TSki

Looks good, as a consumer I'd definitely be interested. Judging by the video, I personally don't think I'd struggle to adapt to this any more than I would when making any sort of handle switch.

An advertisement for this product came up on my Instagram, the company is called Slack Bow and they have a product called Slack Block that looks like a small block you stand on that’s intended to simulate a slack line. Here’s a link: https://www.slackbow.com/products I’m really surprised I haven’t heard of this before, particularly within the water ski community. Has anyone used one and, if so, would you say it’s a good balance trainer, particularly for skiing? And relative to other trainers like an Indo Board? It certainly seems like it would be a good training aid for water skiing.

@Horton I hear you on the price for lessons if something else came to market. I would certainly caution against prices comparable to in-person lessons, though. The ability to have a back-and-forth, ask clarifying questions, try to implement something and then get immediate feedback mean that in-person lessons are much better, and prices should reflect that in order to ensure a customer base. $20/lesson was a very good deal for the value I felt it provided. I would have paid more, maybe $30? Maybe $40? Im not sure, $40 for 2 minutes of coaching and limited ability to have a dialog with the coach might be a tough sell. But if you reframe it and ask me if I’d have paid double for the coaching I got from Chris Rossi over the course of a summer, I’m sure I’d say yes, because I thought that experience was really good. One other note, the coach only having something like 2-3 minutes to provide their feedback I think was actually a good thing. It prevented coaches from going overboard in terms of getting into too much detail, or throwing the kitchen sink at you regarding feedback. Maybe 5 minutes would be better because sometimes it definitely felt rushed. But I felt the spirit of it was: Get a small piece of professional-level feedback, take that and work on it, then repeat. If that can be done in a way where the repeat step doesn’t get prohibitively expensive, then I think it could be something really positive for the water ski community.

I’ve been in apartments for a long time, but somewhat recently moved into a house. I’d like to put some racks on the wall of my garage for storing slalom skis, trick skis, wakeboard, snowboard, etc. and potentially some solutions for hanging life jackets, wet/dry suits, etc. For skis I’m thinking pegs that are maybe 40” apart or something like that, where the ski could be suspended upside down against the wall. Other recommendations are also welcome. Have any of you done the same and have tips or product recommendations? Are there any sport-specific products in this regard? Or should I just be looking at what’s available from ACE Hardware or Target or somewhere generic like that?

@Horton I hope you’re asking because you want to create a reincarnation. I live far from most professional water skiers, but GiveGo gave me affordable access to regular coaching. I got coaching from Chris Rossi and Trent Finlayson for the first time ever through the app, and would say they are the best water ski coaches I’ve ever had. I sent Chris Rossi a video every couple weeks or so throughout the summer, work on what he said for 4 sets or so, then send a new video and would get feedback on my progression. A much more meaningful coaching experience than going to ski school once and then not having access to coaching the rest of the year. Of course, I’d prefer recurring in-person coaching, but that isn’t feasible and I felt like GiveGo was the next best thing, and at a very reasonable price. The amount of video that coaches viewed was small, just one pass per submission, but I feel like my faults are obvious for a high-level coach and, especially sending in videos over the course of the season, this perceived down-side proved negligible. I also valued access to many coaches. I got slalom coaching from Chris and Trent, as well as Fred Winter, and all for $20/submission. An unbeatable price to be able to trial out different coaches and find who you gel with. I also got trick coaching through GiveGo, again form a handful of coaches. Given the tricks I was working on, having feedback was invaluable. There are a few options for video coaching outside of GiveGo, but I felt the ability to trial different coaches, consistency in pricing, and quick feedback (my experiences with getting coach feedback were all extremely positive) were all huge pluses. Finally, I was able to get feedback from multiple coaches to understand what everyone honed in on during their coaching replies. With trick, I tended to benefit from understanding what were the common threads among replies from coaches, and then focused intently on the feedback that was very common. And I have all of the videos and can go back and rewatch them again and again. I feel like it was a revolutionary way to get coaching, and a high quality one too. It’s a shame that it won’t be available next season.

Has trick ski technology improved in the last 10 years to the point that it would make sense to upgrade from an older ski? I last upgraded my trick ski in 2012 to a Quantum, and that was around the time that manufacturers started using inserts for both front and rear plates. Due to that, my ski has held up much longer than the trick skis I owned prior to it. I don’t notice any performance deterioration with my current ski, but I’m curious if there are any improvements in technology (materials used, manufacturing process, etc.) that have made any material difference in the performance of a trick ski in the last 10 years, such that I might notice a difference in performance, particularly in regards to release off the wake for flips and spins.

It’s a bummer to hear about the negative experiences some of you have had. I’ve only had good experiences. I have tended to select Direct Connect sessions with Chris Rossi or Trent Finlayson and they were both responsive and fantastic. I’m amazed at the ability to connect with skiers of that level and get feedback when I really need it. It opens up the door to coaching in a way that was not available just a few years ago.

I’m a member at Blue Heron Ski Club in Banks. I just sent you a message in case you want to connect and check it out.

