Lets talk about boots

[SunriseH2OSkier]

How many people, especially in America where our standards and expectations are high, would take something out of the box, find out it's not right, throw it back in the box, return it, and never try anything from that company again? Hmmmm...

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Apparently not enough...

[SunriseH2OSkier]

I can't wait to get them in the water.

Yeah, it took all the restraint I could muster to not put those puppies on my CDX for the Polar Bear ski on Saturday! In the end, I just decided I didn't want to risk a yardsale while trying to get used to new boots with frozen feet. It's gonna be a long 3 months...

[Hoover]

Yeah, it took all the restraint I could muster to not put those puppies on my CDX for the Polar Bear ski on Saturday!  In the end, I just decided I didn't want to risk a yardsale while trying to get used to new boots with frozen feet.    It's gonna be a long 3 months...

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I, on the other hand incapable of restraint, decided to try my new Bio with frozen feet. The Bio doesnt seem to like the cold much. It was a very tight hard shell by the end of my run. I could not get out of it. GT had to get it off my foot from the boat. It was very pleasent hanging out in the water for that

[Baddog]

Thought the RLXi was winterized and done for the season.

[Hoover]

Thought the RLXi was winterized and done for the season.

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Polar Bear ski in Michigan on the 3rd

[SunriseH2OSkier]

I, on the other hand incapable of restraint, decided to try my new Bio with frozen feet.  The Bio doesnt seem to like the cold much.  It  was a very tight hard shell by the end of my run. I could not get out of it.  GT had to get it off my foot from the boat.  It was very pleasent hanging out in the water for that

Probably about as pleasant as the faceplant Ted took barefooting, then waiting for the boat to swing back around so he could try again!

I hadn't thought about not being able to get out of the bindings in the cold. Come to think of it, I almost couldn't get my feet out of the Animals. Darn near tweaked every muscle in the backs of me legs getting out. What fun it was, eh?

[SunriseH2OSkier]

We've drifted way off topic, but I got home Saturday afternoon and my lake was nearly glass. If not for having just gotten the feeling back in my extremities, I would have been all over it.

Back on topic...

I keep going down in my basement just to get a sniff of that brand spankin' new neoprene from the Approaches. Gawd I that smell!

Edited December 7, 2005 by SunriseH2OSkier

[tvano]

hijack on:

i left skiers pier and headed to the home pond, too, thinking that sets sunday would be better 'cause we have a shower.

when i got to the ramp there was 1/4" of ice.

with the temps we have had and looking @ the 10 day forecast i officially declared that "the end of summer may be approaching".

now i have to head out to the garage to get the 'bu ready for a long winters nap.

hijack off.

[onamission]

I've always taken apart my boots and moved things around trying for a better fit or to make up for the stretching of the overlays. Getting any boot off in the cold water has always been a royal PITA for me. Not sure if it was the cold water, the wakeboarders or the tubers but did you guys find the wake behind that I-Ride to huge? Middle Straits is now frozen over.

[tvano]

Not sure if it was the cold water, the wakeboarders or the tubers but did you guys find the wake behind that I-Ride to huge?

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the first thing i said to sunrise at your pulled out: "ain't any holes through that wake at any speed".

[SunriseH2OSkier]

Yeah, it was bad. When the boat came back to get me after my run, the bilge pump was running full bore. I suspect they had a ton of water in that boat, because my '01 Sunsetter, which I think is the same basic boat, was never that bad. I also think that was the reason your footing run felt slow - Dirk (?) may have been watching the RPMs to maintain speed, but I think there was a lot more weight in that ride than he was accounting for.

[onamission]

Yeah, it was bad.  When the boat came back to get me after my run, the bilge pump was running full bore.  I suspect they had a ton of water in that boat, because my '01 Sunsetter, which I think is the same basic boat, was never that bad.  I also think that was the reason your footing run felt slow - Dirk (?) may have been watching the RPMs to maintain speed, but I think there was a lot more weight in that ride than he was accounting for.

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Could it have been a wakeboard hull? Last year at demo days I skied behind a 05 Sunscape with the ski hull and it was no where near as bad, you could run that boat through the course.

GT: The shot of the boat with the icicles on the bow was great. Once Tracie sets up the gallery on the crew events we can upload them there.

[JohnDoe]

Yeah, it was bad.  When the boat came back to get me after my run, the bilge pump was running full bore.  I suspect they had a ton of water in that boat, because my '01 Sunsetter, which I think is the same basic boat, was never that bad.  I also think that was the reason your footing run felt slow - Dirk (?) may have been watching the RPMs to maintain speed, but I think there was a lot more weight in that ride than he was accounting for.

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Could it have been a wakeboard hull? Last year at demo days I skied behind a 05 Sunscape with the ski hull and it was no where near as bad, you could run that boat through the course.

GT: The shot of the boat with the icicles on the bow was great. Once Tracie sets up the gallery on the crew events we can upload them there.

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The I-ride is a wake hull, that, normally slaloms acceptably. I think the point being made is that there was a lot of water...somewhere...on board.

[SunriseH2OSkier]

JD's got it right. My '01 Sunsetter had the wake hull, but had no where near that wake.

[SunriseH2OSkier]

Hoover and I waited for the RLXi to get back for our passes. Just like home

I wish we would have waited. Dirk (?) convinced us that given the temps, the wake would be the last thing we were worried about out there. He was wrong...

