Anyone interested in Combo skis?

Who's the tail rider on the red one? Do you guys cut under or push?

I've been wanting a yellow Acapulco kick ski for a while.

Cool looking ski Larry, how about some more pics and measurements? Practice the turn with a trick ski. That was really the only reason to going back to to slalom trick for me but I've come to enjoy it, just can't bring myself to spend $400 on one little ski though. I'm putting a highwrap on an old plastic O'Brien that actually has a little bit of an edge to it, unlike my EPs.

I got some advice from Gary B, one of jbear's buddies and also a guy on my ski team. Position your bare foot slightly ahead (closer to the boat) than your ski foot. I like to put my foot on the water at 25 mph (turn speed) then roll up the throttle. I'm getting more comfortable with 2 feet in the ski at increased speeds but I still like to establish a glide with the bare foot. Transfer more and more weight to the barefoot and let the ski go. You'll see the spray off your bare foot get taller and taller, it's pretty cool looking. Don't look down! If you gas pedal your foot will kick up off the water, now doing a 30 mph back swan or a gnarly backwards ragdoll.

Just like how I learned to barefoot forwards, I went out there and took the falls longline with the step ski. Wearing a neckbrace really helps take the crashes.

Tim

I think I may be good to go. Now I just have to get Hollywood out this way for some lessons.

HW, I didn't see the pic of that connelly ski till now...I can't believe you use those. Aren't they concave on the bottom? I sink to the bottom of the river on those things...

haha yup, I'm well aware of what it takes to send a ton around the boat. I am good friends with a lot of people on the BWG team. They are a great group. Our team in Cedar Rapids (Five Seasons Ski Team) was the first to put 7 around a triple rig.

I was contemplating skiing with Backwater this summer......

Does anyone have any old wooden skis that are long flat and about...oh..7 inches wide? Preferably with a square bottom (Tail)...

Skis of this size make great ATB (around the boat skis). The d*ck popes are a little small, and our base boards are too large/hard to handle at that speed...

Found a pic of a couple, hard to see them...but like I said; square bottom, little wider than the regular wood combos...etc

Sounds good Hollywood, sometime this weekend I'm going into the trailer/garage and check out what we have. Was going to the other night while putting the varnished skis back in the trailer but another guy on the team already put them away!!! Worked for me! :)

I will be checking on the ski sitch in the near future here guys so stay tuned!!! Hope I can get some out to you all!

nice video!!
thanks for posting it HW!!!

75 Tique wrote:    If I get bold enough, maybe I'll give one of your trademark W2W bombouts a try. They are pretty slick.

Hollywood wrote: The falls feel like you skinned your palms with a hatchet and then sat on it,

On the other hand, a nice leisurely cruise on two skis is always good. too.

I also move the front toe forward perhaps 1" on my front kick skis. It planes easier on a deepwater and also tracks better outside the wake.

I had never heard of a W2W bomb out being done, not that I thought I was doing something that had never been done before. The falls feel like you sat skinned your palms with a hatchet and then sat on it, though it's probably good practice for jumping. I later came across this video of Randy Filter.

Magicman gave me the ski pictured above. That's what I learned on that's all I know. I am cutting down some jumpers skicat picked up in Georgia for me (thanks again!), we'll see how they compare to what I'm plenty comfortable on now.

I figure the continuous rocker vs. 3-stage characteristics of a wakeboard apply here as well. It rides deeper and subsequently smoother in the water rather than bouncing on top of it.

All this skiing talk has me jazzed up for the weekend. Daylight savings + ice moving out, time to ski!

Larry, try bombing out of some regular combo skis (concave). Yes they do drag at barefoot speeds but that actually helps them get out of the way for your landing! I always use regular fiberglass combos with all the normal hardware on them.

You guys gotta try jbear's kick ski. He took the TOE off and just uses the heel. It's kinda weird but in smooth water works just fine, so it works just like Mike's carpet ski. We often go through some chop before getting to the show course, I'd get bucked off those skis rather quick.

TRBenj wrote: Larry, Im trying to remember exactly what that bombout combo set looks like.

The store bought flip turn ski has quite a rocker. My old one is big, long and flat. Wonder how that would affect the rotation. Not so slippery, as Mike suggests, I would think.


Mike, never did the carpet thing, but when I set out to learn barefooting (no teacher, no boom, no wetsuit, no kneeboard, never seen it done live (maybe once at CG) I took an old slalom, took off heel and rear toe. Once up on it, scooched foot out of toe piece, so at that point, pretty much where you were on your carpet ski. Planted back foot, slid other off for, as you said, a smooth step off. Of course that was when I was just learning so the step off was smooth, the immediately ensuing face plant, not so much.

It looks like any of the Cypress Gardens skis are reasonably symmetrical... are any of them flat bottomed?

I have a brand new flip turn ski in the trailer. Same one as pictured basically but I hate it. It looks brand new, only used it a couple times. It's too slippery for me. I modified an old beastly wood ski to go backwards around the boat. I can turn that thing on a dime!! but, I snapped it in half last summer.......

Tonight we are putting all the skis we varnished back in the trailer so I'll do some scoutin for ya fellas. To answer the SJRR question. No, unfortunately the fam has prior commitments so I can't make it. I'm almost certain we have some skis that could work for you guys......but I don't want to get anyone's hopes WAY up there hehe

Speaking of old skis...anyone ever take the bindings off a ski and just put carpet on it for a step off ski? The steps are smooth as butter!!!