mellig

Too bad the tour won't be rolling through Radar Lake this year, but Radar & @brooks need to share the love for all...

Was coached to ski into the course early and turn before each buoy. Essentially shadow the course and if start to get late will be able to round a few balls at the end. Removes the pressure to round the buoys, a little forgiveness, and reduces some bad habits (looking down, slamming turns, etc.) while getting used to the rhythm and providing some perspective of where you are in the course.

removing dup

2017 VTX did chance considerably and not even in our boat rotation anymore. The wake is much bigger and in my opinion not skiable. If you utilize the optional center mount pylon the tower now gets in the way of the rope at any length shorter than 15 off. A buddy upgraded from a 2014 VTX that was very skiable at 28 - 32 off and now it is exclusively in the surf boat rotation only!

Bought my first slalom ski there 30 years ago and pretty much an exclusive stop for all water ski/sports gear ever sense! Great shop, great people!

"It is okay to get in the van, your Mom wanted me to pick you up!"

I am the identical height & weight and been riding the 67" Vapor since last fall.... I only get in the course once or twice a year, so needless to say, I find myself skiing 30 mph and have found very little issues with the ski at this speed. Coming from an A2 which I found very unforgiving at that speed. I have jumped on other skies to get through the course easier at the slower speed, but if you are committed to developing the correct form and rhythm required to move to faster speeds and shorter lines, it is my opinion that it should be just fine and you can invest the money in more important things.

Deep water starts behind a 65 hp outboard was a long strenuous process!

Easy to do in Seattle!

Just need to tell her to have lunch ready when you get back...

I have a 2004 X9 and considering your needs, which are similar to mine, it is a great all around boat. Wakeboarding is good, can make it surf, and for free skiing find the wake to be great especially 28 off or shorter, 30+ mph. Concerning how it handles open water it actually handles well and you do need to watch the bow at very slow speeds (less than 6 mph) on a rough day otherwise you might take one over the bow. It is definitely better at handling the water than the 197 and Response. As far as the interior, you can easily get two in the observer seat and they offer an removable seat next to it to sit 3 to 4 in the observer position. In general has been a great boat for my family and living on a big lake.

Excellent work and as stated by Will "... about giving people that cool feeling." There are some parallels to the work free ride work you have done @MarcusBrown that are truly the essence of how we pass this sport on and bring others into it. The forum constantly talks about how the sport is dying. Yes attendance to tournaments might be, but tournaments and buoys do not solely define the sport. Everyone needs a start... and see equal enjoyment in perfecting some skills as I do in bringing someone completely new to the sport and seeing them comeback again for more!

One less surfer, f'n up the water!

Ellie rocked it... Hope she keeps it going!

Just enjoy it, laugh at yourself in the process, and look at is a learning experience on timing, form, etc. that will ultimately be utilized to improve your skiing long term. Be patient around the balls when completing your turns as you will have a tendency to backside the ball or finish your turns quickly to give yourself more space, but in reality will result in poor form and less angle...

@MarcusBrown sounds like a good excuse to make a slight detour through Chico May 22 or 23 if you are available...

Road tripping from Northwest to Tahoe next month and wondering if should pack my ski.... Looking for good options for a ride and/or coaching in Northern California for a long time free ski / course hack....

As much as the body can handle and each year you learn new parts of the body that you need to focus on more to sustain this obsession...

$50K - $55K base price with additional features on time seems very reasonable considering the expected quality and compared to general market in place for other boat formats. What amazes me is the idea of paying $100K+ for general lake cruisers like Cobalts, etc. that have limited purpose over tubing, picnicking, and swimming platform!

Winter (few chances to ski) becomes prep for the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Still learning how to pace myself to avoid in season burn out on knees, hips, and tennis elbow!

Not stopping, just slowing down due to daylight and weather windows... but dry suit will be taken out next go round!

Very cool... no better motivation for conditioning than being able to spend more time on the water! Welcome back...

Just got a new pair of 2014 boas last week. Get them wet and first couple times were painful to wear. They stretched out great and now fit like a glove! Only concern is the new top material as it is already showing wear, but hoping they hold up as I had great luck with them in years last!

Got to please the family to keep my personal addiction to skiing going! I side with @scuppers I don't let kids ride in the open bow unless at really slow speeds!