how to build a portable slalom course

by Dariana Bauch 7 min read

What is a portable slalom system?

A portable system cuts down on the time it takes to set up a slalom course. In addition, it includes everything you need so there’s no figuring out what’s required and how it all goes together. The OffCourse is the revolutionary portable waterski slalom course that will revolutionize your water skiing.

What material is used for slalom course mainlines?

Poly rope is the material used for almost all portable slalom course mainlines and is used in this application primarily because of two factors; 1) ease of handling while installing or removing a portable course; and 2) cost.

How long is a regulation slalom course?

A regulation slalom course is 850 feet long and 75.4 feet wide. It’s important to note that these dimension are just for the buoys. A lot more space is required at the entrance and exit of the course and on both sides of the turn buoys for safety and maneuvering the boat.

How do you ski on a slalom course?

While the boat drives to the middle of the course between the buoys, the slalom skier must smoothly ski around all laid buoys through a pattern of quick turns, acceleration, and deceleration when needed. Maintain a stable balanced stance on the slalom (ski) with your knees bent slightly to ski smoothly and rhythmically using a taut ski rope.

How do you make a slalom course?

Step-by-Step Guide On How To Set Up a Slalom Water Ski Course1 – Take or estimate measurements. The correct measurements for a slalom course are: ... 2 – Get permission. ... 3 – Setting up the buoys around the course. ... 4 – Anchoring the buoys. ... 5 – Lining up the buoys. ... 6 – Properly aligning and distancing the buoys.

How wide is a slalom course?

about 75 feetThe course is 850 feet (259m) long, but you should have a minimum of 600 feet (180m) of approach space on either end: at the very least, you should be looking at over 2,000 feet (600m) in length. Also. a regulation course is about 75 feet (23m) wide, but additional space.

How many buoys are in a slalom course?

There are a total of 26 buoys on a competition slalom course. Six buoys are used to mark the turns that the skier must follow. These buoys are known as turn buoys. Another 4 buoys mark the entrance and exit of the course for the skier to begin the run.

How many gates is a slalom course?

A course is constructed by laying out a series of gates, formed by alternating pairs of red and blue poles. The skier must pass between the two poles forming the gate, with the tips of both skis and the skier's feet passing between the poles. A course has 55 to 75 gates for men and 40 to 60 for women.

Why are slalom gates red and blue?

0:1213:46Basic SL Rules - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBut time you see a red and a blue gate right next to each other. That's what are called verticalMoreBut time you see a red and a blue gate right next to each other. That's what are called vertical combinations. Don't wash so here's one right here that's called the hairpin.

What does 15 off mean in water skiing?

The take off sections are measured in length of rope that has been removed as you shorten the rope. The first section is “15 off” which means when you remove the first section you'll be skiing 60 feet from where the rope is attached.

How long should a slalom ski rope be?

A slalom ski rope is typically 75 feet long, but it can be adjusted to any length you need. For tournament slalom skiing, the rope length is set by the competition rules. The initial length is 75 feet, and it is shortened as the skier runs through the course.

What is 41 off in water skiing?

The current world record is something @ 41 off, which means the skier is using a rope that's only 34 feet long to get around bouys that are 37.5 feet from the center of the course!

What do you call waterskiing on one ski?

Water skiers can use two skis (one on each foot, also called "combo skiing") or one ski (dominant foot in front of the other foot, also called "slalom skiing").

How far apart are slalom gates?

The gates are at least 75 cm (30 in) wide and 4 m (13 ft) apart. When first developed, slalom gates were small flags stuck in the snow; they were replaced by longer bamboo canes, which could snap back and hit competitors.

What is a banana gate in skiing?

Such gates are known as closed gates. One closed gate is called a “Banana”, two a “Hairpin” and three or more a “Verticali”. The direction of the gate is vertical rather than horizontal, but the principle is still the same, the skier has to break the imaginary line between the two poles of the same colour.

Do you have to hit every gate in slalom?

There's no rule in slalom or giant slalom that you have to hit those gates, but you have to pass between them on alternating sides, with both skis' tips passing between the poles. The closer you get to the gate, the more direct route you're taking down the slope -- which means a faster runtime.

What is the best material for a portable slalom course?

That is just the nature of the material. Poly rope is the material used for almost all portable slalom course mainlines and is used in this application primarily because of two factors; 1) ease of handling while installing or removing a portable course; and 2) cost. Steel cable can be and is used for portable course applications, and obviously it is much easier to build a dimensionally accurate mainline from steel cable because steel cable has basically zero stretch. However due to its much lower cost and decreased difficulty of handling most portable course users prefer poly rope for the mainline.

What are the issues with using a portable slalom course for training versus a permanent course?

One of the issues some have with using a portable slalom course for training versus a permanent course is the issue of the accuracy of the course. Is it really possible for the accuracy of a portable course to be within the tolerances required by AWSA and IWSF rules?

What is the mainline of an EZ slalom?

The EZ-Slalom mainline uses a much heavier crimp just to add the other half of the diamond section (the point at which the buoy arms attach to the mainline) onto our mainline. Ours is the bottom crimp in the photo at right. Others use smaller, lighter-weight crimps to connect their diamond sections, and in fact to hold their entire mainline together.

How to ensure dimensional accuracy of poly rope?

