
The above video is almost 9 minutes long / 2 rides / 12 passes of me skiing at 28 off. These are my first two 34 mph rides since surgery. I cannot think of anything less interesting. The skiing itself is not super technical. Some of the passes felt good and some are really crap.
What is impressive is that I was not freaking exhausted afterwards. I did not hurt the next day. The PowerVest unquestionably makes a huge difference. It does not impede my skiing and is letting me get back up to speed after a year off the water.
Gear UsedGoode PowerVestWakeye xt-OneCamaro MODETEC SKIN MONO Reflex Boot w/ R Style Radar 2015 “Blue” Vapor (get one on sale at www.perfski.com )
Comments
1) Is a $1,400 - $2,000 ski worth it? Is a $75,000 boat worth it? It depends on your goals and budget.
2) For a healthy 20 year old - NO. For a 60 + year skier with lots of broken parts - YES. For everyone in between it is a sliding scale so MAYBE. Would you pay for a piece of gear that lets you ski a more?
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I feel no restriction at all reaching at the ball. I was worried about that but no.
I have not molded it. Since it is a review I try to keep things stock. I like the vest the way it is. Not sure that I need to mold it.
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@Jordan @Horton I don't think Goode intends for the backplate to be custom molded and there are no official instructions. Molding can lead to cracks and failures of the plate. That said, I did lots of experimenting with molding. It made the vest marginally more comfortable and a little less prosthetic looking, but molding didn't seem to impact the performance one way or the other.
This remold gave it a narrower waste, a slight outward flair along the bottom edge, and a better form-fitting shape over the shoulders. I used a heat gun and patience on this one. Using the oven works too, but that's a two person operation, and less precise because the plastic cools and hardens so fast. It's also worth noting that the vest wasn't designed with easy plate removal in mind and the whole process can be a bit of a chore.
thanks,
RPG
@Milford ?
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My back is killing me because I have started seeing a trainer and she is an evil witch so I am going to be super happy to use the vest today. When I think I am going to ski for maybe 4 days in a row I will for sure wear the vest. When I first shorten to 35 or 38 and may take some hits I will wear the vest.
On the other hand... I think may go back to my normal vest when I am only getting one ride for the day so I can build some muscle.
So really I am not sure how much or how little I will use it going forward. I am sure it works. I am sure it is magic if you need to protect your arms, shoulders and back. There is no question that the vest protects you from taking hits. I am sure it lets you ski a LOT more per day.
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@horton - Build muscle in the gym. Much more controlled environment. Use that muscle while skiing. Also, if you can ski without the vest, I believe you will ski better, so the goal should be to use it to heal and then when you feel 85-90%, lose it.
Anyone planning on going on an off season, week long ski vacation to Costa Rica or Mexico would benefit greatly, as you will be able to ski every day and not be so sore that you can't move.
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Masterline ★ McClintock's ★ Performance Ski and Surf ★ Reflex ★ Radar ★ Stokes
As advocate for PV and several year user - I can make a couple of comments that might be of interest to those exploring the vest re molding and plate breakage:
1. I've found that molding works well re better (more comfortable) fit, and agree no difference in performance, and no difference in "breakability". I use oven at 250, always have plenty of to time to slip the plate back into vest, put on the vest over wet suit, wrap w 6 inch ace - done!
2. The plate can and will break (after enough ups) - always along the axis of strap (see pic), and did repeatedly until I found solution as follows: take a piece of a broken plate (until you do this, you may have several), warm til soft, cut (easy with scissors) a piece roughly 3x4 inches, and while still warm, lay it on back of working (intact) plate in axis of strap from slot to edge of plate, and use packing tape to hold it there (glue / epoxy will not work). This patch is completely stable and has completely eliminated this recurring problem!
3. I don't have a pic of the reinforcing "taped patch", but you can kinda see it here in pic of mod using eyebolts to replace gizmo that PV comes with.
If you are at a point in life where you love to ski but want to protect hands, elbows, biceps, epicondylitis, shoulders and back - PV rocks!
I suspect duck tape will hold the reinforing "patch" , but the packing tape (unlike duck tape) is low friction with respect to strap. I place it to hold the reinforcement, but also to make the strap slide smoothly at edge of back plate (where the strap tends to wear over time). The bending forces where the plate fails (see pic) are high, packing tape will not stretch under these loads. Besides, packing tape weighs nothing, and doesn't hold water. You don't need all the tape that shows in picture, but packing tape is really stiff and and I thought it might add stiffness to the molded part of the plate. Not sure about that, but cost nothing to try:)
I think the eyebolts provide much less friction than stock set up!