Subscribe to PostsWe were fortunate enough to have tech reps/pros/coaches from each of the manufacturers of the skis we rode at the ISR.
It was quite a treat for all the riders to get a chance to have these guys in the boat.
Here is a short run down of who showed up at the H2Oz Training Center for the ISR Week.
JB
Connelly:
Connelly sent two reps down for their review day. None other than Mr Jamie Beauchesne showed up to dial in some skis and blow some minds. JB rolled out the the H2oz TC with a hot cup of Joe in hand. Throughout the day he tweaked some skis up and rattled some of the reviewers brains with his unique brand of coaching and advice on how to properly ride the Prophecy, and he should know a little something about it, he had a huge hand in the design of the ski, and oh yea, he has taken that ski through 41 off!
Also, Connelly Engineer and water skier Jon Cottons, AKA “Cotto” was on site to get technical
Cotto
and explain the finer processes of the build of the ski and talk some hydro dynamics to anyone who wanted there brain melted! Cotto is a pretty smart dude who is able to take the theory’s of hydro dynamics and apply them into the skis he designs.He also was able to explain it in a way that even I could understand, somewhat!
It was great to have both these guys on site from Connelly, as they teamed up to make sure the Prophecy was dialed in for the review.
D3:
The award for the shortest distance traveled by a Mfg’er rep/pro/coach goes to D3. Seth Stisher of D3 was on site to help get everything dialed in for all the Nomad RCX and X5 Pro(Rose) riders for the ISR. After all, the ISR invaded
Stisher
his site. Seth owns and operates the H2Oz Training Center in Johns Island, SC and he was gracious enough to let us carve up the waters all week long. Seth is known around the world for being one of the top coaches in the sport today. Couple that with a PB of 2@41 off and you have yourself a pretty damn smart water ski geek! Seth has also been instrumental in the testing and design of D3 skis for the past few years. Chances are, if you have gone to ski at the H2oz TC, you probably watched Seth ride some sort of test ski for D3. With Mr. Stisher on site, the D3 skis that were ridden were most definitely dialed in.
Goode:
Goode made the right call by sending down one of the chillest skiers around. Chad Scott made the trip from the Big Easy to hang at the ISR for the Goode day, and made sure that anyone who rocked an SL out, whether it was the skinny ski or the fat boy, had
Goodes Special Agent
a smile on there face at the end of the lake. Chad is one of the Premier skiers in the MM division and definitely knows how to tune the black and orange ski. Chad definitely tells you straight up what you need to do and how you need to do it to make the Goode work best for you, and by the end of the day, he almost had to arrest a few ISR riders for attempted theft on the 99 hundys.
HO:
HO had Big Willy Asher on site at the ISR to handle business. And Willy handled his business well. As handy with a set of calipers and screw driver as he is with his slalom stick, Willy dialed in all the ISR riders to the HO A1. Willy is a bit of a quiet guy, but I think that is because he decided to let the ski do all the talking. And for the ISR riders, the ski talked
Big Willing Dialing it in
all the way around 6 ball, and the skiers were listening. You can definitely tell this guy has been skiing, tweaking, learning, with the LaPoints, And it paid off last season for Mr. Asher, as he had his best season yet. Willy is quite the technician with the skis, not only on the water, but off the water as well.
Obrien:
Andy Mapple. Need I say more?
AM working on the Elite Experience
Ok, Seriously though, Andy Mapple was happy to be on hand for the ISR and as soon as we picked up the jaws of the riders off the ground, Andy got the Elite Experience tuned up for ripping. Andy was more than happy to discuss at length with all of our testers(some lengthier than others..Ach chem, Horton) all the details of the brand new ski, that Obrien and Andy had teamed up on this year. Andy has been around long enough and could know just about as much as anyone out there as to why and how a ski works. He didn’t go to school for it, he did study it though, his studies consisted of running 39 off, most likely more than anyone on this earth has ever done it before. Where can I sign up for that class?
Radar:
Radar showed up to the ISR 3 Deep as they brought a truckload of talent and knowledge with them. Along with that, these guys were just plain fun to be around. Chris Sullivan, Matt Rini, and Brett Hargrave rolled up to the ISR ready to show everyone that the RS-1 is
Team Radar
the ski to ride. And with Rini’s tech expertise they did not disappoint. Matt Rini is known worldwide as one of the top coaches around, as well, he is one of the head ski designers at Radar along with Eddie Roberts and the guru, Herb Obrien, so needless to say, Rini knows how to make the RS-1 work. Chris Sullivanhas been involved with water skiing his entire life and is pushing the limits of water skiing on a daily basis. Brett Hargrave is the Radar Rep and keeps an ears distance to Sully and Rini to pick up as much knowledge as he can, and he is a fast learner for sure. The guys from Radar are doing as much as anyone out there to push skiing into the next generation, and the result thus far has been the RS-1. With results like that, skiing is moving in the right direction.
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Now, yes, I understand not everyone has the opportunity to ski with guys like this regularly. But that goes to show, that the ISR is a guide, a starting point. When looking for a new ski, if you can, seek out pros, coaches, reps, someone with some understanding of skis and the sport. Then and only then, will you get all the BANG for your buck! You test drive a car, a boat, why not test drive a ski?
I want to give a huge thanks to all the manufacturers who not only sent skis for us to rip on, but for giving their time and effort to make sure that the ISR is as helpful as possible to all the skiers out there. Without great people like this, the ISR could not have happened.
Thanks.
Independent Ski Review
