Parker Ski Races ...

[Wheeler]

I did not bother posting these before, now that there is a "Ski Racing" section I think I will.

 

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[Oz Dude]

Hey Wheeler - awesome shots dude :thumbsup :thumbsup

Those pics you've got of Howard Hoggins' boat, Armed Force (Post #11) really show the lines of the Force well. Did you get a chance to look at his setup while you were there?? That's what all the new Superclass Guys are running Down Under...

And that facility is amazing! Ski Racing in Oz would give it's left nut to have a marina with 100 berths right on a race course like that!! Not to mention all the open space to lay everything out.

What sort of speeds were they doing in those races??

Cheers,
Oz

 

[RiverDave]

Great Pics Wheeler!!

RD

 

[obnoxious001]

Hey Wheeler - awesome shots dude :thumbsup :thumbsup

Those pics you've got of Howard Hoggins' boat, Armed Force (Post #11) really show the lines of the Force well. Did you get a chance to look at his setup while you were there?? That's what all the new Superclass Guys are running Down Under...

And that facility is amazing! Ski Racing in Oz would give it's left nut to have a marina with 100 berths right on a race course like that!! Not to mention all the open space to lay everything out.

What sort of speeds were they doing in those races??

Cheers,
Oz

Speed is always something that gets tossed around and inflated quite a bit. As a ski racer, you must be aware of that!

The first flight of skiers obviously get the best water, and are allowed to run the full width of the river on the way up. Coming back they start crossing their own wakes a little, plus the wakes of the other boats and skiers as they are released. It's a fun course, there are areas that smooth down better than others, and a few with concrete walls that bounce the wakes back and make that area rougher, as well as a couple of "holes" that are always present where you might not expect them.

 

[Oz Dude]

Speeds being inflated?? Does that happen?? I love reading ads in the boat for sale section of a paper - every boat out there is a "genuine 90mph boat". Most of em would be lucky to crack 80...

Concrete or rock walls on the sides of rivers are one of the biggest bugbears for ski racing. We have a couple of spots on the river near us where there are rock walls on each side and you always have to be careful coming through there cause there'll be a wave lurking somewhere!

Our Grafton race is a good one for testing skiers as the course runs 30miles downstream and then back to the start. The Superclass guys get a mostly smooth run, but as they're coming around the last bend they usually walk through a bit of slop. Makes for an interesting finish line.

Oz

 

[obnoxious001]

I think Parker is about a 12 mile lap, so 6 miles up, 6miles back. Duration has varied some over the years, but 45 minutes or an hour plus a lap means quite a few laps of the course. I don't know if someone has ever GPS'ed the distance. Doesn't take long for the fast guys to be lapping slower classes and stuff, with the international starts and 6 or so flights of skiers taking off.