Do we have the optimal bindings for slalom?
If a hard/stiff shell boot is optimal for control over a very small edge like a roller-blade or hockey skate without breaking an ankle - How does that make it optimal for a slalom ski are rubber bindings really better from a performance aspect?
A narrow edge is very unstable laterally, and therefore it makes sense to have a hard boot to stabilize the foot and ankle to improve control and reduce the risk of a sprained/broken ankle. However, a skateboard for example is far more stable, and using something like a hardshell would be terrible as it would kill your ability to balance on the board.
Is it safe to make the following generalization in order to preserve our ability to 'balance' on a given object? - As the object we are riding becomes narrower or less stable, the more lateral stiffness we need to have. Conversely, the wider the object the less lateral stiffness we would want to have.
For example, has anyone ever seen a super stiff hardshell 4-wheel roller skate? No, and it is almost obvious as to why. The hard shell would make it much more difficult to move your body laterally without losing balance or having 'too much' leverage over the skate. Those shells are very low and below the ankle, and use mostly the foot for security, and do not restrict the range of motion of the shin above the foot.
What characteristics do you think are necessary for optimal binding performance? Should both the front and back foot on a slalom ski have the same level of stiffness and control?
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Might be more noticeable for me given the podiatrist I saw in college said “I had the flattest feet he’d ever seen.”
If you look at what is on the market, to me at least, it looks like the sport is still in a development phase which means it is ripe for change, development, breakthroughs and potential new innovations. The challenge is the R&D is spread over a miniscule ROI so large investments of $ and time are difficult at best. Thus, just as in the boat market, the technology is basically taken from R&D for other products / applications / sports and applied to waterskiing.
Good topic and all valid points. I’ll throw out another perspective that the best binding for a given skier is what they are use to. What I mean is that there is a huge amount of subtle, subconscious, “learned” response in how a given skier controls a ski that he has developed through mass repetition. I think this trumps what may be the “optimal” from a biomechanical perspective.
As one point of reference, I have used my own custom double hard shells for more than 15 years. Last year I spent about 3 months experimenting with a super shell, modified with all your recommendations, and a custom R-style rear boot. It took several weeks before I could get to normal buoy count in practice and my consistency was way down. I even fell at 1 ball on my opener 2 tournaments in a row. Even though I liked the way the ski behaved (it lessened some of my bad habits) when I went back to my own bindings I immediately felt normal and my consistency was back.
It’s been said many times on this board that it’s much harder to change bindings than skis. I think that’s an understatement.
Super-shell plastic is extremely stiff, which can have its benifits, but also its short falls. I have a tremendous amount of material removed from that boot to enable the shin to move forward AND left to right with complete freedom. Its as if the cuff may as well not be there at all in the forward direction. Most people making our mods are not going far enough. They just do a little and see how it goes.
Additionally, the liner itself in the cuff area can completely change the freedom of ankle flexibility. Thick liners are great for a tremendously snug fit in the base, but overly stiff in the cuff. Thin liners are great for shin mobility and ankle flex, but terrible at a rock solid foundation within the base of the shell.
I have long thought that you want a very direct connection to the ski, this should make the ski very responsive to your movements AND provide the most feedback to the skier.
I do not think that you want to have the ankle frozen in a cast like boot since I believe that ankle mobility is an extremely important contributor to balance. For example, if you bend your knees but cannot bend your ankles your center of mass will move back and that is not good.
So, it seems that you would want a fair amount of lateral stiffness in the lower portion of the boot combined with either a lot of flexibility in the top portion of the boot, or looseness.
As far as the back boot goes, the softer/looser the better.
Hardshell boots feel good and solid but some skiers rock soft rubber boots. It really matters what feels best for you. I personally love the feel of Intuition liners. It doesn't make much difference what shell I use as long as it's the same liner. I have to have my liner rubber banded on my rear foot to ski well with my toe kicker!?
I might add comfort as a prime factor. You will not ski well if your feet are cramping.
I haven't figured out the safety aspect. There are too many variables for one idea to stand clear.
