Anderson

I think that is why the sport migrated to purpose built, private ski lakes, designed to limit rollers and designed with the prevailing wind in mind. When I switched from trying to ski at the local public lake two miles from my house, and started driving 50 miles to a private ski lake, I increased my skiing each year by almost 4 to 5x.

Great choices on the interior colors -- very nice!

Just watched the first 3 minutes and I have goosebumps -- can't wait to watch the rest of this after work 😀👍

This is a pretty interesting list of ski boats from back in 1989. Interesting that almost all of them disappeared in the span of 10 years. 1989 Waterski Magazine Tests

So, no Dallas Boat Show this year? Seems to be replaced by a rotating “open house” at a number of North Texas dealers in Lewisville. Hasn’t been much to see for slalom skiers at the show in years, but still a fun winter tradition as ski season approaches.

158 sets last year and grateful to have skied another fun season. Got a little better last season. Skied a handful of 32-off, 34 mph passes for the first time. I got lighter on the line this year which was good, but realize that I have to further improve my form (move COM forward/better stacked) to shorten the rope. This is the year! 🙂

I used cheap digital calipers for years, then switched to a new Mitutoyo dial-caliper 3 years ago (for fin adjustments and for reloading ammunition). Wish I had invested the money years ago. I also found a used Mitutoyo caliper on eBay that was in good shape and half the cost of new. I'm usually super cheap, but this is an investment in quality I haven't regretted.

I joke with my younger ski buddies that they will be skiing behind 30 year-old boats that have been rebuilt 3 or 4 times when they get to the end of their ski career -- sort of like the old cars from the 40's and 50's that people still drive in Cuba

Same shape, softer tip between 2022 and 2023 -- can anyone comment if/how the Vapor feels different from the 2022 to the 2023? Or basically the same ride? Thx

What a fun final day to watch. Impressive skiing. Great job to the TWBC team. Tony, Marcus, and Regin a made a great commentating team.

@foxriverat thanks for sharing the link to the Waterski 1989 boat tests. Wow - hard to believe there were that many companies building slalom capable boats back in the day. Their RETAIL prices ranged from $35-$50K in today's dollars, in case anyone was wondering. I know new boats have a lot of new features vs. these old tugs, but wow!

@jimbrake I never had a back problem for the first 48 years of my life. Was working out regularly and could deadlift 500 and squat 400. Then one day 3 years ago after skiing a couple sets my lower back really started to hurt bad. It didn't go away and I stopped lifting heavy hoping it would go way after a while like most injuries did in the past. It didn't work. Three year later my back still hurts. It hurts everyday, ranging from 2 to 8 out of 10 on the pain scale. Went to see an ortho -- it isn't a disk issue. I found out I have scoliosis (mine spine goes gate, 1 ball, 2 ball, boat guide, FWIW ) and the doc says it is all muscle/tendon related and is just becoming a problem with age. I manage it the best I can with: a) Stretching each day focused on hip and hip-flexor mobility b) the McGill "Big 3" exercises plus glute bridges to build core strength c) I don't lift heavy anymore but try to still lift to keep my body strong d) slow down the deep water starts and try not to get pulled over the ski on the get-up. Do everything you can to keep your back straight (like mentioned above). Bail out on the get-up if things aren't going well. It all royally sucks, but getting old is just what is it, I guess. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions about the exercises.

I loved my Power Shells and used them for almost 10 years (using various lengths/types of tape). Favorite feeling boots of anything I have tried before or since, but the pre-releases just aren't worth it. My system would pre-release about once a season, but the crashes were brutal. Not worth it. I switched to Reflex/R-style, and while I don't like the boots as much as my Power Shells, the only thing I have to worry about now is the occasional bite from the Reflex snake on my back shin if I fall hard. Much better than the nearly certain, but unpredictable, yard sale on my Power Shells that left me laying in the water wondering if my limbs were still attached and uncertain which direction was up vs. down. I was stubborn -- I wish I had made the change sooner. Good luck!

