All the ACL threads today have made me paranoid about my already dodgy knee for our forthcoming ski holiday. Does anybody know if any of the rental firms in La Tania (or the wider Courchevel valley for that matter) have bought any of the new and quite promising-sounding Tyrolia Protector bindings and would fit them to rental skis? If they work I can't help thinking this sort of design will rapidly become widespread...?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
This type that's been around longer has similar deal as I understand it
This a more high end kit in all likelihood, but worth understanding.
Preparation should help you in giving the hire shop accurate information too, not being overly ambitious in skill statement etc to allow their c9rrect setting.
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?
Thanks @ski3 - really helpful. Good point re skill statement... I'm really only intermediate at best... just paranoid about my knees after a month of pain and limited mobility following a non-skiing knee injury over Christmas. So it's motivated me to ask "if there are bindings that could reduce the risk of knee injury in certain types of falls, why *wouldn't* I ask for them?" Is it cost that has stopped designs such as the Pivot becoming more widespread? Inertia/apathy? A tradeoff that makes these designs *worse* along some other dimension?
Overall most likely to be cost in rental market stock that brings the plain choice to the shops.
Standard type bindings aren't in strong denial of the performance that's needed though, perhaps too easily demonising them is wrong.
The standard involved in DIN settings and the charts the retailers should use will bring very competent choice in setting the skis to boots that are needed, it is a good system but there MAY be offerings that push into diminishing return such as those above.
I wouldn't unduly worry IF that initial transaction is completed to target as a general outlook. I've been there when skiers definitely overstated their skill and use profile, not thinking that it's too important, but certainly it's one of the key elements.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@gendal, the Look Pivot has little if any effect on ACL injuries. It doesn't release laterally at the heel (which the Tyrolia Protector and Knee binding do), rather it will rotate slightly which helps with elasticity (and thus retention). Theoretically, the heel rotation might reduce the force on the knee in a slow backwards twisting fall (the type that is most risky) but practically the benefit is minimal if it exists at all. I'm not aware of any stats suggesting that the are fewer ACL injuries with pivots.
I'd be very surprised if rental shops used the Protector bindings. Aside from a very niche marketing benefit, there's not much reason for them to. The vast majority of skiers don't injure their knees, and even if they do it's not usually the shop's problem. The bindings are new and expensive, so would either need higher rental fees, or eat into profits. I doubt it's worth their while, just to avoid the occasional upset customer (and even more occasional legal fight).
Fair points @mrgolf. I don't really consider myself a serious or good enough skier to justify buying my own skis, but sounds like it might be the simplest path forward if I want the reassurance of the Protector bindings. Like you say, knee injuries are relatively rare but I was shocked at how frustrating I found not being able to exercise for the three weeks when my knee was injured over December. So now I've discovered there is a product that could reduce the (admittedly already quite small) risk of an ACL injury and all that goes with it, it felt like a no brainer.
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