[SunriseH2OSkier]

OK, back on topic one more time.

This time, I'd like to consider the topic of pivoting the rear boot. Even though my Animals are designed to allow it, I've never experimented with it. Any comments out there on the in's and out's of doing so? I'm thinking in terms of what it might do to help or hurt good form on the ski. But if there are other considerations, I'd like to hear that too.

Don't know if it matters for this topic, but I'm RFF on an '02 CDX. And in case it wasn't obvious earlier, I'll be in a pair of Approachs come Spring. (A week after buying them, I'm still )

[NorCaliBu]

This time, I'd like to consider the topic of pivoting the rear boot....Any comments out there on the in's and out's of doing so?

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I'm RFF as well. I like to push my left heel just a tiny bit to the right. The small toe on my left foot would get really sore with the boot straight and it was because my foot was trying to twist and it was driving my little toe into the side of the boot. It also relieved the small bit of twisting pressure on my knee.

What you don't want is so much angle that it brings your knees apart. That happened to me when I was first playing with different rear foot angles.

Edited December 9, 2005 by NorCaliBu

[skisix@38]

schnitz has a bunch of tips for when to pivot the boot. Some of them work as he advertises and some I couldn't feel any difference. To sum up what he said a little, you would pivot the back boot to fine tune your on-side turn. Really to de tune it, like if you are getting too much turn or you're finishing too hard. You pivot the boot and that causes the ski to not ride as deep in the water and it also keeps your hips from rotating as much. www.schnitzskis.com under the ski tips tab.

After GT finds this section we won't see or hear from him for a week, as there is literally pages of good stuff there. I should email his wife to apologize but he would be on the computer.

[skisix@38]

Opt for the forward movement and then as you get used to what the X5 will do, you can decide if you want to come back from there. I think that this approach will get you a sharper turn radius resembling your phantom.

GT -- you'll need to determine where you're foot is in relation to your ski again.  When switching from Animals to Phantoms/Approach, I think your heel is moved forward on the ski 1/4 - 3/8" when using the same bolt holes.  But who knows what you've got after switching front to back.

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The actual difference between mounting a Large Animal and a Large Approach, measuring from the front boot's heel rubber to the tail came out to be 1/8". Of course the centerline of the holes is exactly 1/4" so you get to decide whether you want 1/8" forward or 1/8" back from where the Animal was. There is, however, good news....I seriously doubt that I'll be able to tell the difference either way.

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[Baddog]

Always been a back foot out guy because that's what everyone else did when I learned to ski about 103 years ago. I'm comfortable with it and have been able to save a start on several occasions when the driver didn't know jack about what she was doing.

-- However --

Pretty much because of all y'all on this site I recently upgraded to a new for me high end ski and am still looking for a set of boots. Almost faltered and went with the RTP but will resist that evil temptation and go double boots.

1/2 vote for RTP (cause I can do it)

1/2 vote for double boots cause I'm going to learn how to do it when the water is a bit less firm (as it is now)

[SunriseH2OSkier]

Started with RTP when I was first starting on Slalom. Tried foot out, couldn't get out of the water, tried foot in (and tried and tried and tried) and finally made it.

Not much later, tried a buddy's higher end ski with the double boots. I really liked the setup, though at the time it was probably more a function of the better ski than the binding choice. I started using his ski all the time, and got used to the double boots. So when the time came to buy my own, I put the double boots on.

Last time I tried to ski with the RTP, I felt really out of place. Couldn't get used to the freedom on my back foot. Felt like I could fall off the ski at any moment. Guess I have just come to like having my feet firmly planted on the stick.

for double boots.

[mrothwell]

I learned how to slalom using a RTP and mostly shore started for years. Altho I still miss shore starts, I have learned that the rear full boot helps me a lot. With the RTP, my foot moved around, knees separated more, and I noticed my heel off of the ski a lot. After re-learning to deep water start, because I always started with rear foot out, I absolutely love the control that the rear boot gives me. I would now have a difficult time going back to the RTP.

[skisix@38]

SAFETY! My own and those nearby. I want to minimize the risk of my feet, and everything attached, going different directions when I crash.

Secondly, I think that pyhsically a person with a full boot maintains more control over the ski then w/RTP. Especially in an out of balance turn. Andy can do it because he is always balanced.

[Chef23]

I learned as a rear foot out guy and did shore starts for 30 years. Until recently we always shore started even when skiing the course.

I do have a set of Wileys now so I may try a double boot next year. We put a second course in on my lake a couple of years ago and one of the ends has kind of a short set up so getting up with both feet would be a help.

[onamission]

SAFETY!  My own and those nearby.  I want to minimize the risk of my feet, and everything attached, going different directions when I crash.

Secondly, I think that pyhsically a person with a full boot maintains more control over the ski then w/RTP.  Especially in an out of balance turn.  Andy can do it because he is always balanced.

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Always put my back foot in the RTP to get up from the very beginning, the 70’s. I could never figure out that dragging a foot thing. When I bought my first slalom ski, a EP Comp 2. I ended up putting a heel cup like the one an adj. boot has with the RTP, homemade rear boot. And it been double boots all the way scents then. Tried a friend D3 this summer with a RTP, don't know how anyone can ski that way, I just about fell over at the buoys, and I have fairly even good and bad sides.