The Radar Union continues to be an amazing intermediate ski, first introduced to Radar's lineup for 2020. It falls between the Terrain and Senate in price, performance, and suggested boat speed. So, with another ski to choose from the question is, how do I know which slalom ski is right for me? In this post we’ll be primarily comparing the Union to the Senate, but we’ll touch on the Terrain a little as well.
The Terrain is a great option for someone that is familiar with water skiing but may only want to ski recreationally throughout the season. The Terrain's large surface area will allow a skier to stay on the water longer without fatiguing. If you’d like to ski more aggressively or hope to start in the course I’d recommend considering the Union over the Terrain.
The Union on the other hand has a much more traditional shape, much like the Senate. The Senate is a slightly wider version of the Vapor by .2 inches, and the Union is an even wider version at .6 inches wider than the Vapor shape. This extra width contributes to a stable ride as well as the ability to ski at a slower boat speed.
The Union is a great ski for you if you’re ready to start in the course, or you’d like a more aggressive recreational ski. The Union performs best between a boat speed of 24 and 32 mph. This is a relatively slow speed when it comes to a slalom course, but that’s perfect for learning proper form before moving to a faster boat speed or shorter rope length. If you don’t have access to a course but want to ski at a faster boat speed the Union will allow you to make quick turns up to about 32 mph.
If you’ve shortened the rope or are consistently skiing at 32 mph, you may benefit from the Senate over the Union. When skiing at 32 mph and/or short rope lengths you’ll need the quick responding performance of a narrower ski. The Senate is a great shape for 30-34 mph and will be quicker to respond to your movements than the Union. The Senate will help you improve course performance from novice to intermediate, and all the way up to advanced. If you reach the point where the Senate is holding you back from getting to that next buoy it may be time to consider one of the higher performing Senate models. The Senate Alloy is the most user friendly, forgiving of the Senate series. Moving up from the Alloy is the Graphite, Lithium, and Pro model Senate. Each of these models more performance driven than the last. Keep in mind that the high performance models like the Graphite, Lithium, and Pro are going to be much less forgiving in rough water or a situation where you find yourself in poor skiing form.
The Union has been a great addition to Radar’s lineup. It has proven to be a valuable tool for introducing new skiers to the course as well as allowing experienced course skiers to dial back the boat speed and fine tune their technique.
