 Poster: A snowHead
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After a warm start of the winter, last Friday 24th Jan we experienced an all night + all day snowfall in SkiWelt. The management had all snow cannons blasting at full power all day, probably reassuring them selves against further warm weather. The slopes got covered in 20-30cm deep powder or heavier man made snow.
I skied a bit "back seat" in those conditions and felt my knees were taking greater load than they would on a nicely groomed slope.
I would like to ask for an opinion the Wise Snow Heads would it make any difference if I moved my bindings forward or back? They are mounted on power rail so moving is quick and easy.
My skis are 170cm long and with 75mm underfoot they have very limited (if any) off piste capabilities. I know a second pair of wider skis is the perfect solution, but for the moment I only have these.
Please share your thoughts and/or experiences.
PS: if any of the Mods think this thread belongs to the Off Piste section, feel free to move it.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Leave the bindings where they are and get out of that back seat.
concentrate in having your hands up in front of you; I bet you had them down near your pockets 
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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.
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allfriends, anticipate that particular transition then... 
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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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allfriends, anticipate that particular transition then...
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That was easy on Thursday in perfect conditions - snowfall the night before, perfect groomed slopes, -3 -1'C, sunny and no fog... Friday was a different game - constant snowfall, fog everything blurs into a white mass, it was hard to tell what is ice with an inch of powder on top, what is a foot deep snow and the 99 grades of crud in between. I am not complaining, I am glad the snow came at last.
I just wanted to know if by adjusting the bindings position I could make my riding easier. The Half Term is not that far away and judging by previous seasons we always get 2-3 days of heavy snowfall.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Nothing wrong with 75mm for off piste. I ski on 73mm and, these days, spend more time off than on.
If you're not coping with transitions then try to tighten up your body core so that you use your whole mass as a flywheel to punch through any unevenness.
Skiing with your hands by your sides is a sure fire sign that you're relaxing your upper body. Try this: assume your normal skiing stance and then get somebody to push an arm about. Instead of flapping like a penguin you should be moving your whole body about.
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| Quote: |
Nothing wrong with 75mm for off piste. I ski on 73mm and, these days, spend more time off than on.
If you're not coping with transitions then try to tighten up your body core so that you use your whole mass as a flywheel to punch through any unevenness.
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You know waste size is not the only parameter for off piste skis, shape plays a major role too. I have 90% camber and a tiny 10% tip rocker. They are rated 80/20 piste/offpiste by the manufacturer.
I agree entirely with you on the importance of correct body position. It worked for me for most of the day, but at the very end with tired legs I tried to ski more relaxed... and that is when I executed a perfect fall on a crowded slope, watching other people instead of looking where I was going...how typical.
Everyone here seams to agree that binding position is not that significant, I am sure I have seen skis with different drilling points for Freeride, Piste and Freestyle... or may be this works only for rockered skis?
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| allfriends wrote: |
| Everyone here seams to agree that binding position is not that significant, I am sure I have seen skis with different drilling points for Freeride, Piste and Freestyle... or may be this works only for rockered skis? |
Whether it is significant depends on the skis, right? Each design has a sweet spot of varying size... when the bindings are outside of that area, the skis will just feel wrong. You can easily try this yourself, right?
Moving them back can help get the tips up in powder, and moving them to the centre will make various spinny things and switch landings and stuff a bit easier, but if the problem is in the skiier you can change skis and bindings and boots all day and it won't make things any better 
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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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Serriadh, they won't necessarily feel "wrong" - just different. ESS (bought by Atomic) marketed a binding that allowed something like +/- 15mm (each direction from centre) fore aft movement to make short/long turns "easier". It maay have felt felt that way, but I sure never saw anyone ski better using them.
As with many things, if your basic posture and dynamic balance is inappropriate, trying to force the issue using kit adjustment often just makes things worse.
allfriends, "try to tighten up your body core " - maybe - or maybe also anticipate the transition by leaning backwards slightly as you approach the deeper stuff and forwards as you approach the flatter stuff. And, yes, dynamically managing the underfoot conditions is one of the things that adds to "fluidity".
