 Poster: A snowHead
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A couple of questions really, first are I have a new-ish pair of ski boots and I notice they have a cant adjustment, what is this for? I know it makes the boot lean forward, but why would I need this? I have left it set in the up position for the time being.
Second question, should I be using longer skis? When I learnt to ski, on the dry slope, I was told to use 160's I am 6foot tall and weigh about 13 1/2 stone. Should I now be using longer skis, as I have a couple of weeks skiing behind me and am confident on blues and reds, starting to get the hang of carving on blues etc When I was in Italy, there were a few brits in front of us and they insisted on small skis 160's etc and the hire guy was saying that they were children’s sizes and that they should be using ski's as tall as themselves, not up to their chins as they were requesting?
I'm off to Andorra (Soldeu) in a couple of weeks and I’m toying with the idea of renting the superior skis as opposed to standard that I normally get, though I don't want to end up with skis that I can't handle. All advice appreciated  TIA
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Canting.....not 100% sure, but I think this adjusts the angle your foot is at, so if your knees normally lean into each other, this will correct that (or vice versa).
In terms of ski length, ski on what you're comfortable with. It used to be that long skis were the thing that showed you could ski....but with carvers, short is acceptable, and often better. If you are renting, take the skis back and change them if you are in anyway unhappy, or just want to try something different.
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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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What Elizabeth said. I would recommend trying a pair of 170s - if you can, ask for a pair of 160s for the first day, then go back and swap for an identical pair of skis, but 170. Ski those for a day and decide which you prefer.
It's important to try to keep the same make & model though, otherwise you might just be preferring a different model/make rather than the change in length.
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Elizabeth is right. Canting adjustments on boots are to allow for the lean in or out that you have between your foot and knee.
You'd be surprised how far out your legs may be from perfectly straight. And also how you may be skiing to compensate.
(you may also have forward lean adjustments on your boots, but these are seperate to canting adjustments)
As for ski length, you may want to go a bit longer, but staying around 165 will allow your skiing technique to come along a lot more than going for a 170+ length.
Do rent the "superior" skis, as they should be in better condition than the standard ones, and again this will help with your skiing.
Hope this heps.
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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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Canting allows the boots to compensate for your stance if you are knock kneed or bow legged if you are neither dont worry about it, if either applies to yourself find a really good boot fitter to adjust the boots for you
Ski length, skis have been getting shorter over the years, any length from below chin to head height is acceptable, it may be worth hiring test skis so that you ski with a different pair daily or every two days, try them in different lengths and see what works best for you, I'd start off on the shortest pair they reccomend and work up to see what suits your style and technique something that tops off at eye level will probably be good for you.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I'm 160cm tall and ski on 157s. Believe me - speed and my weight - NO issue! 
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181 tall, ski on 176 on piste and 179 off.
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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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cool, thanks for all the replys. I think i'll stick to my 160's if there's no major benifit in going longer, i find them easy to handle and allow me to concentrate on technique more.
I don't think i'm knock kneed or bow legged so i'll leave my boots alone, so what is the point of the forward lean thingy, i guess it's just for short people so you can have your knees over your toes kinda thing?
Thanks Again, learn something new everyday
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Different makes/models of skis will have different length recommendations for the same skier. Check out manufacturers' websites for more precise measurements. You weight and ability should be reflected in the stiffness of the skis, rather than just length.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The_Mac_Daddy, forward lean is used if you start to go a lot faster - if you look at race boots, you'll see they are locked in a greater forward lean position than normal ones. They also don't flex back as much, so you're held in the forward position all the time.
As for knock-kneed - I didn't think I was until an instructor pointed out that when I was turning to the left, my left leg was blocking slightly. The reason was that while my right leg was straight, my left leg wasn't quite straight.
It only took about 10 minutes to diagnose and fix, but it does help.
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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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180 tall weighing in at 190lbs skiing 184 in all conditions (too tight to have "condition" skiis).
Back to canting. I pretty much ignore the feature and it hasn't been set up for me. How do I get the setup right?
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cheers. I'll leave my boots in the back position as i don't generally go very fast.
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You know it makes sense.
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Marc you can't, someone else, an experienced someone else has to do it for you, if you mess up your skiing will be agony so this is one of those times to let the proffesionals do it
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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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Canting is highly over-rated as an adjustment on boots.
I have played about with canting adjustment to allow for greater edging of skis for relative edge angle (john wayne theory) and the opposite way round for speed disciplines to enable a flatter foot with a wide stance in a tuck (greater inside edge angle to give easier carving, ackerman steering theory) and found that it has very little effect on your skiing unless you have absolutely rigid lateral flex on your boots and your boots are clamped up so tight your circulation in your feet stops. Your leg tends to adjust within the liner!
Spend your time and money on decent footbeds that are fitted correctly to give equal pressure distribution over the whole foot and forget about the canting.
Matt
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Poster: A snowHead
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Matt,
That's an interesting thought. Are you a pro racer? Who was doing the cant adjustment? If they did it properly, I'd be very surprised that you didn't notice the difference.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Karve, canting isn't intended to improve performance by over-compensating. It is intended to have the cuff of the boot follow your leg as closely as possible so that actions of the leg translate quickly to the ski. Now, this is based on using the boot as a lever on the ski, which is falling out of favor with the newer skis in favor of balancing on the feet and using more subtle movements to guide and tip the skis.
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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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| Karve wrote: |
| Canting is highly over-rated as an adjustment on boots. |
Couldn't disagree more! I was recently diagnosed (by a ski tech!) as being knock-kneed, which explained why I was unable to stand up straight with boots/skis flat on the floor - always skiing on my inside edges was not fun!
My new boots have dual canting adjustments, and my boots and skis are now perfectly flat - it has made a significant difference to my skiing.
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What!
Knock-kneed and from Bow!!!! Your 'avin' a laugh intcha
It's an interesting point, my wife's also a little knock-kneed but she'd always presumed it helped her carve. How did they set the canting?
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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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LOL!
It certainly helps get you downhill ski on its edge, however your uphill ski is also on its inside edge, which makes all turning interesting! Schussing and drag lifts are fun too, as you are constantly fighting against the desire of your skis to snowplough.
To set the canting, the bootfitter just turned the adjusters until both boots were flat on the floor in my normal stance - you have to jump and flex quite a bit for the canting to take effect. Took about 5 or 10 minutes.
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It is a quick job to do, but does make a real difference. Just get someone who knows what they're doing to do it for you.
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| marc gledhill wrote: |
| Knock-kneed and from Bow!!!! |
The bow is where you knock your thighs on the gunnel. Oops! sorry, wrong sport! Un-frozen water.
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FAQ
and then last year I went to fernie hired some skis and the assistant refused to give me 180's gave me a pair of 160's and I was like I will never get them to move I am way to heavy - (I am really heavy but not fat think I have lead in my bones!!) anyway I had a blast and then when it came to buying this year I bought 161's everyone in Europe still seems to ski with longer skis but hey I love mine and definitely go fast enough and they are stable so I don't know what is the benefit of a longer ski - apart from flotation in powder ?