Eric
I think we are a long way from the best boot/stance/fit. In addition to forward/backward position and distance between boots, we could vary height above ski, cant, forward ramp, and toe-in/toe-out. Too many options for me to experiment with. We need a boot whisperer.
i would liken it to having a skate board with looser trucks vs one with tighter trucks. i preferred the former for the freedom of movement it allowed on a short board, but went with much tighter trucks on a long board for stability at higher speeds. short board with loose trucks for slalom and long board with tight trucks for ' downhill racing '.
@mwetskier - I have found ways to do this in a hardshell. The boot must be cut to dis-associate and decouple the lateral movement above the ankle bone from the foundation of the base of the shell. But agree, that is also a HUGE element to consider with boot setup/configuration - and also another contributing factory why fin and binding positions on skis are rarely ever going to feel the same. The binding is largely in control of how we are actually levering against the ski. Softer plastic shells naturally do this better then others. Like the new HO or Goode Powershell. Reflex is extremely stiff. IMO this a big contributor to tip rise through the finish of the turn - much more then fin setup.
@eleeski - IMO slalom performance has a lot more to do with natural balance then more or less leverage/control. Balancing on an already stable platform requires mobility in the foot, knee and ankle. For example, how long could you keep your balance standing on the floor if your foot and ankle position were completely locked/fixed in a given position versus if you just had slight pressure driving the top of the foot down to have some roll support and a pre-loaded arch?
Sweet Home Alabama Skiing
Senior Judge, Senior Driver, Tech Controller
What I'd like to see experimented with is an open toe shell that can easily be tightened over the fore-foot, to create that advantageous downward pressure.
Sweet Home Alabama Skiing
Senior Judge, Senior Driver, Tech Controller
One thing I hear a bunch of people talk about is how they feel like they can pressure the ski with their shin and thats why they like a stiff & tight cuff. Reality is though, that if the cuff (shell or liner) is excessively stiff in forward flex, while you may be creating a force against the cuff, the shin is blocked from actually being able to move the knee forward flexing the ankle and successfully transferring load to the ball of the foot while simultaneously moving COM forward. Like @Jordan stated, if the ankle cant bend the COM will not move forward.
One thing I wish was never invented was the arch support. Trying to convince someone to pull it out of their boot is nearly impossible as they believe its 100% better with it in - not realizing that is 50% of the reason they cant feel load on the ball of the foot. The other 50% being from lack of forward ankle flex/mobility.
@Than - Agree - Top pressure is huge - all the way down onto the big toe! If I can lift my big toe at all I feel like my HS turn looses some magic.
Sweet Home Alabama Skiing
Senior Judge, Senior Driver, Tech Controller
Sweet Home Alabama Skiing
Senior Judge, Senior Driver, Tech Controller
I don't think this generalization holds for slalom skis. Compare skiing on a 2"x4"x8' to skiing on a 4'x8' sheet of plywood. For the same "skier", the plywood would require more lateral stiffness to get on edge. The amount of lateral stiffness required will depend on speed, wet surface area, and the height of the skier's center of gravity. (yeah - center of gravity. I am operating in a uniform gravity field :-))
I would argue if you can not flex your ankle laterally, you cant lean or get COM far enough over without loosing balance and falling back. Might be able to get it more on edge - yes. But can you get your COM further over? Balance wise, I feel like you would be screwed on the plywood in a hardshell - hence an overall loss in overall performance IMO. Maybe we could ask Freddy Winter to mount up a pair of supershells on that wooden disk he made and do some research for us!
Personally, I don't want to sacrifice "edge pressure" above the "ability to stay balanced' in slalom. I want both. And having that ability seems to be a function of successfully controlling more then just the "roll" angle of a ski. We need to be able to manage pitch and yaw also, and a significant portion of that is from our ability to control our COM above the ski at all times. You don't want the binding to have too much control in one direction, and give up mobility in the other two - so much that you the boot is more in control of your COM then you are yourself.
On a trick ski, I think the hardshell makes sense. ITs much easier to overcome the short-ski with no fin in terms of Pitch and YAW. So a stiffer cuff with less forward mobility could make sense. There. However, it might also explain why I see so many hard-shell plates mounted extremely far forward on the trick ski these days. (I don't trick so I have no idea - but I would guess they want a fair bit of ankle mobility also)
Im not a great waterskier by any means, but it would seem to me that maybe just like snow ski boots, waterski bindings would make a greater contribution to your performance than the ski itself. Where am I going wrong? Is it simply not as important on the water?