The STW Ski & Snowboard thread. The 2015-2016 season

Just got back from a week in Morzine. I was pretty pleased with my level considering it was only my second week snowboarding. However I had some pretty major bit fit issued that caused loads of pain and ultimately reigned me in and reduced the amount of time I could snowboard for. The hire shop seemed surprised I was in pain and couldn’t do much/anything about it as apparently the boys are like slippers.

I’m on a mission to understand the problem so I can solve it before next season comes around. My right (lead) foot is a bit smaller than my left so firstly I ended up with boys slightly too big. I had a lot of movement in my right foot and a little heel lift on the left foot. I had to crank the boa up really tight to try and reduce movement but that then seemed to cause pain in my calf’s, and a pressure point at the edge of the tongue on the right shin. There was also quite a bit of pain in the soles of both feet.

Is my only realistic option to buy some boots and have them fitted properly? If so does anybody have any experience with Ellis Brigham/TSA at Tamworth Snowdome?

You didn’t scan that did you?!
Sounds like boots too big to me. Bindings should be snug but boots shouldn’t be mega tight. That’s the trouble with BOAs IMHO.

Ha ha, that could be taken the wrong way if read in isolation.

I quite like the neatness of boas as whenever I have used normal leaves they seem like a real faf and you have to tuck them in. However it’s so easy to just keep turning the boa and not realise just how tight you have it.

Is my only realistic option to buy some boots and have them fitted properly?

Yes, Having your own [snowboard] boots is imperative.

If so does anybody have any experience with Ellis Brigham/TSA

EB/TSA will be able to sort you out for sure. Like buying a decent pair of walking boots, just take your time and try on as many as you can. Forget about pretty designs and colours – fit and function is the key.

Decent day @ Glenshee today although it was a bit thin / icy / rocky in places.

Following on from the drone posts, how about just whirling an iPhone around your head on a bit of string?

http://www.cnet.com/news/this-is-what-happens-when-you-swing-an-iphone-around-your-head-while-skiing/

Stay safe everyone – prediction of bad, bad avalanche day tomorrow. New snow on v icy base. half term and lots of people searching out fresh snow off piste

Really good first day in Sauze, had a one on one ski lesson at 9am and then spent the rest of the day skiing with my wife. Getting the snowboard out now for the next couple of days, can’t wait!

Regarding the avalanche risk, the last snowfall we saw in Peisey on Sunday morning was more like polystyrene balls, about 2″ thick. It’s going to crate a very unstable layer when more snow falls on top..
Careful out there.

8 days back to back powder riding in Val D’Isere!!!

I Ache, see if you can try on some Vans Aura boots. Dual Boa, mid/soft, very comfy boots and won’t break the bank. You can usually find a deal on t’internet and S&R will price match.
As said above, sounds like your rental boots were too big.
Also, when you are learning, you do tend to keep tightening boots as it feels it will give you better control.

I_Ache I can recommend Ellis Brigham for boots. The guys in the Castleford branch must have helped me try on every different boot in the store. It really surprised me how much the fit varied between brands.
I found the Burton Rulers the most supportive and comfy. The others just felt not quite right.

Thanks guys.

I had a look at the TSA website and was surprised that most of the boots seemed to be between £150-£220. I would have guessed that the low end boots were that sort of price. Obviously you can get much more expensive boots.

Also, when you are learning, you do tend to keep tightening boots as it feels it will give you better control.

I found myself doing this. My right foot was moving around so I felt i needed to crank them up tighter.

I quite like the neatness of boas as whenever I have used normal leaves they seem like a real faf

Most modern boots of a descent level will have dual zone lacing and a cinch system. You won’t be doing up laces like on your trainers. I have Burton Imperial boots and the lacing is quick to do up and easy to get the right amount of tension over the foot and around the shin.

I’d try not to have a wish list of features or looks before trying anything on. Go in with an open mind and buy what fits best.

Not checked this for a bit. Thanks stevo and digby for thoughts on angles and turns. Will bear it mind next time I’m out and have a play.

‘cos I was SO freeride!

ho ho! sounds familiar!

My back knee also collapses in sometime, partly because I’ve got had a dodgy ankle on my left, (back) leg which has ended up with my foot turned out more. I’ve not wanted to go less than -3 on the back because I thought it might encourage this, rather than improve it – problem is partly lack of flexibility in the achilles/calf. Just been concentrating on keeping my knee over my toes.

Worth a fresh look, definitely! Cheers!

Yea that’s going to be my approach. I’m not even going to go in and discount a pair because of a horrible colour, if they fit they fit.

Something I’ve found with boots, whilst buying mine and helping others choose theirs is this:

Boot manufacturers seem to be split between ones that suit wide, flat feet and ones that suit narrower feet with high arches. Bear this in mind when you’re looking.

I’ve found Salomon suit my narrow feet, and a friend with wide feet hates them. He suits things like Vans, 32. Burtons appear to be more of an all-rounder.

Spend ages choosing, and spend as much as you can. Boots can totally spoil a holiday.

This week cannot go fast enough, on the 21st I’ll be driving a Dodge Ram 1500 through Washington State to get to Beautiful British Columbia.

My back knee also collapses in sometime, partly because I’ve got had a dodgy ankle on my left, (back) leg which has ended up with my foot turned out more.

If I’m understanding you right, your left foot is turned-out more (i.e. more “duck”) than most people because of your injury?

To me, it would be logical then to have the binding on that foot MORE duck than otherwise, as this would accommodate your deformed foot, while leaving your leg/knee in the “normal” place. Artificially turning your foot in would mean really forcing your leg/knee to twist inwards?

i.e. If I normally ride 18, -9°, but I then injure my back ankle so that the foot is turned-out by 6°, then to get the same riding position, I should now set my bindings to 18, -15°??