So to assure dimensional accuracy while using poly rope you have to know how much the rope will stretch. As stated earlier, we looked at rope from every US manufacturer we could find and chose the best available to custom build the rope to use in our EZ-Slalom mainlines. Once we had selected our rope we then went the additional step of having that rope stress tested to discover its stretch factor. We test every batch of rope we purchase to make certain that we know the stretch factor. That is how we can guarantee the dimensional accuracy of our poly rope mainlines. By knowing the stretch factor of our rope we can account for that stretch and factor it in as we construct our mainlines. Once in the water and tensioned properly an EZ-Slalom mainline will be dimensionally correct and within AWSA and IWSF tolerances. We GUARANTEE it.

What are the issues with slalom courses?

To build the best possible portable slalom course the specific issues that we believe must be addressed are: 1) accuracy of buoy placement (dimensional accuracy); 2) ease of setup/takedown (or lack thereof); 3) durability of the courses structure (mainline and buoy arms); and 4) ease of portability and storage.

Why is one piece construction stronger than put together?

Why? It's simply basic engineering. The higher the number of connecting points there are in any mechanical structure the higher the potential for failure. By building a one-piece, continuous mainline we've reduced the number of structural connecting points on our rope mainlines to zero, thus engineering in the lowest failure potential possible (see photo below).

How to contact ez slalom?

If you have a question about something not covered here and would like additional information or would like to discuss any issue with us person-to-person, please contact us by e-mail to [email protected] or call us toll free at 800-216-4461 or 913-294-2148 outside the US.

How much is an ez slalom?

EZ-SLALOM offers you the highest content, best built, best engineered portable slalom courses on the market. Priced starting at only $1159* including shipping charges (basic EZ-Slalom Compact portable) it is the absolute best value in watersports equipment available! Compare the price of one good slalom ski to the price of an entire EZ-SLALOM course and we think you'll see what we mean. Compare the price of EZ-Slalom's better engineered, higher content products to the other brands and you'll KNOW what we mean!

Is ez slalom the best slalom course?

We're confident that if you'll do a thorough feature-by-feature comparison you will agree that EZ-SLALOM IS the best slalom course AND the best value!

How to contact ez slalom?

If you have a question about something not covered here and would like to request a brochure, additional information, or would like to discuss any issue with us person-to-person please contact us by e-mail to [email protected] or call us toll free at 800-216-4461. We enjoy answering your questions and we'd love to hear from you!

Can you use one crimp to take two different loads at the same time?

Asking one crimp to take these two different types of load at the same time, and placing that entire load on only one crimp is asking a lot of that one crimp. Especially if you're using an aluminum crimp at this point, as our competition does. Aluminum is a relatively soft metal which when attached onto a dissimilar metal (the stainless steel) and then immersed in water (which aluminum crimps are not specifically designed for) subjects the crimp to galvanic corrosion. This potential for corrosion in combination with all of that load placed on only one soft crimp can cause the eventual weakening and/or failure of that crimp.

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The EZ-Slalom Portable Course Mainline

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From end to endand from anchor to anchor our mainline is one continuous, unbroken length of rope as opposed to the numerous-pieces-crimped-together, sectional design used by others. We use one continuous length of rope and then add the other halves of the boat lane and end gate sections onto it (which create…
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Important Mainline Construction Specifics

  • Rather than use metal crimpsto form the mainline loops that attach the buoy arms to the mainline as others do we use tough, heavy-duty nylon cable ties and a specially formulated adhesive to form the arm attachment loops. On the surface a metal crimp might seem like it would be the best way to do that. If that were so, why would we do it differently? Important point - our research an…
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More About The Materials EZ-Slalom Uses

  • The EZ-Slalom mainline uses a much heavier crimp just to addthe other half of the diamond section (the point at which the buoy arms attach to the mainline) onto our mainline. Ours is the bottom crimp in the photo at right. Others use smaller, lighter-weight crimps to connect their diamond sections, and in fact to hold their entire mainline together. The photo above also illustr…
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The Issue of Portable Course Accuracy

  • One of the issues some have with using a portable slalom course for training versus a permanent course is the issue of the accuracyof the course. Is it really possible for the accuracy of a portable course to be within the tolerances required by AWSA and IWSF rules? We agree that dimensional accuracy is an extremely important issue. The factor most affecting a portable course's dimensi…
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The Way of The Future

  • We build the most compactbuoy arms available from any portable slalom course manufacturer. Our buoy arms are built using the same type and sizes of pipe as is common elsewhere. However, our arm section designs are shorter in stored lengththan existing old-school designs available from others. This unique arm design was pioneered and originated by EZ-Slalom Course System…
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Money Where Our Mouth Is

  • Our Warranty - We warrant our EZ-Slalom portable slalom courses and their components for Ten Years against failure due to materials or workmanship. Mainline, buoy arms, and all hardware. No fine print to sort through, no questions to answer, and no B.S.! For ten years after purchase if something fails due to materials or workmanship we fix it, period! The only exception is the buo…
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Value Pricing

  • Our Price - Finally, if you’ve been shopping around for a portable slalom course you are probably aware that beginning at only $999 shipping included (basic COMPACT portable course) the EZ-Slalom Compact gives you a tougher built, better engineered, more compact course system than the old standard, old ideas designs still in use elsewhere. Our prices are just one more example …
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