So impressed with the broadcast. Great job! Exciting finals - 3rd place runofff was awesome.

I used to laugh at bent handles and teased my brother about his goofy handle. Then a really bad case of golfers elbow, that just wouldn't go away despite months of physical therapy exercises, led me to give a bent handle a try. Within a few weeks my elbow pain was gone. Now all I use is my goofy bent handle.

@lpskier Sorry, I should have been more clear. I loved the Senate Pro - not as fast as my Vapor but incredibly predictable both on and off-side. I think for someone of my skills (22 and 28-off and skiing a mix of 32 and 34 mph) it is the perfect ski, but at 210-215 lbs, I felt like the 67 Senate was too small for me. If Radar offered a 68 Senate, I'd be on it now. I sold my 67 to a friend at our club and it transformed his skiing :-)

FWIW, I was skiing a 68" 2019 Vapor Pro Build and tried a 67" Senate Pro Build, hoping the surface area difference would allow me to ride the smaller ski. I found the 67" Senate to be too small vs. my 68" Vapor. Speeds were 32 and 34 mph, 22 to 28-off. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Sorry to beat a dead horse, but I was THE BIGGEST SKEPTIC about curved handles keeping my elbows healthy...until a brutal case of golf elbow that didn't get better over the off-season and was so painful I couldn't do a pull-up prompted me to eat crow and give a curved handle a try. 6 weeks later, my elbows were feeling much better and by the end of the season the pain was gone. I can't explain the physics, but I'm a convert.

@gavski thanks for your thoughts and for sharing your experience. The idea of boot cuff alignment to lower leg axis of motion is really interesting to me. Do you achieve that by altering the cuff hole on one size of the boot (up or down) to create a certain angle/degree of cant that matched your lower leg angle in its forward/backward range of motion, and/or are you using neoprene foam to fill a gap on the inside (on one side) of your cuff to ensure equal pressure/responsivness on each side of your leg? If so, on which side are you adding foam? Hope this makes sense ;-)

We can't take anything with us, but we can leave behind a legacy of all the good we do for others -- the sum total of the positive experiences and memories we create. Most of us live average lives, but there are those among us who seem larger than life itself. I don't know Jim, but I do recognize a life lived well and a man who is loved by many. Lift heavy and ski hard when you get to the other side, brother. My prayers are with you and your family

I decided to cut out the bottom of my Intuition liner to get a more solid connection with the ski, and will be filling the forefoot of my Reflex boot with extra neoprene foam on top of my foot to increase responsiveness/feel to upward pressure (vs my calf/achilles to the back of boot). Much of what I have been reading here makes sense - my heaviest deadlifts work best in stocking feet; and with squats, cleans and snatches, a tight-laced, hard-soled lifting shoe (with some elevation of the heal) provides the best balance for these relatively dynamic movements. I feel like underfoot padding is about impact absorption which I don't need skiing. Ski season is just a few months away for me – looking forward to trying out some modification to my Reflex system. @adamhcaldwell @gavski There are some large recesses in the footbed of the Reflex boot where hardware was designed to be attached (e.g. 2" wide hexagonal space for a nut under the ball of my foot). Did you guys have the same issue with your boots and did you fill the void? I'm thinking some Marine-Tex or Devcon epoxy might fit the bill.

@Than_Bogan That was a really cool research vignette. I learned something new today (and to me, very interseting). You must be proud of your daughter - it is fun to see our kids learn and grow :-)

Haha, that is true for all us. Your site looks beautifull. I hope it has been a blessing in your life - I know it must thave been a ton of work. So cool to see it with lush green plants and trees now.

Ral, are you the same Chilean skier who shared progress updates on their lake project as it was built a number of years ago?

Beautiful! I sometimes forget that there are skiers in the Southern Hemisphere whose season is in full swing :smile: