Thank you

[pullmyfingers]

I wanted to let everyone know who responded to my "help please" topic that the very next time I tried to slalom ski Idid- for about 3/4 of a mile before quitting. I got up on two and slowly dragged my foot from behind until it found the RTP. The very next time I went out I was able to get up on one ski after about 5 trys. Different driver however. The person who pulled me up on one had more experience than me although it had been over 10 years for him. Question: Is slalom skiing easier and/or more fun with a true slalom ski? Right now I am using 1/2 of a O'brien Vantage combo- this year's model. If it is better to have a true slalom what should I start out with? Been looking at the O'Brien Siege and Synchro as well as the mid-priced Connelly and KD skis.

Thanks Again

[BensonWdby]

Congrats. You will never look back now.

Getting up on your 5th try on slalom is very impressive. Did you go with both feet in or one foot?

As far as skis go - once you can reliably get up on the ski you are uisng moving up to a mid performance ski might be in line. I would recommend against jumping into the top high performance models. They are pretty snakey. Any of the mid level skis you can find in Overtons or Ski LImited or even at the local ski shops would be fine.

The benefit to using s local ski shop is that they can give you some advice on current lines of skis and also possibly grant you a try-till-you-buy. This is where you buy one ski and then return it for a different ski, etc, until yo land on the one you like. Everyone is different and everyone has a personal preference.

Personally I find if you take a ski out and have a good day - then that becomes your favorite ski. Bring some friends out with you and try their skis if they will let you.

[pullmyfingers]

Got up with both feet in- but don't be too impressed. Last Sunday I went with the wife and kids and could never make it back up. Not to put blame on anyone or anything but it was quite windy and hard to get the boat lined up- it seems to make a difference. Maybe I just got lucky the last time.

[waterboy]

One of the entry level slalom skis might be just the ticket for ya.....I could never get the hang of dropping one smoothly so i bought one of those wide beginner slalom skis that is very easy to do a deep water start in. It made all the difference in the world for me....popped up easy and turned easy. When it was time to move on to a better ski the old wide one still came in handy for our friends who were just starting to slalom.
Good luck!

Brian

[waterboy]

And be sure to remain humble about your skiing abilities as you progress, just like Gordon does! :p

[BensonWdby]

I think Gordon is pretty much right about new skiers and boat alignment. I have found that new skiers think everything has to be perfectly aligned before they say Hit It.

In high wind this become extremely hard because the wind pushes the skier around whiule he is waiting for the rope to tighten. Then once the rope tightens and is in the right direction, the skier has tipped or rolled a bit and feels out of position so driver has to go neutral to allow skier to adjust. The boat drifts out of orientation and the cycle repeats. I have seen this result in some very heated discussions. This is even more true with two footed start because it is kind of an awkard/unfamiliar position in the water.

This is why I enjoy the single foot start. I can sit with both feet in front of me in gale force winds and when the boat is ready, so am I.

Other starts I have seen over the years. Some more advanced.
1. Sitting on dock, either one or two feet in
2. Sitting on dock on two skis and drop one immediately upon getting on the water.
3. Deep water on two skis and drop one immediately upon getting on the water.
4. Starting from a lawn chair in shallow water
5. Starting from an inner tube or other floatable
6. Hop start, standing in shallow water holding ski on top of water
7. Standing on dock holding ski in air

Most of these seated and standing starts require a little more skilled driver to avoid ripping your shoulders or back apart.

I suggest going back to dropping one a couple more times to reinforce your mind that you can still do this.

One techinque I have heard of, but never tried, is that once you drop a ski and are going comfortably, have your driver slow down so that you start sinking (how much is trial and error). Then they speed up. Supposedly this helps train muscle memory in getting out of the water. If this is not an urban legend, I could see where it would help a two footed skier get the feel of coming out of the water, and still have the success of getting up.


Keep at it. You won't regret it.
Dave

[pullmyfingers]

Wanted to give an update to you folks that have helped me with my skiing. I bought an O'Brien Synchro slalom ski as well as one of those handles that holds the ski steady when you are getting up. What a difference! I have no troubles at all getting up with both feet in and the cornering abilities of this ski is awesome compared to what I had tried before. Thanks again. Nothing I have tried yet is as fun as slalom skiing- not wakeboarding, kneeboarding, etc.

[Schmitter]

Durring fall skiing, when it is a little on the chilly side in CT, will dock start with one ski, wearing a fleece coat under her vest, ski a lap around the lake and land in shallow water, not even getting the fleece wet.