How Much Improvement During a Ski Season?

[#47of100TeamMC]

I want to get talking about running the Slalom course. I've been slaloming for a few years now, used to wakeboard. Last year at the very end of the season actually my very Last weekend on the water. A neighbor had a slalom course in the lake and I'd always wanted to try the course. (just free skied before that) The water was pretty choppy actually had white caps on it. But I didn't care I wanted to try it. I had the line at 15off and went to make my first pass. I missed the Entrance gates on the early side, and ran all 6 bouys and the exit gate. 2nd pass I hit the entrance gates and ran all 6 with exit gates. I WAS PUMPED! that was the last set on the water for the year... Right now I have a new Ez-slalom course in the garage just waiting to see water!

Now for the discussion topic... How much have you guys improved in the course over the duration of a season. what is average, what can I expect? I've watched pretty much every slalom video I could get my hands on this winter. They make It look SOO easy (which is probably only going to make me frustrated this summer) How much can a guy expect to improve? what are you guys running? how old were you when you started the course?...

[erkoehler]

The amount that you can improve over a summer can't be determined by anyone but yourself.....with that said, you have to take into consideration how often you ski, how long your sets are, will you be able to get any instruction from ski schools, or are there any other slalom skiers in your "group" that will be able to help you analyze your runs.

Ski as much as possible, as often as possible and you will get better.

[G-man]

I find if I ski the course 3 times a week I improve. 2 times a week I maintain and don't progress. At my age I'm ok with that. Finally went out last weekend and still feel the sore muscles. I'ts going to be a rough season I think.

[BrianM]

It really depends on how dedicated you are to ski and instruction which means time on the water. Two years ago I was basicly just getting into skiing the course. I skied 3 days a week in the summer. Went to ski school for a day and always had veteran course skiers in the boat giving me tips. I went from sking the course 15 off 30 mph to occasionally running my 22 off pass 36 mph in about three months. That was my experience you may very well progress faster or slower.

[BrianM]

Somehow managed to double post

[east tx skier]

Originally Posted by BrianM

It really depends on how dedicated you are to ski and instruction which means time on the water. Two years ago I was basicly just getting into skiing the course. I skied 3 days a week in the summer. Went to ski school for a day and always had veteran course skiers in the boat giving me tips. I went from sking the course 15 off 30 mph to occasionally running my 22 off pass 36 mph in about three months. That was my experience you may very well progress faster or slower.

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.

Ski school is a great thing, but if you don't work at it apart from that, and moreover, work at it in the course, you won't likely see as swift a result. I've progressed more slowly than I'd like and I think it's a direct correlation to my not skiing as often as I'd like.

[#47of100TeamMC]

Perhaps I should Re-state my question.

How have you done Year to year? How fast did you improve? Personalize it, not generalize it.
(whew, I'm glad were not the same. I was worried)

[east tx skier]

My forays into the course were very sporadic up until last season (when we got our own course). After that, they were sporadic until the end of July. I guess I don't have a lot of natural ability as I'm still struggling with the 15 off pass at 30 mph. But with a bit of regularity, I picked up 3 balls in a matter of a couple of months, which amounted to about 5 trips to the course.

I'm expecting more use this year and more balls to fall.

Running 15 off on your second try is more in a mater of 14 seconds than I've achieved in a couple of years.



That said, I'm having fun even when I'm not skiing well by my standards. If you are having fun, improvement is secondary. But it still feels good. I felt as good getting around that three ball as I did the first time I got around the two ball.

[Kevin 89MC]

I've been thinking about starting a thread like this. I wondered the same thing. My brief history: I've free skied all my life, but only a few times a year at the grandparent's cabin behind an outboard. My sister & I got our MC in '97, I got on a Connelly ski (OK, it was my sister's Silouette!), and was amazed at how much more fun skiing was. I was hooked! We skied 2-3 times a week for the first few years. I thought I was gettin' pretty good . . . until I tried the course! That was in about 2000. For the next few years, I ran the course maybe 4-5 times total each year. Finally made 15 off at 30 MPH in prob 2001, a year after starting the course, but only 6 or 7 passes. I was stoked! Then course skiing took a back seat (got married, had kids, etc), but now we ski on a private lake with timeslots. Been doing that for 3 years, so I've been getting through the course more. I only average about once per week, though, and have only made it to 15 off @33 MPH Now that the kids are able to ride in the boat, and the wife learns to drive the course this spring, and I installed Perfect Pass last fall, I expect to get much more skiing in.
I've also watched a lot of videos, but I think the biggest thing was videotaping myself. I got a Trakker last fall, and was amazed by how little I was really leaning & pulling across the wake. I thought I was pulling so hard, esp stong side, but the video was pretty humbling. It looked like I'm not even really trying! I see myself ease off before the wake, and didn't really realize I was doing that. No wonder I can't even make 15 off @34 MPH! As previously mentioned, I really don't expect to get much better until I can ski at least 2X/week.
I tell ya, skiing the course is such a rush! I'm hooked on chasing buoys! I have to remember to free ski once in a while to not get stuck in a rut.
OK, that's enough rambling, sorry for the length. I'm getting excited-I get the boat in 2 days!

[Kevin 89MC]

Originally Posted by #47of100TeamMC

Now for the discussion topic... How much have you guys improved in the course over the duration of a season. what is average, what can I expect? I've watched pretty much every slalom video I could get my hands on this winter. They make It look SOO easy (which is probably only going to make me frustrated this summer) How much can a guy expect to improve? what are you guys running? how old were you when you started the course?...

After all that rambling I realized I didn't really respond to your questions. For the few times I was able to string together 2-3 times per week for a few weeks, I could get consistent at a speed and bump it up 1 MPH. I spent a little bit at 30, then a few months at 31 (~10 passes), a few more months at 32(~15 more passes), and made a few 33 MPH passes last fall. Never got 34 clean. I guess I've only averaged 1 MPH per year! My B-I-L has the apparently rare year of PP that can be adjusted in 1 MPH increments. I don't, so I'll have to skip from 32 to 34 on my boat. I'm going to get into 22 off this year or go out the front trying!