 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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jedster, I suspect that you make a very good point as I've spoken to trainers who certainly feel people get over obsessed with equipment. However, my response is its OK for you as you can actually ski and ski with anything but for me as a punter I feel I have to eliminate as many excuses as possible so that I focus on trying to improve my performance rather than blaming the equipment.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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jedster, i've been trialling 0deg binding ramp this summer indoors, and liking it so will try on the hill this winter. Centainly enhances reaction from the fore of the ski when carving in an upright stance, at the expense of needing more effort to get out the back seat if thrown back -> maybe not ideal for bumps, or perhaps GS where a tuck is used.
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I have found that brightly colored clothes improve my skiing immeasureably. As well as goggles with a silly Iridium tint.
I am hoping to buy a lime green/orange stripe flight suit, and a fighter pilot style helmet/visor combo for next season. This will make me the best on the mountain.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| balernoStu wrote: |
| jedster, i've been trialling 0deg binding ramp this summer indoors, and liking it so will try on the hill this winter. Centainly enhances reaction from the fore of the ski when carving in an upright stance, at the expense of needing more effort to get out the back seat if thrown back -> maybe not ideal for bumps, or perhaps GS where a tuck is used. |
Very interesting.
Have you tried it in combination with centre mounting?
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Harry Flashman,
Its a scientifically proven fact that colour co-ordination makes yo ski fast.
And the brighter the colour of ski boots are also the quickest.
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DrLawn, Apart from with Triumph Speed Triples.. black ones are fastest 
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| Mike Pow wrote: |
Very interesting.
Have you tried it in combination with centre mounting? |
No, this is on 155 SL skis and given I preferred my Rossi Pursuits mounted back from the rec. setting hadn't thought to try further fwd on these. Is that your preference, centre and flat?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| balernoStu wrote: |
| Mike Pow wrote: |
Very interesting.
Have you tried it in combination with centre mounting? |
No, this is on 155 SL skis and given I preferred my Rossi Pursuits mounted back from the rec. setting hadn't thought to try further fwd on these. Is that your preference, centre and flat? |
Centre mounted on 173 cm Coreupt The Caspers (112-79-105) with Dynafit Vetical FT.
There's ramp angle on the bindings. May try a shim this season to flatten them out.
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boot forward lean, ramp angle and binding delta are so much more important than most people realise, just like walking /running most of the motion of skiing is usually watched in the frontal plane but occurs in the sagital plane yet people always tend to focus on making sure there is no A frame and no medial/lateral asymmetry, if the fore / aft set up is correct then a lot of the lateral stuff will take care of itself for those sceptical about the amount the body shifts with differences in delta, if we talk medial / lateral a 1degee change under the boot (1mm) = 10mm by the time it gets to the knee, this is the very reason that we deal with small amounts of change and can see huge differences
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
for those sceptical about the amount the body shifts with differences in delta, if we talk medial / lateral a 1degee change under the boot (1mm) = 10mm by the time it gets to the knee
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I had to read around to make sure I understood the terminology, but naturally a 1mm change to the side angle under the foot will have a much greater impact further up the body because you're changing the angle by around 4x more than the same 1mm change over the length of the boot.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to knock the importance of this or the how relatively small changes at the boot are significantly magnified farther up the body. I just couldn't see how bio-mechanically a 2mm fore / aft delta could be making a 60mm shift at the hips.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Quote: |
Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to knock the importance of this or the how relatively small changes at the boot are significantly magnified farther up the body. I just couldn't see how bio-mechanically a 2mm fore / aft delta could be making a 60mm shift at the hips.
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it's all in Euclids books 
as a practical example place a can of beans on a flat surface, the deflection at the top of the can (assuming the can is straight) should be 0, now place a 1p coin under one edge, now measure the deflection from the vertical at the top of the can. I'd have to ask Mrs Ansta1 for the formula as she's the maths geek.
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The maths is easy. It's just like a lever. A small deflection over a short distance is magnified over a longer distance.
So, normally, for each 1mm deflection over the length of the foot, you could expect the hips to move by around 3mm as a foot will be about a ft long and the hips will be about 3 times that in height.
The problem is that for a 2mm deflection over a foot to produce a 60mm deflection at the hips then the person in question would need to be about 60 ft tall. Given the unlikely prospect of this being the case it seems far more likely that what's happening is an involuntary response to feeling out of balance rather than it being a simple case of bio-mechanics.
