The Midwest Water Skier: 2014 HO CX Review

August 12th, 2014

I walk into the local skiing shop, Skiers Edge, looking for anything to catch my eye. Maybe a ski, maybe a wakeboard, or maybe even a new jacket. I was drawn to the slalom ski section, looking for a ski of my own so my dad and I won't have to share his O'Brien Siege any longer. The first one I tried on was the 2014 HO CX with an Attack boot and rear toe plate. Fit like a glove and one month later I returned to purchase my own.

The first thing you will notice about the CX is the color scheme. The black, neon, and royal blue matches the ski's character perfectly and looks amazing while doing it.

Upon further examination I noticed the "crossover ski" sticker. I was a bit skeptical at first about how a ski could perform like a syndicate and a free-ride, but after purchasing this ski and skiing on it for a month, I'm here to tell you HO has perfected the crossover ski. This ski isn't for Will Asher or Marcus Brown, but somehow for both.

First off, for the Will Asher type of guy, I haven't run this ski through the course yet, but I can already tell it will excel. Coming from skiing on an old Siege (don't get me wrong, it's a great ski) I was blown away by the speed and smoothness of the CX It's very easy to roll and put on it's edge, but be warned, once you do there is no going back. You are slingshotted back to the wake. This is due to the speed skin bottom, all new in 2014. Let me tell you, it does work. The speed skin is basically a cross-stitched pattern of carbon fiber on the bottom of the CX, which is super slippery. Utilizing this speed skin technology, you will reach new rope lengths to your ski game.

Now that the Will Asher type of skier is covered, onto Marcus Brown. You might be thinking, okay Bryce, that's great, I can run new personal bests on it, but how do I go out and freeski with some buddies on a Saturday morning. The CX accomplishes this, by utilizing the shape of a Free Ride behind the back boot, giving you the stability you need to tackle any lake. For example, Lake Cumberland (where I ski) is becoming more and more crowded, forcing skiers deeper and deeper into back coves. Eventually even the back coves are swarming with jet skis, like gnats. Unfortuanatley this causes the water to be all churned up and rough to ski. This is where the idea of a Free Ride comes in, or in this case the CX crossover. You might think because it performs like a Syndicate this little chop is going to prevent you from really digging in. The opposite is true. Flat or smooth this ski handles it all. Not only does it handle the chop, it handles the wake much better. Let's be honest, not all of us can afford $60,000 Ski Natiques, Pro-Stars, and Responses, but that doesn't mean you can't ski. I ski behind a 2002 Chaparral, which you might know this boat isn't the ideal choice for water skiers, but from the first cut and coming across the wake I noticed something. The pressure on my knees was significantly reduced and the feeling of crossing a wake was significantly reduced. Overall I was able to ski a lot longer and harder due to easier turning and less pressure on my knees.

Think the CX is the choice for you? I know I definitely recommend it to anyone. The one disclaimer is this is a higher leveled ski. If you are just learning the sport do not go out and buy this ski. I have discovered the takeoffs to be a bit more difficult than the Siege (or other skis) and the CX has a very loose feeling on the water. Now for higher leveled skiers this is great, but for beginners this is not a good feeling to start with. However if you are starting to run tournaments, free ski still, and have a good grasp of the sport this is the ski for you.