not on it anymore, but it had a lot of good attributes.

I don't know- quite a few years ago I was working at a pro tour event and was doing some background skiing for a TV spot. A Connelly rep was giving me a hard time about the age of my ski- it was about 5 years old. He flex tested it and the numbers were exactly as it left the factory (the ski was not originally intended for me and the flex numbers were written on it under the binding). Best of all, I got a new ski from him 😃. I always assumed that skis went soft after a few years, but none of my old skis ever did- at least not when I had access to a flex tester...

@Horton, how'd I miss that???

Missed that- well, that's a good enough excuse not to ski; hope she comes back, though.

This may expose my ignorance or at least my current lack of connections, but what's up with Jacinta Carroll? Is she injured? Or, has she just had enough of all it takes to be the GOAT of women's jumping with little or no reward? She's such an amazing athlete and a great personality and the major events are lacking without her. I thought she might be at the Worlds with some association support, but no... Insights?

A little off-topic, but I just returned from a ski trip to Colorado and am sad to report that the Minturn Saloon, which had a large display of old Pro Tour memorabilia and vintage water ski photos on its walls is temporarily closed and undergoing an extensive remodel- hope the water ski stuff survives...

@swbca, we’re not that far away, you know where in South Canada, and we need every flake to have enough water to ski our course when it finally melts. While I curse that it’s still snowing, we need the precip!

@Jody_Seal- wow- that's interesting- pretty conspicuous boat to keep incognito. For those who have no idea of what it was, it was in the trademark Saucier colors- orange and magenta, so not exactly subtle. @thager, you're right- it was a beast and seemed to track better than the average MC of the era, maybe due to the weight of that beast of an engine. @Jody_Sealdid it have 2 or 3 carbs? I don't think it was exactly a stock engine...

A little off topic, but I wonder what happened to Dave's Mastercraft in the distinctive Saucier colors... Hank Longo bought it from Dave but I think sold it after the tragic death of his driver. If I remember correctly, it had a 440 CI Chrysler engine so it had a lot of power for jumping. We ended up with the Saucier jump but sold it to the River Rats show club who somehow let it float over a dam on the Mississippi. A friend has one of the few Saucier hockey sticks that were made- at the time $26 was considered just way too expensive. Like his jumpers the sticks were unbreakable but too heavy.

I originally read the poll wrong but there's a big difference between "open division" and "world champions". As far as open skiers, for me it's more than six for me but not "too many to remember". During the old days of the pro tour, I got to drive a bunch of practice rounds and some media runs. (Dating an open woman in the '80s gave me a chance to drive for her a lot😉.) I think my count of 5 world champions is close.

Foam sheets from Hobby Lobby or some similar store- 99 cents a sheet. Just cut around the binding plate with an Xacto knife and punch holes for the screws. Takes about 5 minutes and works great to protect the ski top and keep screws tight. Multiple colors, too 😉

I do the routine stuff (including winterization); anything major, it's time for a pro...

HO Phantom- I got a deal on one and grabbed it only because I wanted the bindings but decided to give it a try and my performance jumped. My PB went up almost 4 passes (over a year). After a few years away from the sport due to injuries, I upgraded to a newer ski but never consistently skied as well as on that thing.

I always store mine full with stabilizer but it seems rare that temperatures would change so rapidly that condensation is really a concern.

KLP once told me that PC had the best technique of anyone he could think of. If anyone does, it’s probably his sister.

@pc- if anyone can identify the guy in the red vest in Steve’s photo, it’s you. I thought it might be Jim Arndt, but I never saw him wear a wetsuit...

@pc- if anyone can identify the guy in the red vest in Steve’s photo, it’s you. I thought it might be Jim Arndt, but I never saw him wear a wetsuit...

@swbca- saw Tom a few years ago and apparently the vandalism was pretty crazy, but it was a long time ago and whoever it was is undoubtably long gone. He and his brothers (and Phil “Mudcat” Richmond) skied there for a couple of years but the locals really trashed anything left at the lake. There are now some houses pretty close but the lake still looks like it did. Do you know if he ever skis there?