Slalom Ski recommendation

Fellas as I ease back into watersports with my new to me boat, I think I may want to get into some slalom skiing. What kinds of recommendations would you all have for a decent used slalom ski. I'm not hung up on brands or which pro is riding what ski. I know I want a rear toe plate and not a rear boot, but other than that, don't really have a preference. With my conditioning and recent experience, the ski is not going to limit me much.

Most if not all of my skiing will be free skiing and I'll rarely even have the opportunity to ski in a course these days.

I am 5'9" and 200lbs.

The best I ever slalom skied in my life was a couple of balls at 22' off when I was about 17. Probably haven't been on a slalom ski more than a dozen times since.   I'm now 45.

Looking for:

Brand recommendations
Binding recommendations (if they differ from what would've come on the ski new)
Ski size/length

Hoping to find something on Ski-It-Again, Craigslist or Ebay for cheap. All the big money gets spend on my daughters so I get whatever is left. Those with kids can appreciate.

Steve,

I have put a lot of thought into this same question over the last 18 months and here is what I came up with:

Todd V is correct and the Radar Senates seem to be a great ski for what you are wanting to do. I purchased an HO Charger ( Always 69") from Greg Fossett ( AKA Fossett Pro Shop and Ski Outlet) at his Mini. He has a nice demo and floor plan. He also sells furniture at a more than reasonable rate, but no delivery or setup which is a bummer .

The HO burners ( Always 67") have great reviews and they seem to be from the 2010 range in age, but you can find lightly used to brand new on Ski it again.com. Tim Morfoot skis on a burner. The Burner and Charger are a Wide Body Ski that are great for open waterskiing and offer good turning. The modern Burners are called the HO Free Ride Series. You can get a smoking deal on a 2014-2016 HO Free Ride if you do some searching. Dealers are selling off older models on Ski it again.com to make room for the 2017 models. Look for the dealers with multiple skis in one add and you can find some gems in the log pile. There was or is a 2012 new in the box HO Free Rider on e-bay as a blank that was temping me.

Connelly has an Outlaw Series that is also a wide body ski that would work well for your purpose. You can find smoking deals on E-bay for 2014- 2015 models. Connelly use to make an F1X Series of wide skis that is from the early 2000's that would work well. These wide body skis are easier to get up with a deep water start in comparison to a narrow course ski that will turn on a dime.

You can also check Ball of Spray.com just to read threads on skis to learn more. They also have a used for sale forum. I am looking way ahead for my next ski, once I have mastered this charger and so far I believe it will be a HO TX which is a cross over ski. It is for open water with some course influence built into it. Once again you can find smoking deals on these older models (2014 - 2015). The HO CX are more about the course than open water and is more narrow than the HO TX. An HO CDX would also be worth searching for.

I found that you can pull up old brochures from Connelly and HO and others to see where a ski fits in the line up. They have a catalog each year that shows the skis that they are offering and where they fit in the line up. It is very educational.

I also love my Connelly Big Daddy ( Old Fat People Ski) which is very fun to ride. I would like to pick up a Connelly Big Easy if I can get the right price locally. The big easy is for straight line sking and you can turn the Big Daddy somewhat.

I hope this helps,

PS, I always ski in a thong for the ladies, but only on warm days. .

Donald

I've been skiing a Senate Alloy 67" in recent years, I'm an open water 15 off skier at 32 most of the time. I really like it, but am thinking of moving to a 69" Senate Graphite. It would make it easier to get up, and I think would be a better all around size for me. I'm 6'2" 210 lbs.

I haven't tried a wider ski yet, nobody I ski with has one. Curious to give one a try, have a feeling it will be in my future. From what you are describing if you plan to ski a fair amount I'd suggest getting a mid range "conventional" ski like the Senate. If you love getting back into the sport you'll have a ski you can progress quickly on, really accelerates when you start turning it harder.