Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

[Dante04SRT]

I have been water skiing now for about 7 weeks and am really getting the hang of it. My parents bought a new set of skis for us and I am really enjoying them.

My wife is a slalom skier and I have tried to drop a ski, but can't seem to get it right... (a lot of flips involved) sooo.. I've just stayed with two... It just seems odd, because everyone else seems to be slalom skiing or wakeboarding... which begs the question, Does anyone ski with two or are they just to learn?

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

A lot of people stay on 2 skis. For me it actually makes for a fun ride. Dropping a ski is not easy and becomes a practiced technique. We learned to drop a ski by the tumble and try again method. You will suddenly get it right and all will be well from there.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

By the way, what a nice calm lake you are on in the photo.
Just another note. Make sure the binding on the ski you are going to drop is really loose and if getting your foot out of it is causing issues then grease up the foot with Pam spray or dishsoap.

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

It really comes down to whatever you enjoy most. For me, there is nothing quite like slalom skiing on a glass like surface but I also throw on a second ski and have a bit of fun sometimes.

Keep practicing, one day it will just happen, then set your sights on barefooting.......................................

 

[Irv964]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

I am just getting back into skiing and my wife and young lad are newbies to the sport. I am hoping some day my young lad will try slalom skiing but as far as my wife goes, I can't see her ever wanting to try?
I just recently picked up a new to me pair of ski's(post below) and they came with the extra slalom boot on one of the ski's so come next season I will definitely be giving it a try! At this point in my life I may be a little old to get use to slalom skiing (44yrs) but I am going to try. From what I understand slalom is quite a bit harder and it tuckers you out quicker as well? If that is the case I will be happy skiing with both ski's from there on in............Irv964

 

[Sharp Shooter]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

I learned to ski at age 5. It's much more fun skiing on 1 than 2 ski's.

Forget about dropping a ski and learn to get up on 1. You'll get it eventually...

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

You'll get the hang of slalom skiing...I promise. Still, skiiing on doubles can still be fun. You can really clown around on them, and they're cool for endurance skiing.

When I was a kid (oh, so long ago) my brother and I used to both get behind the boat and see who wore out faster. One time, we skiied from Santa Barbara all the way to Oxnard, both on two skis. Neither of us would give up.

Of course, one of our reasons for not giving up was the Orca (Killer Whale) that was following the boat for a while.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

I learned to ski at age 5. It's much more fun skiing on 1 than 2 ski's.

Forget about dropping a ski and learn to get up on 1. You'll get it eventually...

We all did the "drop a ski" for a while till the family were confident. Then we started pulling up on one.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

It's simply a balance thing and your body must learn it. You don't remember, but it took you a year to learn to walk. So given that you now can apply logic, and you have some degree of balance, it takes less time but still, there is a learning curve. Don't get discouraged. Skiing slalom is much freer and actually easier than using two skis. And shame on your wife for not teaching you.

When you get up on two skis, first practice lifting one ski up off the water. Try each leg to see if you favor normal or goofy foot. I believe Goofy Foot is right leg forward. When you can ski with one ski off the water for about a minute, THEN try dropping one. Remember: you are training the forward leg to handle the ski while you are reaching back for the rear binding--it is a skill your leg does not know yet, and until you learn it, you have no hope of slalom skiing. BTW: during the winter, Ice Skating is excellent cross training to learn independent leg balance and increase strength.

Next, after usually a couple of hours skiing time, when you are fully stable and comfortable on slalom, then learn to deepwater start.

I prefer to use my rear leg out of the binding and dragging like another ski. Makes it quicker and easier for the boat to pull me out. I keep the rope on the inside of the ski. You MUST be able to do a single leg squat and rise on land to be able to deepwater. Once you are comfortable slalom skiing and if you have no problems getting up on two and dropping one, it should take about 10 or so tries to learn to deepwater start a slalom ski. You will probably fall off to either side until you get the hang of it.

After you learn, it will be like riding a bike: you never forget. And with the proper ski, you can get some really nice air time. And there is nothing like laying over and cutting hard, throwing up a wall of spray--can't do that with class on two skis.

