CLOSE
Sign up to get news on contests, pro events, new products and special offers.
WATERSKI MagazineI recently had a relization, shaped skis aren't just for beginners. If you've been off the water for a few months, a shaped ski might be just the ticket to help get you back into peak shape for the slalom course. Here are a few reasons you might want to put in some early-season training time on a shaped ski.
The water is still cold and your body isn't in water-skiing shape. Everything will feel fast your first time out, and every fall will feel harder. The shaped ski allows you to start out more slowly and ski with less effort. Falls will be less frequent and not nearly as severe.
You can experiment with different techniques at the start of the season. Any changes on a high-end ski will be risky. But the wide surface area on the shaped skis allows you to try something new without the falls or misses. Remember, any time you fall or miss you're creating a bad habit in technique.
Good habits come from repetition. You can't have much repetition if you're constantly sitting in the freezing water waiting for the boat to turn around. With the shaped skis you can run back-to-backs all morning. You create perfect form, which will come naturally when you switch back to a higher-end ski.
Another advantage to running slower speeds is you can stay at the rope length at which you left off last season or go shorter. Your technique will be the same at any length, regardless of the speed.
This is a great way to check where you're looking in the slalom course. Try to notice the difference when you turn your head farther as you cross the wakes. Does it help you get more angle? Do you feel stronger? Make the proper adjustments.
There's one more advantage to adding a shaped ski to your arsenal: Even after you've gone back to your regular slalom, it's ready and waiting for friends and family who want to improve their skiing skills.
O'Brien team skier Andy Mapple hopes to get out of the blocks quickly this spring as he defends his 1997 Cafi de Colombia World Cup slalom title.