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You know it makes sense.
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Ah sorry, didn't realise it was the 60mm bit you were questioning.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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muscles pull in mysterious ways, and the head counterbalances the body, so 60mm doesn't seem outrageous when you see it happen every day of the week, changing ramp angle and binding delta has a direct effect on the ROM of the joints concerned, a lot of people have restricted movement in one or more joint so if you can open that joint and increase the ROM (a heel lift is a classic example) then the other joints can react and allow more motion to rebalance the body... so the 60mm could happen just by releasing one joint and the others all following
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
| Genuine question to all - don't you think forcing yourself to adapt to different delta / forward lean etc might actually be good for your skiing? |
I did this for close on 20 years. I can ski with a suboptimal set up. I raced the Derby de la Meije with a pair of boots and Look bindings that I wouldn't bother with now. That said, sticking your butt out and taking the weight on your thighs because you aren't in balance doesn't make for great technical skiing. If that's a simple gear fix, which in my case it is, why not make the fix and free yourself up to work on technique?
I'm conscious that I owe this thread a photo or two in order to justify the 60mm thing.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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gorilla, i would prefer the Derby photos tbh
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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gorilla, nice. Liking that a lot. 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Very interesting post particualrly given my current predicament and don't feel too stupid for the boot saga. Maybe i'll work towards some Store credit and cross my fingers!
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| Quote: |
I would be faster now, obviously.
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well, you say that, but...possibly.
Analysis of Inferno entries indicate that there's a big improvement between years 1 and 2 and then a plateau.
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Interesting thread (I'd missed it before now), especially because you don't hear all that much about alignment. Bearing in mind that much of this was nearly 6 years ago, do people (well skimottaret in particular) think that alignment work is still a close second to getting really well fitting ski boots?
For my part, properly fitting boots definitely made a big difference, but I think the other two bits of equipment that made the most difference to me were contact lenses and the correct goggles for the conditions. This is going to make sound like an idiot (possibly for good reason), but I spent a couple of seasons skiing without contacts in when I first started wearing glasses (my prescription was just -1 and I only wore the glasses from time to time). I don't think it caused much of a problem in good light and on decent snow, but when I switched to contacts I found cloudy day skiing much easier going. Likewise when I stopped being lazy about changing the lenses in my goggles (shiny iridium lenses were getting used all the time  ) I found it made a huge difference having low-light lenses for cloudy days. It might be a confidence thing rather than a 'real' effect, but being able to pick out slight variations in the terrain properly makes me ski the whole mountain much more fluidly.
It might not be rocket science to say that being able to see properly is important to your skiing (!), but I was quite surprised by how much difference it made having the right goggle lenses in.
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under a new name, that needed a sarcasm indicator. I am a better technical skier now but lack the fitness that comes from 100 days a year.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Boots obviously first and then alignment work if believed necessary. I was having an issue with more slight pain in my rt knee, thought i'd go and have the alignment work with Andi at CEM's place. I needed only 0.5 degree shims in both L and R feet so i guess it could be considered as overkill, perhaps for that small amount it wasn't worth it and the issue was elsewhere in my hip!
I think EVERYONE should consider doing exercises to ensure Flexibility and Stability in those 4 positions outlined in the book 'Total Skiing' by Chris Fellows . It only costs about £15 from Amazon. I was pretty shocked at how inflexible and unstable i had become after too many hours at the desk. I'm much better now after 2 months of doing the exercises and it's great for everything else i do as well. Seriously, there's nothing else available for £15 that will have such a positive effect on your skiing - truly nothing nothing nothing! Ask rob@rar, he put me onto this book months ago.
nb. Each exercise position is graded from score 1 to 3. If score 3 you have it, it can be almost left alone except to test if you still have it. If, scoring just a tiny 1 and it can be improved to an almost 2 ( hey hey!) - that WILL show up in your skiing and in your daily life too. Invest in yourself- it isn't alot of money or your time in purchasing. Sell on E-bay if dissatisfied - or even buy there at even less!)
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ChrisWo, I feel that alignment has made a big difference to my skiing, and to that of several trainees of mine over the years.
I normally wear contact lenses to ski but one trip wasn't able to. My prescription isn't particularly strong, I could see where I was going, I found that my distance perception was out by just enough that I had real problems skiing bumps.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Scarpa wrote: |
| DrLawn, Apart from with Triumph Speed Triples.. black ones are fastest |
My Street Triple was black!
