How Do You Water-Ski A Slalom Course?
To ski the slalom course, you’ll need to hard cut around six buoys on opposite sides of the wake. Here’s a step-by-step guide. Instruct your driver to drive straight through the boat buoys without varying speed. Have her drive through the course one time without a skier in tow. Begin practicing the course at 24 to 26 mph, using a 75-foot rope. Swing wide left before entering the course. Cut toward the first buoy as soon as the boat passes by it. Stop accelerating (by letting up on the rope a bit) about 15 feet from the buoy and 8 to 10 feet wide of it. Begin your hard cut even before you are outside the buoy, so you’ll be around the buoy just as you finish your cut. (See “How to Hard Cut in Slalom Waterskiing.”) Keep your body rigid and straight as you pull back on the rope and cut from the buoy to the wake. Stop accelerating as you cross the wake and allow your knees to absorb the impact of the wake. Extend your arms to their full reach and lean slightly forward as you reach the next
