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Old     (G22inSC)      Join Date: Sep 2016       09-04-2016, 4:40 PM Reply   
I’ve been reading on here for a while and finally wanted to ask a question. I know this is probably a heavily biased board but I’m hoping for some good opinions. My boys have become interested in wake boarding which means I caught the bug for watersports again. Back in my youth (39 years old now and a lot slimmer) I would waterski with the family. No competition and never really did learn deep water slalom starts. I haven’t touched a slalom ski in probably 25 years now so either way I go, slalom or wake boarding, I will have to buy something new. Wake boards did not exist back then and not sure which way to go. The wife really can’t drive the boat well and to help I’m going to be installing a PerfectPass over the winter. I don’t intend on flipping, etc. I just want to have fun. Which would be easier and not as rough on the body assuming the following…

slalom ski would be a newer open-water type ski (HO Freeride, Radar Butter Knife, etc.) at slower speed

wakeboard such as Ronix District with just a little jumping, ollies, 180’s from my old skateboarding days

What would you’ll do?
Old     (302_Rider)      Join Date: Oct 2015       09-04-2016, 5:44 PM Reply   
The trend for the older guys has been surfing. But between the two I would choose wakeboarding. It sounds like you would almost be relearning slalom in a sense and for that effort you may as well take up boarding. It's a slower speed with a wider variety of things to do with it. Not to mentions your kids are getting into it and it would be a great hobby to share with them.
Old     (99Bison)      Join Date: Sep 2012       09-04-2016, 11:35 PM Reply   
Similar situation happened here 3-4 years ago... Wakeboarding is where we went , addictive.
Old     (G22inSC)      Join Date: Sep 2016       09-05-2016, 4:54 AM Reply   
Surfing is out as our boat is an I/O and that's not an option to change right now. I'm also leaning toward wake boarding but I've always had that pull of the wall of spray (not that I could though).
Old     (ord27)      Join Date: Oct 2005       09-05-2016, 9:12 AM Reply   
As an old guy myself, and a former competitive slalom guy, I understand the debate

Wakeboarding will require considerably less effort to get on top of the water and to ride around. It's much easier on the body if all you plan on doing is riding back and forth behind the boat. Even one wake jumps require less effort than pulling a slalom from side to side

Having said that. The falls can be brutal. Even riding at 19-22 mph vs. 26-32 on a slalom, the slalom falls are much easier than catching an edge on a wakeboard

I would say, learn to board, but keep the edge up.....have fun, good luck
Old     (GoBeavs85)      Join Date: Jul 2015       09-05-2016, 9:37 AM Reply   
Fun problem to have! If you have an I/O your boat isn't really suited to do either sport more than the other. Why not dabble in both? You can pick up some stuff used for cheap!

I personally do both. I got to be an almost average wakeboarder doing wake to wake grabs way out into the flats, front side 3's, and tantrums. I never ski'd the course but just run open water at 34mph at 15' off. I have found that skiing is harder on my body from a work out standpoint. I'll wake up the next morning a little sore but the good kind. The way you should feel after a good workout. Wakeboarding falls have hurt waaaaayyyy more!!! I have slowly boarded less and less. When I do board I don't do my invert or spins for fear of the bad fall. So it's disappointing to be going backwards on the board. On the ski I have continued to push my self w/o any falls that hurt so bad my day was ended. I'm almost 31 and I know in giving up on boarding way younger than most on this forum.

FYI I picked up a decent slalom ski on Craigslist for $40. It's not too popular of a sport so you can find some deals.
Old     (G22inSC)      Join Date: Sep 2016       09-05-2016, 4:33 PM Reply   
How different/easier are the new shaped skis like the Freeride compared the old standard skis? Are they that much easier to get up on?
Old     (feral)      Join Date: Oct 2011       09-05-2016, 8:11 PM Reply   
freeride excellent to get up on, track well and easy to ride - don't turn real well (pre intermediate level)

district good simple board
Old     (biggator)      Join Date: Jul 2010       09-06-2016, 8:53 AM Reply   
I live on a big lake.. the ONLY kids I see on skis are those whose parents put them on skis. Kids all want to wakeboard (it looks more fun and there's more 'stuff' to try).