Then, in uncrowded areas, you can learn to dock start. Stand on the dock and hold the slalom ski up and level. Depending upon the acceleration of the boat--and this is something you need to learn--you throw several loops of rope into the water. The pilot "hits it" and as the boat takes out the slack you jump forward into the water, putting your rear foot into the binding. If done correctly, you hit the water as the rope goes tight, and accelerate immediately. You never get wet above the ankles. But, of course, never do it at a crowded dock - only a private one where you will not aggravate other boaters--you are responsible for your boat's wake's damage. You can also use this technique for shallow water starts and it is best to learn it there if possible.

I am 63, started at about 15, and still slalom when I can get a spotter. Believe me: if I can do it, anyone can.

Also: when you go to wakeboard, It is way different than skiing. You will need to learn to deepwater again and it will take quite a few tries unless you are really good. The wakeboard handles differently too and you need to relearn to control it--but it all comes with experience. Just keep at it. And remember: the reason you are out there is to have fun. Don't get intense and enjoy even the falls.

 

[Expidia]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

I dropped the second ski as soon as I went around the lake a few times. Used my other foot and dragged it until I got the balance down enough to find the rear boot.

It's a lot easier when the boat you are behind has plenty of power to pop you up out of the water when you try it from a start in the water.

Also sitting on the edge of a dock and holding a few loops of line and tossing them in front of you while the boat gets a little speed will pop you onto the water quicker then when the boat drags you through it.

As long as the boats fast, it's not that hard to ski bare foot either. I've done that also. Start with two skis's and drop one at a time and your bare foot'in baby!

Nothing like the feeling of cutting in and out and leaning into each turn on one ski . . . . . . go for it!

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

Hey, Expedia--Not to hijack, but I learned to ski on Copake Lake and on the Hudson River near the city of Hudson and Coxsackie island. About 20 minutes south of Albany by boat. Many fond memories there

 

[Expidia]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

Hey, Expedia--Not to hijack, but I learned to ski on Copake Lake and on the Hudson River near the city of Hudson and Coxsackie island. About 20 minutes south of Albany by boat. Many fond memories there

I launch from NYS ramp in Coxsackie about once a week!

Just launched at Newburgh last week and cruised on down to the Tappan Zee bridge.

Hudson's a great river for boating . . . can be like glass until the wind blows North or South and then it can change to 3 foot waves in a heartbeat.

Best part for me is there are so many places to launch for free on both sides of the river from Albany to two hours South. Next trip South I'll launch around Haverstraw Bay area which is a few miles North of the Tappan Zee and try and circle Manhattan along the East river and the Hudson.

 

[freddyray21]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

I learned to ski on two then did the drop a ski method also. We all learned on a deep water start to slalom. Where we learned there was no starting from the dock. Couldn't be done as all the docks were in no wake zones. 47 years old and have never done it to this day, but would try it if I could. Our trick was to have the boat get close to shore and cut it hard. You would swing out wide and as you got into the shallow water you stepped out of your ski and on to shore.

 

[6MISFITZ]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

After many years, I remain on 2 skis although this post gives me some great ideas for next year.

Thanks,
Mike.

 

[Rogue427]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

Just make shure you don't drop the wrong ski!! I don't think anybody saw me.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

Just make shure you don't drop the wrong ski!! I don't think anybody saw me.

Funny, but I have to admit we have done it !!!!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

i've been skiing for 50 years, with the new set, try the slalom, of both feet, people are right and left footed, there is no correct foot. get comfortable on the pair, in good water, the start to lift the drop ski out of the water, when you get comfortable holding the ski up, decide which foot you want forward. then what i have always suggested, is stop and loosen the binding of the drop ski, and get back up, then drop the ski, do not worry about, putting the foot in the rear binding until you have your balance with the front foot.

one item that really helps in slalom skiing is a double handle rope. this allows you to controll more of the slack in the ski rope. it also helps when you decide to do a deep water start, with a slalom. you put the tip of your ski, in the center of the V in the handles. this give you a straight pull, instead or a side was pull, much easier to get up.

also read this. http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=226285

 

[Desjer]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

I learnt to drop a ski and then deepwater start just a couple of seasons ago, so the learning experience is fresh in my memory. After many failed attempts at flicking off a ski, the advice that helped me was this. Before dropping a ski, practice lifting one leg off the water, and keeping it up, not just lifting and stepping back down again immediately. This lets you learn the "feeling" of keeping your balance/centre of gravity above the single ski. Once you can do this, should be an easy transition to dropping the second ski.

