Slalom Mythbusters

[BensonWdby]

If I had to guess - I would say I started on two skis in 1965. Took me an entire year, 18 tries at multiple sites with multpile training aids behind several boats before I actually got up on two skis. I was not quite 10... Skied on two for a long time, until my female cousins and my older sister all started skiing on 1. Dropped a ski for probably 2-3 years before I had the courage to try a deep water start. Failed multiple times.

Then in summer of 1971 we were at a local lake with friends. The first guy in pulled the heel off one of the combo skis (very old style bindings) and dropped it to the bottom of the lake. All that was left was the ski with the rear toe... This guy tried several attempts and failed. So Dad looks at me and says - "This boat won't get me up on one, and Thor (real name - other kids dad) doesn't ski, so if you can't get up on 1 our day is done before we start." So I jumped in, put on the ski - got up, dragging a leg - and have not looked back.

[zegm]

Sled,

I was on a slalom ski when I was 2 years old man!!!!

[Sled491]

Z, got it

[zegm]

Sled,

Ah yeah!

[BensonWdby]

So Big Spray is not something that is easily left out of waterskiing. Evidence by the Big Spray competitions documented in Waterski magazine.

http://www.waterskimag.com/article/F...-Wall-of-Glory

http://www.waterskimag.com/article/I...vice-Big-Spray

[MalibuTime]

Time to test your slalom trivia skills. The 'Myths' presented here are not necessarily myths or Urban legends. But of some interest if true and humorous if not true. Add your own to the list or confirm -de-bunk them if you can. These are based on 'facts' I have gathered over the last 40 years.

1. First concave slalom. Someone had an old Northland Sabre stored in their damp basement for a long enough period of time to cause the all-wood ski to warp. Just so happened it warped in a concave fashion. The owner skied and - instant technology jump. This would have been in the late 1960's or early 1970's I think..

2. Saucier - Dave Saucier designed one of the best wood skis ever. His bindings were incredibly uncomfortable surgical rubber. This was mid 1970's I think. Also rumore to own Lake Saucier in Minnesota, where you could bring your ski to him and he would 'tune' it after watching you ski, by sanding the bevels.

3. Slalom kite skiing - A slalom course was designed for Kite Skiing, similar to a normal ski course, but with fountains rising from the surface as bouys. I think they actually used 2 skis, but seriously....

4. Whistling O'Brien - The OBrien Mach 1? or World team, red bottom, blue top? was an early ski to have holes in the fin. If you were skiing really hot, it would whiistle/hum when you were coming out of your turn. I actually experienced this myself. Mid-Late 1970's.

5. O'Brien drug scandal - Herb O'Brien allegedly left Obrien water skis after drugs were found in his ski boxes. If true, I am sure Herb had nothing to do with this personally. Mid-Late 1970's. AMF bought them (bowling balls, camping gear, and water skis?)

6. Sport-Tech ? - After Herb left O'Brien the following the scandal, he started Sport-tech and designed a ski with a binding that could be adjusted laterally to compensate for weak side turns.

7. Variable Textured Bottom - In late 1970's, earlu 1980' Jobe came out with a Variable textured bottom (Jobe Professional) where, on the bottom, the tail 1/3 was smooth, the middle 1/3 was semi-rough, and the front 1/3 was very rough. This was in recognition of the importance of drag in slowing down the ski in the preturn, when more of the ski is supposed to be in the water. Also was probably responsibile for the birth of 'Break at the waist, fall on your face." That ski could really slow you down, without much warning.

8. The wing - Steve Schnitzki claims to have invented the wing, that little foil we attach to our fins to accomplish the drag that the variable textured bottom was trying to achieve. This brought an end to variable textured bottoms. A lot of face plants were witnesed as people experimented with getting that setting right. Now I think Steve has come out with an fixed wing at 9 degrees that is supposed to be the ideal angle for just about every one.

9. Speed - At 36mph and 38 off, skier speed is in excess of 60 mph across the wake.

10. Hitting the boat - At rope lengths of 39.5 off and shorter, it is possible for a skier to actually hit the side of the boat after a turn. In this case things have usually gone prety awry.... (5/28/09 - See photo later in this thread, Alan Larkin at 38 off)

11. Ski Cost - It is possible to spend over $3000 MSRP on a slalom ski with bindings.

12. Plank skiing - a skier at Gordon Rathbuns Ski Paradise in Acapulco was able to ski the course on a 3 foot long 2x4 or 2x6 ? with no bindings.