@BraceMaker Chris Parrish has posted video in the past of him getting outside/kind of turning 3 ball at 43, but I don’t recall he was in a position to continue. This was practice, so no way to know if the score would have been valid in tournament settings. This occurred in Washington the day prior to a clinic he held that I attended, and he was really stoked on it and talking about it like it was not normal, even for practice (like maybe it was the only time it’d happened, at least on video). I imagine Nate has done similar, but would be surprised if it has happened more than a few times.

I'm looking at Strada bindings and am unsure how their sizes run. In street shoes I can wear between a 9 and 10. It varies a lot bc I have high arches so the shoe design plays more of a role for me. Do the Strada bindings run big or small? How do they fit? Thanks.

Hey everyone, Just wondering about the Perfect Pass gps-based systems on Malibu Responses. I have skied a few early 2000's Malibu Responses and every one of them struggles with maintaining the correct speed. The usual problem is the boat will come into the couse slow and at 3 ball will go ballistic and speed up to make up for lost time. It's very annoyning as a skier and driver. The Response owners I know have talked with Perfect Pass several times about how to 'fix' the issue but nothing I've seen really cures the issue for good. I've taken to just putting the system in 'classic' mode when I get behind a Malibu/Stargazer combo, but that's not acceptable when you have Z-box and the whole point is to mimic the feel of Zero Off. I was just wondering if anyone here has had this problem and been able to resolve it? One hypothesis is that the boat isn't able to settle in if the lake has a short set-up, so it may not be an issue in a bigger lake. Anyone know if there is any truth to that? Thank you.

Right I think the point is that in the ski lake situation, unlike most other sports, the opportunity to practice only exists to a select few of the competitors because of their connections. I'm with most people in that I wouldn't mind because lakes seem to ski quite different but I can see why it would be considered unfair to some people. At any rate I don't think it's a big enough issue to warrant being addressed with any kind of rule. Even if I didn't like my competitors skiing at the lake next door when I can't a rule against it would seem even worse. I mean, hey, there may be a day when I'm the guy that can ski next door.

I will add two alternative ways to think about it: #1 - Think about shoulders moving perpendicular to direction of travel. I guess the way I think about this is going from 1 to 2-ball you want your left shoulder to be leading your movement and going from 2 to 3-ball you want your right shoulder leading your movement. If you had a rod going through both shoulders it would always be perpendicular to the direction of travel. #2 - Be aware of your reach; When you release the handle let it out and ski back to it in one fluid continuous movement. Don't bring the handle back in at a faster rate than you let it out.

Can anyone tell me how to navigate the perfect pass menu in a boat with stargazer in order to set it in classic mode? Thanks!

I know this isn't a medical forum but I am wondering if anyone else here may have had common problems to what I'm experiencing. I've been skiing the course for 6-7 years now and only in the last 2 years or less I have started to experience some more noticeable lower back pain. It tends to flair up the day after I ski, whether it be slalom or trick, and is what I'd describe as a dull ache. I am fairly young (25 yrs old) so I am hoping to figure out a remedy for this in the hopes that I can have a long life of skiing. I'm not sure if the issue is that I have a weak core (which I'm pretty certain I do) or if it is some other issue. When I do core workouts at home I actually am getting the same type of pain that I experience from skiing but to a lesser degree. That's the only thing that makes me wonder if it's something other than a weak core. I'm wondering if I should just charge ahead with trying to get my core in shape or if I should seek medical attention to make sure I'm not aggravating something when I am trying to get it stronger. Any advice is seriously appreciated. Thanks guys.

A few things: (1) Running around 3/4 of all attempted passes; if muscle memory is key then I'll need to practice doing things right and finishing most passes. This will mean running more of my lower passes but as the old saying goes, 'you have to slow down to speed up.' (2) Running each pass twice before shortening the line; '1 time is luck, 2 is skill.' (3) Wide gates with a progressive turn-in; 'Why not give yourself the best chance you can to run it?' (4) Trailing-arm pressure and keeping upper body quiet over the ski throughout the pass.

Mr. Preuss, when you say "second pull," are you talking about the fact that it kind of looks like he is pulling his hands in closer to his body after the second wake? I guess you could describe it as looking like that, since when the skier is directly behind the boat their arms are all the way out straight, but just before they release the handle their inside arm (arm closer to the boat) has more bend at the elbow. I'm not sure if anyone actually thinks about "pulling in on their arms" after the second wake though, which is probably why everyone seems confused by what you're saying. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

That's true @OB, probably best not to get carried away speculating about why Andy backed out of the tournament. That being said, I certainly hope he decides to enter in the future.

If they don't want to ski against Andy they aren't real competitors. He is eligible to ski and that's really all that should matter. It's sad that some of the competitors are too self-centered to let an eligible skier compete. In my eyes, bullying good skiers out of the tournament isn't that much different than moving the buoys in when it's your turn to ski... Seems like there are still a few Jim Michaels out there thinking someone owes them a spot in the final rounds.

So getting in a lean lock is the ultimate example of blocking? Too much pressure on the back shoulder and so you can't change edges at all!!

I have been skiing at 34 this winter (usually ski at 36) and have been working on my shorter line lengths. It's given me a lot of practice at my hardest passes while allowing me to focus solely on technique. I'm hoping it will pay off this summer. So far I've sped up to 35mph and everything is feeling great.