The first time I really slalomed, I was practicing this, and caught the edge of the second ski in the water (quite by accident) which ripped it off. I stepped onto the back of the ski, and to my great surprise, I was skiing slalom.

NB Previous to the advice, I was trying repeatedly to drop a ski, but never got my centre of gravity above the single ski first, so fell off every time.
Hope this helps, it worked for me.

 

[Dante04SRT]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

I was out skiing yesterday afternoon and tried some of the suggestions. I tried to lift my left foot off of the water and remarkably enough, it didn't seem that difficult. Had I been in our normal ski area, I might have tried to drop a ski, but I didn't want to risk losing a ski in the main channel.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Are two skiis for learning or do ppl stay on 2??

Great writeup, Frank...on how to learn to drop one and progress from 2 to 1. I agree with 90% of it, but I'll offer one alternative/counterpoint to consider for deepwater starts if someone is struggling:

On deepwater starts, I was never able to understand how some people could start with the back foot out of the toehold as you suggest. It feels more unstable and uncomfortable for me, and puts a lot of strain on that one knee. BUT, I have heard this from others many times before, so I know your method obviously works for you as it does for many others.

But personally, even when first learning, I always very much preferred to have both feet in the binding/toe hold for deepwater starts. That way I can do that "squat" to a standing position using BOTH legs/knees, and I have found it much easier to keep the ski straight and stable when you have two legs to leverage it.

So I'd recommend you try it both ways (back foot in, and back foot out), and see which might feel more comfortable for you and go with that.

When I coach and teach people how to do deepwater slalom starts, I usually just tell them to concentrate almost exclusively on 3 simple things:

1. Stay squatted...tuck that ski as close to your body as possible, as close as you can get to nearly sitting your butt on the back of the ski.
2. Arms straight...stretched out toward the tip of your ski. Do NOT do anything to pull back against the pull of the boat. You need to just sit there in that tucked position with arms straight no matter HOW hard the boat is pulling.
3. WAIT for the boat to gain enough speed to completely plane your ski out before you try to deviate from points 1 or 2. Because if you stand too early, or if you start to pull that handle toward your body (natural to do when you're under a pull) you'll just plow more water, get more tired getting up, and become unstable.

You need to just sit there and let the boat pull you. There is absolutely nothing to gain and only energy to lose when you try to pull back against the boat. This is especially critical when you have a slow/underpowered boat that might be dragging your tail for 100 yards while it winds up to power.

The other big reason I always put both feet in the bindings for deepwater starts is because I now slalom exclusively on a full double-boot ski. And anyone who may want to progress to such a ski will need to know how to deepwater with both feet locked in. 'Cause if someone is able to start with one foot out and put their rear foot into a double-boot...well...I wanna meet that guy! I can barely get my feet in my very very snug double boots while just floating in the water!

Occasionally now when I go on a friends boat and open-water ski without my own ski I grab one of theirs, which invariably just has a rear toehold...it feels mighty awkward to me and my heel walks all over the place at first, but I can adjust to it pretty quick. But no question I've grown to become quite reliant on having both feet completely locked in over the years...

And let me throw one last tip out there for learning any watersport in general that I feel is absolutely critical and too often not mentioned...whether you're dropping a ski, or deepwater starting, or tooling along happily on the surface trying to keep your balance, one, two, or wakeboarding. STOP LOOKING DOWN AT YOUR SKI AND AT THE WATER! Keep those eyes forward at ALL times. Look at the boat, at the shore, at your lovely spouse, look ANYWHERE else but down. When you look down, you have less balance no matter what you're doing...walking, bike riding, anything. Have you ever seen a tight rope walker or an Olympic balance beam competitor look down at their feet? NEVER! Because if they did, they'd get wobbly and possibly fall. Beginners always tend to look down by nature and they need to get past this. So keep your eyes forward at ALL times. This will help with everything in these sports...crossing wakes, dealing with rough water, and anything else that might lead you to being unstable. Usually you'll go where your eyes go, and if your eyes go down to look at the big honking wake you're about to hit, you're probably going down too!

Anywho...maybe these tips, in conjunction with Franks excellent write-up, will help someone now or later on their deepwater slalom starts. Happy boating!