I have run out of DIY jobs, serviced my skis, done every bit of paperwork I can imagine and am soooooo bored being stuck in covid jail that I am making up nerdy ski jobs that probably are a complete waste of time while I do my isolation time as need something else to do......
For background I have had 4 pairs of the same model of Atomic boots over the last 10 years or so and have gotten very used to the forward lean and Zeppa angle (17deg and 2.6deg). Im tall and fairly sensitive to ramp angle and have all my skis set to zero binding ramp when using these boots.
I hated every pair of touring boots I ever had but bought some new touring boots last year (Lange XT Free Pro Model Low Volume 140) which I really like the fit of and they actually skied pretty well at Hemel during the shutdown. But.... taking em out on the real mountain I didn't feel quite as balanced so am thinking about tweaking em...
The Langes are 14 deg forward lean and have a 4degree zeppa. I actually measured both boots zeppa angles and they are exactly as advertised. Might not sound a lot being 1.4 deg different but in my boot sole length the maths say that the height difference is 7mm from toe to heel which is quite a bit and as I really notice that amount of ramp angle on my bindings I am thinking of reducing the langes to 2.6 and maybe adding some more spoiler to the rear to increase the Forward lean.
The boot board on the langes is made of expanded foam and I am leary of grinding it down. I have narrow low volume feet and even the "low volume" version I have still give me a bit of room in the toe box. Im thinking of making up a shim 7mm high at toe to tapering to 0mm at the heel to get the zeppa angle to 2.6 degrees.
Has anyone tried to do this ? Is anyone geeky enough to have even though of this ?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Gonna be easier to grind the existing board than making a new one for multiple reasons. Have you asked Colin he's got any spares or can order you some so that the grinding is then risk free? Or just man up and go for it
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?
I got some 1mm neoprene sheet and am thinking of layering strips together to make a wedge then putting that on top of the existing base board. I have a bit of extra space in the boot so gonna try packing em out a touch in the first instance before getting the grinder out and mucking the boots up
Asking Colin is too easy and cheating;)
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Sat 1-01-22 14:58; edited 1 time in total
Why do you need the wedge to taper? I would expect the height under the ball of your foot to be the only important bit.
I use layers of cereal packet to make alignment wedges then stick them to the boot board with double sided carpet tape.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@rjs, if I just prop up the bit under the ball of foot by 7mm I’m worried I might crack my footbed . Like your cardboard the rubber sheet i have should do the job
@Pejoli, I was wondering that too, but I did find some good snow related advice here
Actually my mistake, that's the Zappa angle...
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.
@skimottaret, surely this is the excuse you need to buy yourself a 3D printer?
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
According to google "zeppa angle" has 10 references online, so full points for that one. Anyone know the etymology?
(As a hard boot snowboarder, my boot footbed angle is hyper important and notoriously different across different boots.
We use wedges which are typically plastic (eg F2) although can be titanium or even 3D printed to compensate.
As you note if they put more lean in the footbed then I'd expect less forward lean: if you compensate for the footbed slope, you'll possibly need to dial in more forward lean.
If you run out of range, then aftermarket lean adjusters (eg Phantom) deliver a a larger range than the standard adjusters for Atomic Backland boots, which is what I use them for.)
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@spyderjon, I actually know a guy who has one this tweeking might be just a first step to getting custom zeppas made up... ultra geek time
I am also playing with my lateral shimming at the moment. more than a few years ago when Andi determined my setup I ended up zero delta, 2.6 Zeppa and 1.5 deg of cant shimming on the medial side to get get my knee joint in the right position due to some pronation and my knees being worn out. My current pair Atomics have 1.5 deg canting built in on the baseboards which wasn't the case on previous generations of the same boot. Colin (like most fitters) prefers not to add shims inside the boot but I recon you can get away with 0.5 to 1.5 cant shims within the boot without too much agro...
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Sat 1-01-22 16:22; edited 1 time in total
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.
@philwig, Zeppa is Italian for baseboard I think.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Zeppa is Italian for wedge.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Nerd Fest
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Quick update for all Zeppa nerds out there. The 1 1/2 degree reduction in Zeppa angle worked a treat for me and really helped on my balance. I swapped between my Atomics and Lange boots a few days and the mods made a real difference.
Nerd o rama success
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
No please, do talk us through it - its important you champion this little know cause...
one might say...
that you...
Lead Zeppa Lean
its a topic which rarely gets a whole lotta love...
mmmm....
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Richard_Sideways, don't encourage him to ramble on, or there'll be a communication breakdown and we'll be trampled underfoot.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
this tweeking might be just a first step to getting custom zeppas made up... ultra geek time 
