Stewpro

Stokes X ! Don't wait , it's the best in flotation and protection , you never regret buying the best !

Bullfrog Lake Mentality along with new owners and managers of Nautique having failed at making a true performer ski boat ( that looks like an old Glastron as well ) simply shifting attention to failures of the rank in files and athletes to hide their own inability to make the right calls and turning a profit with , wait for it ........ The Sledge Hammer !!! But we're still growing the sport , right ? Pathetic ......

Still hitting it on Divorce Lake , last Thursday afternoon due to time change on Sunday , Saturday skiing mostly after time change and weather permitting 70 + temps

Seems the more options you get with ZO the more skiers try to get back that PerfectPass feel, and yes the trick mode looks and sounds like more fun (something we seem to be missing alot lately since the down your throat intro from zero off and Nautique ! Just sayin'!

Haven't had a total knee replacement but I managed to go out the front coming off ball 3 and somehow my ski came around and smashed my left knee completely breaking the patella in half. Operation put two screws to hold the patella back together with some added tension provided by surgical wire or string across the screws while healing. Physical therapy looks pretty much the same as a TKR but with some obvious differences in structure. Wonder has any other skiers had this type of operation and if so how does it fair when it gets back to skiing the course ?

left or right foot foward ?

Come on Skiray I got your back ! Go ahead and go to Mickey D's eat whatever you want,you forgot you sent me that Quattro and it'll support that extra poundage ! Should have it dialed by the time that quarter pounder with cheese starts to show ! Got the whole Divorce Lake team evaluating what needs to be and where ,sweet carbon fin right now ! After seeing how much wider this thing is all around I'd say you can super size all winter ! So far we figure it's a cross between the FX200 and a Vector so you'll be running 22 off with a Big Mac drippin' of the front of your Jacket ! I gottta admit ,Taperflex is right , you need to be back in God's country!! You guys are missed !

2.449 6.845 .715 Quattro Stock ! Just skied one last week supplied by one heck of a great guy, he is one of those that it was not intended for. I'd say its a more " C " type turning ski with sneaky fast acceleration and very little effort to get it to perform. I'd consider it to be the EP- FX 200 of today with afterburners! It is wider than most others tip to tail hence the sneaky fast acceleration. Haven't got it dialed quite yet but you can appreciate the inner potential first ride - it's got the power of UGLY that makes it perform while having a lot of fun , oh yea stuck a Relex carbon fin on it to help the turns , it does help but ain't nothing going to help that clamp , what a piece of sh-t ( yesteryear ) Truly puts the fun back in chasing them bouys , anybody got any flex numbers out there ?

Not sure about the numbers but I had a 106 and it was sweet , I just dialed in a new SansRival Carbon fin and it is really sweeet! It is thin like the A2 and super stiff vertically, different lay up than the Reflex. The Reflex is thicker also.Really like the Sans Carbon,fast and turns like a Formula 1 car ! What did you think of it Horton ? I know you're still testing the Sans ?

What kind did ya get / Lace up or D3 like ? I'm not so sure the hardshell is actually "Safer" than another type- that's a whole other thread. I like the security of not losing the rear foot if ya get crossed up at the wake, i.e. header! The newest D3 lace ups look like they have really good lateral control as well as some others that are similar. Usually the change in boots is the harder to get used to verses a new ski so most recommend putting your familiar bindings on the new ski first 'til you get used to the ski but hey, you're probably stronger right now and you gotta do some tuning anyways so drop the speed a couple of m.p.h. and rip it up ! Fun stuff and a whole new list of excuses !

Oh Yea, twice ,one year left 2 ribs onside into the wake another year I actually spun around from my toeside and went into the wake on my back and cracked one on the leftside back No fun at all . Takes alot longer than you think to heal up comeplete. Back on the water in 5 or 6 weeks but about 5 or six months before I didn't bother me at all. Sucks , just gotta Man Up and stay away from funny friends ! Hurts to laugh !

After you fill the hole with the epoxy (Marine Tex is best )put a strip of electrical tape across the hole and flip the ski over so the hole is upside-down to cure.

How can we be The Man when You are The Man ?! Is that what Horton sent ya instead of the A2 ? Bummer !

Tough Audience !

