Slalom Comments/Suggestions Please

You are ready for a stance makeover!

Your stance was off before you begin cutting..
Hip were low and behind you,
And very heavy on the rear foot.

Stand on that front foot, hard. Use all that ski.
I want to see the water break by your front toes. Right now it looks about your front heel.

Roll the shoulders back, chest up
Throw the hips forward, up to the handle.
If you think they are too forward, they are halfway there!

You should feel your midsection between your elbows.

When you get it, you will know it, because you will zing with 1/3 the effort.

Right now you can only pull as strong as your lower back muscles are.
Correct that 'hinge' from folding, and you will use your skeletal strength instead.

If you feel yourself crush after a wake cross, glide out and reset the stance, rinse & repeat

Good luck, rip it up!

Thanks guys, very helpful, that's what I'm looking for, things I can work on.

Tom, I definitely get the moving more weight to my front foot. I forget to do it, but used to, and just need to remind myself to get the weight on the front foot and let the ski turn fast and hard on it's own. The hips/posture stuff will take some time, hope to get out over the next couple of days to give it a try.

Interesting read Kevin!

One other question - when I bought the bindings, I set them up as suggested by the guy at H2OProShop. Should I move the front binding forward one screw hole, along with getting more weight on the front foot? I can post a picture of the ski if that helps.

As a 55 year old, I am impressed. I don't seem to be able to do what I did at 25   

parrott wrote: As a 55 year old, I am impressed. I don't seem to be able to do what I did at 25

Gary, I'm so happy to be feeling good and able to get into skiing shape this year. I skied a ton until I was around 30, then not nearly as much, and from 2001 on barely skied at all due mostly to injuries. I got back into it a few years ago, but this is the first summer I've skied steadily a few times a week.

My struggle is getting up on the ski! Looks silly sometimes as I nearly fall getting up, at least I ski well enough to stop the laughter once I'm up!

parrott wrote: As a 55 year old, I am impressed. I don't seem to be able to do what I did at 25

I hear ya brudda!
I can't do what I did @ 40. Walking is a chore. Time for some new parts (knees)

I'm the same size Mark, 6'2" 200 lbs. My O'Brien was 68", a reasonably high end ski in it's time, and I was very comfortable on it. Last summer I tried my friend's HO Coefficient X, 69", and it felt really pretty similar, very easy to ski on and get up on. I got the Radar Senate 67" used from a very nice guy on this site, bought bindings, and gave it a go. What I hadn't realized on those other 2 skis was how much power I was putting into turning and building speed. This ski turns so much quicker, but the even bigger difference is after the turn you fly across the wakes, the acceleration is very cool. The first few times I skied on it I couldn't get ready for the next turn, took a while, now I love it. That's one thing I'd say about trying skis, of course it makes sense to try a ski before you buy, but I think if you don't try it 3-4 times you might think you have the wrong ski just because it doesn't feel like your old one.

The one downside is getting up. It's smaller at 67", plus isn't a widebody ski, so I struggle a bit. Well worth the 4 second struggle for the performance when sking though!

Yes, injuries are the problem. My right knee is reconstructed (ACL), left achilles re-attached, left bicep tendon re-attached. Given all that I feel very fortunate to be as active as I am, a product of good doctors and good rehab.

The INT league has a class called wide ride. The ski is bigger in both length and width and the speed is slower. Skiers are having fun and skiing at shorter rope lenghts than they do in regular slalom.

You may want to try a bigger ski and a slower speed.

dochockey wrote: When your asking to go from 15 off to 22 are we just talking open skiing? or are we talking skiing the course ?

Just open skiing. I'd love to get on a course but not many around, my friends and I are talking about getting something set up for next year on one of the local lakes.

ya know at our age your doing just fine if you were to ski competition you would be at 34 so stay at 15 and ski at 34. When you get your course set up you will then learn how to stand on your ski

David I thought you had the rope on the wrong side of the ski for a moment there. Then I realized you were "goofy" right foot forward.

Thanks for that web site review link. They were glowing in the praise for the ski. I think I will jump on the deal for that ski.

This came up recently but not sure where the thread is, and once before that on a much more technically focused thread. "According to the experts" if you are left foot forward, you "should" be left palm down, right palm up.

Screwy Lewy, what's up down under??

You definitely want to change up to a baseball bat grip for slalom. Larry has it correct however I do believe what the pro's recommend now was not the same in our younger days of skiing. I am right foot forward and right palm up. Have tried switching it up and can't, old habits die hard I guess.

David, since you are only free skiing try different rope lengths, you might find the wake friendlier at 22 off then 15 off. Looks like you are skiing from the top of an extended pylon, you will feel more give there on the down side, may help a bit on your starts on the upside. Your driver could use a little help also, when you fall, driver should throttle back to idle speed going straight, then make his turn idling back the entire way, in a perfect world that is!!

Quinner, there's 2 different boats in the videos. The failed attempt video is my Sport just a week or 2 after I got it last fall, had the rope on the top of the extended pylon. Since then I only attach to the notch on the pylon at the normal ski rope height. The 1st video is on my friend's 206. Skiing 22 off at 32 on the 206 has a really hard bump, difficult to ski through. My Sport is softer at that length and speed.

Justin, it seems like if you hammer the throttle on my Sport it's a bit too much pull too quick, need to roll into the throttle a bit more steadily. I'd be curious to hear if people with GT-40 boats generally just hammer it or not.

I'm guilty of powered turns back to the skier at times myself. Do you say no because of safety or just that it creates wakes for the next skier?

63 Skier wrote: Quinner, there's 2 different boats in the videos. The failed attempt video is my Sport just a week or 2 after I got it last fall, had the rope on the top of the extended pylon. Since then I only attach to the notch on the pylon at the normal ski rope height. The 1st video is on my friend's 206. Skiing 22 off at 32 on the 206 has a really hard bump, difficult to ski through. My Sport is softer at that length and speed. Justin, it seems like if you hammer the throttle on my Sport it's a bit too much pull too quick, need to roll into the throttle a bit more steadily. I'd be curious to hear if people with GT-40 boats generally just hammer it or not. I'm guilty of powered turns back to the skier at times myself. Do you say no because of safety or just that it creates wakes for the next skier?

Ya I suppose that could be a preference thing. I had to build up to it, the first couple times it pulled me over but now I find that pop gets my fat butt up out of the water and in the correct position faster which then allows me to get up quicker. If I ever have trouble its because Im trying to muscle my way up (aka pulling up with my arms,etc.) and fighting the boat.