66" 1986 Connelly HP Graphite

[Canuckle Head]

I still love this ski although the bindings are too tight and cut off the circulation to my toes and the eyes are torn out of the tops of them which makes it a real b-tch to put on.

Yesterday I hit the course after not skiing one for probably 20 years and was able to get all 6 balls at 36 on 1st short line. Took a few passes to get the timimg down on the entry gates but once I got that down, the rest of it came back pretty fast. Muscle memory can be a wonderful thing!

I have tried a few newer skis over the past couple of years but for some reason I keep coming back to 'ol faithful. I am thinking I should just buy some new bindings and mount them on my old friend. Any thoughts/suggestions on this matter? Benson? :confused:

[Sask. Outback]

I have the same ski, and put HO animals on it. Looks good, but haven't ridden it yet. Next week for sure. Mark

[Canuckle Head]

Please let me know how you like them once you get a chance to ride it.

[Replicant]

I still love this ski although the bindings are too tight and cut off the circulation to my toes and the eyes are torn out of the tops of them which makes it a real b-tch to put on.

Yesterday I hit the course after not skiing one for probably 20 years and was able to get all 6 balls at 36 on 1st short line. Took a few passes to get the timimg down on the entry gates but once I got that down, the rest of it came back pretty fast. Muscle memory can be a wonderful thing!

I have tried a few newer skis over the past couple of years but for some reason I keep coming back to 'ol faithful. I am thinking I should just buy some new bindings and mount them on my old friend. Any thoughts/suggestions on this matter? Benson? :confused:

Wow, I remember that ski. That was the exact year I received an HO Graphite T1 for my birthday. Two years later, I replaced it with a HO Mach 1. Funny thing is that I just dug those skis out of the barn at my folks place last weekend. The T1 is 65" and too short for me these days but I am tempted to give the Mach 1 a try at 67" just for the hell of it. I loved that ski back then.

[Canuckle Head]

Wow, I remember that ski. That was the exact year I received an HO Graphite T1 for my birthday. Two years later, I replaced it with a HO Mach 1. Funny thing is that I just dug those skis out of the barn at my folks place last weekend. The T1 is 65" and too short for me these days but I am tempted to give the Mach 1 a try at 67" just for the hell of it. I loved that ski back then.

Yeah, I'm 6'1" and weight 190lbs so I could probably use a longer ski too. I think I was about 10-15lbs lighter back in those high school days. HO Mach 1 eh? I remember those well as they were all the rage. Does it have the elevated bindings on it?

[Replicant]

Yeah, I'm 6'1" and weight 190lbs so I could probably use a longer ski too. I think I was about 10-15lbs lighter back in those high school days. HO Mach 1 eh? I remember those well as they were all the rage. Does it have the elevated bindings on it?

Yes, double 'suicide' wraps as we called them back in the day. For a brief moment, I was the coolest kid on the lake. Funny thing is we had (and might still have) an O'brien Mach 1 from the early 80s or even late 70s before Herb O'brien sold/lost O'brien to the Coleman company (I think it was the Coleman company). It's kind of neat to think that one model is still in existence going on 30 plus years.

[Canuckle Head]

Herb went to jail for cocaine trafficking and his company was taken from him and sold off. While he was in jail he invented those bindings that were on your Mach 1. Revolutionized the industry. Couldn't use the O'Brien name any more so came up with HO.

Where I grew up you were bad ass if you had an HO.

[Replicant]

Herb went to jail for cocaine trafficking and his company was taken from him and sold off. While he was in jail he invented those bindings that were on your Mach 1. Revolutionized the industry. Couldn't use the O'Brien name any more so came up with HO.

Where I grew up you were bad ass if you had an HO.

Yeah, I know the whole story. I had an embarrassing moment in a ski shop in Bellevue. My dad and I went to pick up a new tow rope and while browsing the gear, my dad said to the shop owner "Hey, these don't have funny white powder in them do they?" Ha ha. Problem was, Herb was standing right there talking to the owner of the shop. Doh!! I grew up just up the hill from lake Sammamish where most of the ski makers got their start. I almost went to work for HO for a summer job but it didn't pay much at the time. Legend has it that there was a guy named Wally Burr who made ski's (wood) on the north end of the lake. There were some kids who hung out and learned from him. According to legend, they were Herb O'brien, Jeff Jobe, Connelly and Kidder.

[Canuckle Head]

Sounds like a movie in the making. So, all of those guys were from Washington State?

Alright enough of the self highjack, what should I do about my ski?

[maxpower220]

Updating the bindings a easy choice since you like the ski. However, you should demo a few other skis from Connelly. Mainly, try to get on a F1X, a Concept, or a new HP. I think if you ride the F1X, you will forget about your "old ski".

I do know the feeling of being at home on a ski and not really caring for the ride of a different ski.

[Sask. Outback]

Rode the Connelly/HO yesterday. It's a 67". It seemed alot easier to ride 20 yr. ago. We also have a Concept 68' that gets pretty regular use, but 1 grandson likes the Graphite. He's 5'10". 170. Even with the super comfortable HO bindings, I think the Concept is the way to go, at least for old fat guys like myself. Mark

[iwaterskihard]

Wow you guys and your stories! LOL It's like reliving my youth through words from the seniors. Damn I'm not far off you guys if I'm even that far off?

My first ski was an O'Brien that I got as a kid for my 16th b'day. By then it was a Coleman company as their logo was still on the tail end of teh ski. I still own it to this day however it hasn't seen water in I bet close to 20 years? (Now I am dating myself)

I took quite a few years off of skiing through growing up and having my own responsibilities as well as my dad selling his boat to start a hobby of salmon fishing off the west coast of BC.

Needless to say when I did get back into it I started skiing on a used HO Mach 1 and am currently skiing on an HO System 8 with Approach bindings.

I too loved my old original but after what I have experienced skiing on a newer ski..................there's no way in the world I could ski on my old one like I do my new one. My new ski is crisp, holds an edge, and is super fast in the turns which allows for great acceleration through the wake. To me it's like driving a new corvette compared to a dodge duster through the mountains. One will hold the road the other will slide out.

I purchased a set of Wiley's bindings for my old HO for guests that want to ski with us. I have used the old ski a few times more to check out the bindings than anything and I have to be honest and say I find nothing wrong with them at all.

I ordered them over the phone from Seattle and had them in Edmonton in 2 days. Good product, good service, and good people down there.

If you want to keep your old ski check them out? However I think if you updated your ski and started skiing on it until you're comfortable you'll find you'll be glad you did update!

My 2 cents for what it's worth! Here's the link:

http://www.wileyski.com

By the way.............thanks for the trip down memory lane!! LOL:p