Please confirm or debunk these and add your own...

Added 5/16/09

13. Long line at 36 - The pass at long line (75 ft) at 36 mph is harder than the pass at 15 off at 36. I have direct experience with this from my youth. That long line pass was brutal. There is a reason why back in the 80's they changed the rule to allow you to start at slower speeds at 15 off and count your 36 mph pass as a double pass.

14. Big Spray = Good Skiing - In my early days we had a guy on the lake who put up a huge wall of water. And honestly, that was a big part of my inspiration to get into slalom, I thought it looked pretty cool and the girls dug it. I have learned since that your spray is the result, not the goal, and if you are not putting up huge water, it does not mean you are skiing poorly.

15. Left Foot advantage - In the early days of skiing the cours I felt I was at a disadvantage being RFF. For me #1 ball was critical and if you were a little late it was easier for LFF skiers to adjust because it was their strong side turn. I think that this perception was just becasue I had a bad gate. I notice Andy Mapple and a few other top skiers are RFF. So I think if you are RFF and have a really good gate, you are at an advantage.

16. 6 foot barrier - Due to the demand for a long reach at 38 off and shorter, you must be at least 6 feet to ski those short ropes. Terry Winter has proven this to be a myth - and I am sure he is not the only one. There is clearly a physical limit related to height, but guys like Terry keep pushing the envelope.

Keep the mythbusting alilve...

Dave

What a great thread!
I found this thread while searching to confirm whether it was Jobe or OBrien that was caught smuggling cocoaine. It was O'Brien, he was financing the purchases to bail out OBrien (not AMF etc.) and his CFO was involved also. They would ship skis to Chile, then make the purchase and ship them back to the US and empty them in the factory in Redmond. This is all available in The Seattle Times archives and miscellaneous court documents found by searching Bing (or Google, or...)

#5- it was possible to spend over 100k for a ski, if it was a mid-70s Obrien, special Chilean model.

Here is another one to add:
Conelly and O'Brien worked for a guy in North Seattle that taught them how to laminate and press (shape) wood skiis, cut them, finish etc. Back in the day it was the shiz to have a custom "Wally Burr" slalom ski. My dad has a Wally Burr, and it is indeed flat bottom. But, I just found this auction, and it looks like this Wally Burr has a tunnel? So does that debunk Herb OBrien inventing the tunnelled ski (#1 on the list) ?? Did he really learn this from Wally Burr?
http://www.ltd-cars.com/ebay/p1-v31/c-120709110745.htm

Edit - I actually met Wally Burr when I was a kid (teenager) my dad took me to his house and we went into his basement and he showed us a bunch of clamping jigs, saws, planers etc. He must have been in his late 70's or into his 80's and wasn't making skis anymore, but Connelly was giving him some wood Comp 2's for what ever reason and he sold us one of those. Still have that ski, and my dad still has his Wally Burr. My dad is 82 today, hasn't skied for about 15 years.

One more - Jobe was the first and only waterski company to incorporate a honeycomb core in their waterskis. This technology was being used in Hexcel snowskis at the time and Jobe incorporated it into his waterski design.

[BensonWdby]

I still have my Jobe Professional from 1978? Honeycomb with variable textured bottom. Just before they started using wings. My wife still skis on it.

[newty]

Great thread! Funny... my first slalom ski was an obrian and it had a small coleman camping gear logo on it. That was in the the early 80's. Always wondered why that was there.

My dad still has an old Connelly Hook with the holes in the fin. That thing is so loud it will make your ears numb if you ride it for more than 5 or so minutes.

My mom still has an old sidwinder with the pink shag carpet in the rear slip binding = 70's awesomeness!!! Actually my dad bought it for her on there wedding day in 1969! I need to get those things out and get some pics.

[kaneboats]

I had an O'brien World Team in about '83 or '84 that had the Coleman logo. My Mom and Dad both had the Taperflex slalom skis that were dark woodgrain on top and white woodgrain on the bottom and had the avocado green shag carpet on them. Those were the $hit in the early 70's.

[Mikey]

I still have my Jobe Honeycomb ski 1 model down from the pro,which i years ago added a fin too. Guess i was really slowing/stopping that ski. Back then i really never noticed the difference.I still have it and should actually try it out just for old times sake. Other than the fact i'm 30lbs heavier than i was then . Probably gonna just sink??