It's WAY easier to get kids up and riding on a wakeboard - we teach kids all the time and have a damn near 100% success rate at getting them up and having fun.. I wouldn't even want to begin teaching kids to slalom.

As for you? No reason you can't do both.. but you may very well find wakeboarding more fun as well.
Old     (granddaddy53)      Join Date: Dec 2013       09-06-2016, 9:14 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by ord27 View Post
As an old guy myself, and a former competitive slalom guy, I understand the debate

Wakeboarding will require considerably less effort to get on top of the water and to ride around. It's much easier on the body if all you plan on doing is riding back and forth behind the boat. Even one wake jumps require less effort than pulling a slalom from side to side

Having said that. The falls can be brutal. Even riding at 19-22 mph vs. 26-32 on a slalom, the slalom falls are much easier than catching an edge on a wakeboard

I would say, learn to board, but keep the edge up.....have fun, good luck
I would agree with most slams but it was slalom skiing falling on my rib cage with arm extended coming out of a turn and badly separated or bruised rib cartilages and I did it 2 or 3 times before I upgraded , if I surf off shore surf these days my rib cage kills me where these injuries occurred, takes 3 or 4 days paddling for it to cal down . Went to the armour style jackets almost 20 years ago, my wakeboard fall pains normally don't last but I don't invert.
So real slalom ripping you can get serious **** happen to you cause the acceleration speeds are so much more magnified
Old     (trayson)      Join Date: May 2013 Location: Vancouver WA       09-06-2016, 9:54 AM Reply   
I think that if you get a reasonable amount of water time, then you'd be cheating yourself to not do both.

Deep water starts aren't as hard as you'd think if you get the right ski and read up on the proper technique. I'd had a 10 year break from slalom skiing, so I had to re-teach myself and I get up first pull every time now. Getting a comfortable ski with nice bindings is great. I likewise looked at the HO Freeride, but was encouraged to get something that has a little more range in it as my skills increased. So I went with a "blem" package of the Radar Theory. It's been GREAT for me. Honestly, all I do is cross from one side to the other (gently) and once I'm outside the wake, I cut HARD and throw up a wall of spray. Yeah, it has really nothing to do with "real" slalom skills of running a course, but cutting out is satisfying and it's something I can do with really little relative risk of crashing.

When I got my first boat 3 years ago, I tried to slalom on a hand me down ski that was too aggressive and too big for me. it was a big fail. You don't need something with a crazy aggressive profile if you're just a free-skier.


As far as wakeboarding, jump on that too. My buddy just got a year end closeout deal on a hyperlite board with Ronix full boot bindings for $200 out the door for both. Crazy. For wakeboarding, yeah, there's crash potential, but again, it'll really be relative to how hard you push yourself and what you try to pull off. I can ride all day long and do wake-to-wakes with some grabs, some slides, and some 180's; with no real risk of falling. I never progressed into the big spins or inverts, and at 44 I'm okay with the level that I can ride at.

I vote both honestly. they're really different and give different satisfaction. If you have the time behind the boat, then get a deal on some closeout gear and go for it.
Old     (tweeder)      Join Date: Aug 2015       09-06-2016, 10:10 AM Reply   
Tray hit the nail on the head. Hadn't skied in closer to 20 years and decided to do it a couple times this season. Had an absolute blast, it is def a different form of fun than wakeboarding. Don't go with the Freeride or Butterknife. I rode the Butterknife first time out and that ski is really good for people that want to get up and go strait. Trying to get the thing to dig in and turn was a chore. Next time out I got up on a HO V-Type or Radar Vapor (didn't pay attention) and had a lot more fun on that ski. I would recommend finding a HO Tx or Radar Senate Alloy Edition.

Go with both so you can keep things new behind the boat.

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