Could be worth playing with…

18, -9. The one thing my board riding has in common with Stevo I suspect.

6 weeks until my tour de force of mediocrity hits PdS. Still, I can read a piste map and I’m perfectly capable of getting from bar to bar – and I know how to ask for draught beer.

igm, I actually ride 15,-15 – that was just an example! 😉

stevo, can you just explain “more duck, less duck” please. Trying to work out what it means when I see people saying it here.

I’ve found Salomon suit my narrow feet, and a friend with wide feet hates them. He suits things like Vans, 32. Burtons appear to be more of an all-rounder.

Salomon do specific wide boots too. I’ve got some and I really like them.

I found Ellis Brigham in Manc really good for service as well.

Darcy more ‘duck’ just means feet more splayed out, ie if heels were in the same place then toes would be further apart.

Hi Darcy, as grum says, just more angle between the feet.

E.g. 15, -15 (30° between the feet) is “more duck” than 9, -9 (18°) and much more duck than something old-school like 21, +9 (12°).

Ah, cheers fellas.

And what’s the thinking behind the various more, less duck arguments? (or is that a whole new thread by itself?)

Mostly personal preference.

Most serious riders these days are riding a duck stance of some sort (i.e. negative angle on the back foot). Biomechanical advice is to have an angle between your feet of 21 to 30°, which in itself mostly precludes a “forward” stance.

Yeah, but forward rools!
+21 +6 weirdo here.

Ah, ok. Think I’m 15, -6/-9 (can’t remember).

EDIT: I am shit though…so it doesn’t really matter. 🙂

igm, I actually ride 15,-15 – that was just an example!

Ahh, 18,-9 will be what’s holding me back then. If I could only find a screwdriver I’d be world class. Imagine how good I must be to ride at all with those shonky angles. 😉

Seriously though, I’ve ridden forward and it probably makes carving on a nicely groomed piste easier, but it’s also probably less fun and makes everything else harder, starting with a cut up piste. Less stable too. Blame the Swiss (Saas Fee to be precise).

These days I ride directional duck (if that exists) more angle on the front than back and adding to 27 degrees – any more and I feel it in my knees.

Play around. It’s like tweaking the roll on your handle bars – you can ride with them at any angle, but some angles will just feel better, or more stable, or less tiring, etc. If you don’t try something else how will you know?

3 sleeps until Val di Fassa, I am soooo excited 😀

A pretty good way to spend the morning before work

These days I ride directional duck (if that exists) more angle on the front than back and adding to 27 degrees – any more and I feel it in my knees.

As Stevomcd said, the optimal/personal preference ‘angle’ for most folks is down to biomechanics. i.e. the natural slightly ‘splayed’ foot position that you make when you squat down and you knee cap ‘tracks’ over your feet/2nd toe.

too wide an angle when ‘squatting’ and your knees might ‘track’ in between your feet, possibly putting strain on the medial knee ligaments etc – too narrow an angle and your knees might ‘track’ to the outside of your feet, possibly putting strain on the lateral knee ligaments etc.

The key for me was playing around with the angle and the stance width to try and find a natural, balanced and stable position that allowed me to ‘foot peddle’ …

I’m still tinkering! 😉

7 sleeps to Whistler. 🙂

Talk to me about foot pedalling. I had a quick search with Goole as I’m not familiar with the term but everything it threw up was years old.

Talk to me about foot pedalling.

Foot pedaling:

In simple terms it’s applying ‘pressure’ to the toe, heel and outside edges of your feet in order to ‘steer’ the board in an ‘arc’ – transitioning from a toe-side turn to a heel-side turn etc

Naturally there are numerous variants in teaching and pedagogy, but the aims are pretty much the same: Using your feet* you ‘steer’ the board from one edge to the other whilst being able to safely maintain and control speed

*as performance is added to turns other body parts/techniques are utilised, but the core of the idea is that you keep a quiet, stacked, and balanced upper body whilst steering/pedaling with the feet.

Thanks Digby. Is that in conjunction with upper body rotation (not counter rotation) or is the idea you solely use pedalling?

or is the idea you solely use pedalling?

Pretty much – when foot steering/pedaling, there is no need for upper body rotation*.

Like I said the idea is to maintain a ‘quiet’ upper body that remains aligned with the board i.e. any excessive upper body movement has potential to throw you off balance and result in skidded turns rather than carved turns in nice arcs.

Some courses (e.g. CASI to the best of my knowledge**) taught whole body rotation as a way of initiating beginner turns, but they then introduce ‘pressure control’ for intermediate carved turns and ‘foot steering’ for advance freeriding and short radius turns.

BASI on the other hand introduce foot pedaling/steering early on – stevomcd should be able to clarify this! 🙂

*when advance riding on steep terrain, you use whatever body movement you need in order to initiate and complete a turn

**my knowledge/reference may well be out of date now

Cheer Digby. I’ll have to hunt around for an example/tuition video.

Body rotation is a bit like snowplough for snowboarders. It allows you to control and turn at very low speed. It’s also useful for riding moguls.

I did my CASI level 1 in the mid 90’s and that’s exactly how we were taught to teach back then, although things ought to have progressed a little. Parabolic skis didn’t pitch up until the following season!

bluebird: the much cited “Go Snowboard” book describes everything via foot pressure and comes with a DVD – worth a read. Helped me move away from a twisty body and poor stance.

Yep – I can definitely recommend the ‘Go Snowboard’ book GrahamS refers to!

Body rotation isn’t completely “out”, but the BASI view is certainly that it’s something to add back in once you’re already riding with a strong stance and steering the board with your feet. Once you’re trying to make tight, round turns at high speed, some rotation can help get the pressure where you want it.