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You're basically on what is now a pretty skinny piste ski, unless you've got the skills a slight movement in binding position will be like deckchairs on the Titanic in a foot of heavy snow. But try moving them - no more than 15mm would be my suggestion.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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My skis are 170cm long and with 75mm underfoot they have very limited (if any) off piste capabilities. I know a second pair of wider skis is the perfect solution, but for the moment I only have these.
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We always used to ski off-piste on much narrower skis !
Leave the bindings where they are and just ski properly.........
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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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When I saw this thread title I assumed it referred to DIN settings. I normally have mine very low and on piste I don't have problems with their coming off - except when they need to. But skiing (badly) in deeper snow I did have a few problems when they came off too easily and were a pain to dig out and get on again. I dialled them up a little bit, cautiously, and it was much better - I did fall a fair bit but just little "plops", nothing dramatic, and I was very grateful that they stayed on. I have now dialled them down again.
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pam w, that's why we were always warned (back in the day when we nailed our second best clogs to our barrel staves) to be careful off piste in heavy snow. Old "knee breaker" it was known as. (Seriously).
(Not seriously about the clogs, that was my father-in-law).
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You know it makes sense.
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under a new name, yes, I was uncertain about doing it, but I was set on under 4, which is lower than I "should" be (I had to sign a disclaimer when I got my new skis set up at Edge and Wax) and only put them up to 5. Because I am very wary of my knees. They are now back on 4.
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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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pam w, if they aren't pre-releasing,...
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Poster: A snowHead
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allfriends, As the bindings are easy to move I'd give the rearward position a try, and see if you feel a difference. Less ski out the back is easier to control when you're finding conditions tough, imho. Move them fwd again for laying arcs on a smooth piste, or spins if that's your thing.
| ski wrote: |
We always used to ski off-piste on much narrower skis !
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Yes indeed, stupidly long too, but that often required a lot of skill and/or strength
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I knew I would find many Wise Snow Heads here, I am grateful to you all. I know with 10-15 days on snow per season my technique will take long time to perfect. But definitely will try adjusting the bindings just to see how it feels over the same run with different settings.
With regard to how many pairs of ski we need, I found this:
http://unofficialnetworks.com/wtf-dps-wailer-112-rp-pure-killington-vt-127532/
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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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allfriends,
Set your bindings the same , it's dangerous to set them too high.
Not all knee injuries could be prevented by careful attention to DIN settings but I'm sure some could.
If you pm me ill send you a DIN chart that is particularly useful if you have smaller feet as it takes that into account, it is also female/ male specific.
You can use leashes in deep powder but they are an absolute pain.
My OH and I have both only lost one ski each in deep powder in the last ten years- it's better to do that than blow your knee out. ( anyone want a single Volkl Mantra?😄)
Jonathan Bell
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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allfriends, what happens if you've moved the bindings back for deep snow and you come across a lovely groomed piste? Are you going to stop and move the bindings forwards again?
You could spend forever adjusting bindings.
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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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allfriends, try to bounce more when skiing in deeper snow, If my skiing is particularly cr@p I will bounce on my skis when skiing along the flat, this stops you getting in the back seat, stops you stiffening up and keeps you in a nice relaxed position where you are able to react to the changes in the snow, really over emphasise the bounce in each turn, it makes skiing deep snow with skinnier snow much easier.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thank you all for your contribution. It seams improved technique is the best way forward. Mutual consent. I agree. I still might play with the bindings out of pure curiosity. I might even post my findings here.
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FAQ
. The biggest trouble I've had was when crossing from nice fresh powder into heavier man made snow. It felt like riding a bike on a nice park lane and unexpectedly the front wheel goes into a sand pit, if you are not a little "back seat" you might fly over the bar... 
