New slalom ski design

[ncsone]

Anybody out there heard anything about these new 'relaxed' waterskis for open water skiing? Not saying I am going to rush out and buy one, but it seems like a decent idea for when the boat is full, you have newbies on board, etc.

Overview: http://vimeo.com/49747021

Skis:
HO Freeride:
http://www.hosports.com/waterskis-freeride.php

Radar has one with a wood core, but their site is under construction right now and I can not think of the name of it. It looks similar to a older Maharajah.

Any opinions on this?

NCSONE

[rkhodges21]

I suck at skiing. Do you think a ski like this would be good for a novice?

[ncsone]

Originally Posted by rkhodges21

I suck at skiing. Do you think a ski like this would be good for a novice?

Yeah, probably so. Lots of surface area makes them easy to get out of the water on, a stable ride and slower speeds are all good things for those new to the activity.

[mikeg205]

I had a previous version of the Freeride - great beginner to novice ski. the new design makes a very fun ski...you won't win and competitions with it - but it's a great price and a great product. Kind of looking like the next model will be a type of cross-over wake/ski thing... I really doubt the edge design will make that much difference for the demographic of this ski buyer. It's always been a great cruisin' ski - Kinda like driving a pickup truck without power steering tho...

[rkhodges21]

Originally Posted by mikeg205

I had a previous version of the Freeride - great beginner to novice ski. the new design makes a very fun ski...you won't win and competitions with it - but it's a great price and a great product. Kind of looking like the next model will be a type of cross-over wake/ski thing... I really doubt the edge design will make that much difference for the demographic of this ski buyer. It's always been a great cruisin' ski - Kinda like driving a pickup truck without power steering tho...

It did seem like Marcus wasn't ripping the turns nearly as good as he can, but I don't really plan to do any competitions, I just want to be able to enjoy any and all types of towboat watersports i.e. ski, wakeboard, surf, kneeboard, and maybe even try the chair. I know I gotta lose some weight though or I will have trouble doing just about any of it.

[ncsone]

I am thinking I may pick one up for those days when we have a boat full of people and I just want to do something to get in the water and get wet.

[mtajpa]

HO add looks like the ski sizes are 65" 167" 169" 171" 65 is to short for me the others would be a bit to long I think.http://www.hosports.com/waterskis-freeride.php

[east tx skier]

Might I suggest one of these. They don't make water rough enough or a wake large enough to bother you on one of these. They have just about doubled in price since I bought mine 9 years ago though.

[3event]

I normally ski a HO System 8 68". I bought a HO Triumph 69" for the bigger boys to use, it's the wider more forgiving shape. It does not have a double tunnel like the Burner or the other freeride series - I have a friend with the Burner who could never get comfortable with it. If it were me, I would stay away from any of those double tunnel models - if it were such a great design idea we would have seen it elsewhere.

Whenever the water is rough and/or I just want an easier ride, I grab the Triumph - rides nice and easy and if I have the driver slow down a couple ticks it makes some nice carving turns and throws a good wall of water.

My wife needed her first slalom when I taught her and we bought another wider body ski - the Connelly Outlaw. As with the Triumph, the wider shape helps the skier get out of the water quicker and provides a nice stable ride.

[ncsone]

That new Radar ski interests me as well with the wood core, but their website has been down for the last 3 days so I can not link to it just yet.

The HO seemed interesting with the reverse sidewall on the back 1/2 of the ski and all. The Radar ski looks super laid back. May just have to demo one to see what it is all about.