How to log a slalom set

A simple routine for recording every slalom set, from the first pass of the day to your personal best.

Before you ski

Decide what you're working on today. Most skiers start a set at a comfortable speed and line, then speed up or shorten the rope after a clean pass. Knowing your starting pass makes the log quick to fill in afterward.

Step by step

1. Open the log. Go to lake.world/app on your phone. No install is needed, and you can try it without an account.
2. Choose Slalom. The slalom tab is where sets are logged.
3. Pick your line length. Choose 15, 22, 28 or 32 off. "Off" means feet taken off a 75-foot line, so 22 off is a 53-foot rope (16 m).
4. Pick your boat speed. Choose from 20 to 36 mph. If your club talks in kph, switch the units; the same speeds show as 32 to 58 kph.
5. Count your buoys. Enter the buoys you rounded on your best pass, from 1 to 6. Half buoys count, so if you made it around the buoy but missed the gate or fell just after, log the half.
6. Submit the set. Log the hardest pass of the set. One entry per set keeps your history easy to read.

Counting buoys in halves

Ski clubs score partial buoys differently, but a simple rule works for a personal log: a full buoy means you rounded it and kept skiing to the next one; a half means you got to it but didn't finish the turn cleanly. Pick one rule and stick to it so your numbers compare fairly from week to week.

Which pass counts as best

lake.world ranks passes by boat speed first, then line length, then buoys. On the same line, 4 buoys at 30 mph ranks above 6 buoys at 28 mph. At the top speed of 36 mph, a shorter line is the next step up, and buoys decide between passes at the same speed and line.

Tips for a useful log

• Log right after the set, while you still remember the count.
• Be honest about half buoys. Your future self will thank you.
• Join your ski club board so teammates can see your progress.

Want the overview first? See the water ski slalom log page.