I just got off another message board I sometimes check out for another perspective and boy did I get one ! This may be late but when I saw that being a HortonBaller ; if you will, makes you an elitist I had to laugh. Not sure if it is the large ego's out there or just overly sensitive skiers that lack confidence in themselves or what but it really made me laugh to read the jeers and taunts toward John's web sight. I'm certainly not an original baller so maybe I don't qualify as an elitist but I wish I were just so I can keep my sanity and stay a part of Horton's group. I met the guy and he is the real deal in my book! I don't see any of the non ballers taking trips to promote the sport nor do I see the quality in just overall posts and threads on many of the other sites. I guess when you are an elitist you are no longer in touch with what got us here to start with ; just a love of the sport ! Stewpro

Yep John and Dave are the real deal , great skiing with you guys! Sorry bout the buoys but ran out of time with the Masters going on and what not ( HAD TO WAX THE BOAT ) Besides big buoys make you ski wider so you don't hit em and I figured if you guys made it round these babies you are good ! All kidding aside if you ski like these guys you can wear your hair any way you want ! Good times ! No , Great Times !

Have had one for years after blowing out the L5 disc , Sam's Cub as well. Can't use it too much as it will start to stretch other areas,knees, ankles as well . I've got a weaker right knee and will feel it if I use it too often. Your back and body will tell you what's good or too much. I go full inverted for 3 to 4 minutes max , at about 3minutes your back will relax enough to decompress so I that's all I need ,maybe a couple of times a week. Have to be smart if injured; don't use it too soon after an injury or you may hurt more. Most times though it can help get back or stay on the water if you use it smart. Work up to full inversion over time and it can help.I believe Roger Teeter from EP Waterski fame has an infomercial on his brand of inversion table, expensive but good quality. Even the less expensive ones at the sports stores are okay , some can be found used as well for cheap. Research all you can about your back if you are prone to injury as it can be traumatic but you will find backs ( even bad ones ) are pretty durable and won't come apart if you manage them well. And as they say check with your doctor so you don't blow out a blood vessel going full inverted as well ! They're not for everybody but I love mine, keeps you young !

I now use smaller wing sizes after much experimentation with all sizes. I use the Schnitz mini wing mounted upside down but I run it further back on the fin. He recommends 9 degrees but I run 6-7 due to less viscous water at the home site. I'm not running deep short-line , 2@32 PB but I find with the longer lines and slower speeds ( 34 mph ) it just offers more with less ! Due to the smaller surface area I believe the ability to recover is better due to the fact you don't have to fight major swings of input from a large wing trying to bite. I get all the braking I need from the wing and as Horton has demonstrated better body positioning takes care of slow down up thru 35 off. Once you get there , (never been) , I'm sure you only need a smaller wing due to the fact you are utilizing almost all of the surface area of the ski for braking and turning so you don't need elephant ears to help slow down or to fight for recovery of the ski. Just me thinking out loud !

I blew out my L5 disc over 20 years ago. Couldn't stand on my tiptoe (left leg) due to the pressure on the nerve. At the time the only option besides surgery was a process called Chemonucleolysis. Injected an enzyme in the disc to de-nature and shrink the cushion inside the disc and relieve the pressure. If it didn't work you still had the option for surgery later on. Whatever you decide make surgery the very last ditch option.I have continued my skiing and there are times when I pay the price much like Razorskier 1 says. There is a back information book out there by a Doctor Hamilton I believe and it has all you need to know mentally and otherwise.Research all you can and let the pain be your guide . I have an inversion table and it helps but I can't use it every day as it begins to separate my knee and aggravates it as well. Read and be smart, listen to your body and stay out of those rocking chairs, they will age you faster than anything ! Don't be afraid to have fun but don't be stupid either. I used to ski a Goode ski and many seniors do as well but I found that when I got into trouble on the slalom course something about the way Goodes' energy transfer put a focused amount of pressure through my back that no other ski has so I got off it.Not to slam Goode , they are great but if you have injured your back be aware Goode has a dark side is all. The mid-ride may be better for that reason. Just theory and opinion of course. By the way the Doctors said I could probably continue skiing up to 28 off/34mph. My PB is a couple at 32 off and I feel if I had the time and talent 35 and 38 could be done if you stay in shape and stretch !