The way I rode, it was definitely not the fastest, though...
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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bump, just cause...
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Fascinating
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You know it makes sense.
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@skimottaret, read the opening post again, fascinating stuff, and then about a page...
Whilst in 100% agreement on the order of difference that good/better/best equipment (or adjustments) makes, the single biggest factor in my ability to ski well is
Fitness.
Without that, the best fitted, angled, delta'd boots in the world are as but putty. And as I grow ever older, maintaining (ha!) a level of strength and suppleness become ever harder - less attractive even, until that fateful moment when I step onto snow again, and wish...I'd been down the gym that little bit more often.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I do feel however that as always the answer is "it depends".
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Poster: A snowHead
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Interesting.
Boots obviously, the balance alignment discussion is interesting. I'd guess that trying it might make it clearer. I know that I need a small amount of under binding cant on my L foot, 1 run of electrical tape does it !
One thing I am always banging on about is getting properly flat, non railed skis. It pains me to watch people skiing on a railed ski, it's so hard to initiate a turn. Basefile your skis flat before you structure them, get your edge angles done well and you will find a massive change in the ability to turn a ski. That's my experience anyway (instructor, boot fitter and ski tuner in various concentrations!)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
It pains me to watch people skiing on a railed ski, it's so hard to initiate a turn.
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I'm not sure I am understanding this? I also am slightly skeptical that one layer of electrical tape will make any difference at all!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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How do skis become "railed", with the edges higher than the base? And how common is it?
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You'll find a lot of skis, esp. when they are smashed through an automated machine, end up railed. New skis sometimes exhibit light railing - the test is a flat metal which if you run it over the ski will sit on the edge not the base. I'll describe below what I would expect to see, i spent 7 years FT servicing skis so have a few thousand under my hands, i was also basi and nzsia certed so teaching as well for background, i'm no expert but i've personally found the following. The stone is designed not to remove anything major as such and only flatten and structure the base. The base warms up and expands in this process, esp on multiple runs with heavy weight (relative), then contracts and leaves a railed ski. If you base file them flat before you pass them lightly over the stone tail then tip first you end up with a well structured, flat ski with non-structured edges. Structured edges are also nasty as they act like grooves on a tyre. When you're teaching, esp entry parallel skiers, you will see them try and initiate the turn then, as the ski tries to carry on, they use foot steering and skid turn into a skid turn. Thats a typical explanation of what you see. If you check the skis they will be railed esp in the shovel. It's not a hard thing to do and worth asking a good hand tuner to do it before they stone your skis. Most good shops will do it. It also makes your edge prep a bit easier as well EDIT as trying to file a burnt edge is v hard (it will make a zippppp noise)
On the tape thing, i think its placebo frankly. I had it done when i was assessed and for some reason it works, i have a weak L glute and I suspect its more of an alignment thing.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@orange, oh now I see what you mean.
Th opposite (I think, if I understand you) happened to us a couple of seasons ago (the machine in question is usually perfectly fine but something had slipped) - leaving a hanging burr.
Yes, practically unskiable.
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Yep if you don't deburr post edging you can get a similar experience.
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An injury means I can't ride my bike just now so I'm thinking about skiing. Came to this old thread as I was thinking about binding deltas. My current skis are Dynastar Speedzone 14 with Look SPX12 bindings on an R22 plate. Binding delta of around 2.3mm. My previous skis were Head Titans (circa 2015) with PRX 12 bindings. I don't have the skis anymore but from trawling round the web it seems that those bindings had a delta of 8mm. I've had 12 weeks skiing on the Speedzones and while I like them (great edge hold) I find them a lot more tiring than the Titans and I often struggle to get my weight centred. It could just be that the difference is down to the Speedzones being a stiffer ski, but I'm wondering if it's worth shimming the heels on my current skis to see if matching the delta of the old skis makes a difference.
Any views? Any idea on best place to buy heel shims for Look SPX12 bindings?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Valkyrie, NOOOOO don't shim your heals unless you want to skid more. Probably tiring as you are actually edging and bending the Speedzones. I have those same skis and had skied the old Titans and the Dynastars are way stiffer torsionally
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@skimottaret, it was you that got me thinking about shimming in the first place! I know you did say that you'd benefitted from shimming the toes on your skis, but that seems the wrong way to go. I'll get back to balancing in my boots with bits of plastic under the heels/toes, see if I can make my mind up what feels best.
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FAQ
look so good too 
