Competition Waterskiing... equipment advice

[nelson]

I haven't bought a new slalom ski in 10 years and need to now. I am wondering if any mountain bikers (you or someone you know) are also the type who hits the course every morning at 6:00 a.m. every warm enough day of the year... I am a big guy, 6 foot 235, ski a mid 90's Obrien G3 Revenge... what brand do you swear by, what have you tried, etc. I have always liked Connelly and Obrien, but what else should I consider. I will probably go high-end... like the Mapple or the F1... please help, I'm lost in sales pitches

Brett

[Littlebike]

I no longer own a boat and my equipment of choice was usually bare feet but, if I were in the market for some equipment I would stop by Silver Spray Sports in Fenton Michigan.

They have always been my favorite shop. Good people. Good personalities. Amazing product knowledge.

If you go there or call, talk to Dion. She is the hands down expert when it comes to ropes, skies, wakeboards, etc. It is her industry and she knows whats going on.

The owner of the skishop and Ski Nautique dealership is Jeff Smith, ex pro barefooter. They live for the water.

[KonaDawg]

Hmm... you should try wakeboarding - it's way better!

Andrea

[ridingfree]

if you want to get rid of the *beep* sticks you can come and ride with us on the X-Star!

[Littlebike]

I would not mind getting a few barefooting runs in this year.

When I bought my boat - '84 mastercraft - it came with a few sets of skis, I promptly gave those away. I owned the boat for 6 years and I can honestly say NOBODY ever stood on Skis behind my boat when I owned it.

I sold and kept all the gear - Kneeboard, Ropes, Jackets, Fat Sacks, Skylon, Wetsuit, Barefoot suit.

Anybody want to do some Kneeboarding and Barefooting?

[Nate_H.]

I went kneeboarding this past weekend for the first time in about 8 years in Indianapolis behind my dad's boat (18' '04 Crownline). It was a real blast, but ouch...my muscles aren't used to that. That was Saturday, and I'm still hurting.

[michael]

I've got a Connelly Concept. It works for me. It's not an F1, but I'm not quite F1 material myself.

Skiing has lost its luster for me, although I still enjoy doing a couple runs. Wakeboarding has taken over as my watersport of choice.

As far as boats go, I still do it old-school with a '99 Mastercraft ProStar 205 and a Skylon pole....

[KonaDawg]

As far as boats go, I still do it old-school with a '99 Mastercraft ProStar 205 and a Skylon pole....

Hey, that's a great setup! That's what I started on. Do you have a fat sac in the back? Now I ride behind an X-Star, but I miss the ProStar wake because it's more of a gentle slope than a steep ramp. Shhh... I would get in trouble if the boat owner heard me say that!

[nelson]

Yes, on wakeboarding, have been wakeboarding since... when did the skurfer launch come out? I have lost some interest because of size limitations because I'm fat. Just like I don't climb like a 145#er on a bike, a 225# wakeboarder isn't going to be able to pull speedballs... barely a hoochie glide or tantrum... I pull rolls behind an Air nautique or X-star... but I won't ever set the world on fire, the sky is not the limit, it seems. Have the 1200 lb lounge seat and the skylon, but still prefer 3-50 gallon barrels full of water, or two full of water, and one full of beer and ice. Wakeboarding is still my favorite, mostly because you can do it any time. Slalom is a revisited addiction, as is barefooting. We barefoot only when it's too rough to slalom though.

As for the ski... thanks for the suggestions! I decided on the O'Brien Mapple 6/AM, too much ski for me, yes, but I can always improve, right???

I am always looking for people with whom to ski... if any of you would like to meet up for some footin', wakeboarding, or even mountain biking, I always enjoy meeting people with like hobbies!

Brett Nelson