Type II vs. Type III skiers?

[santacruz skier]

Nope. I was skiing slowly. It was that Tuesday, flat light at the top of chair 25. I hit some bumps on the side of the run; I couldn't see so I turned to head out of the bumps, next thing I knew I hit hard on my left hip and bounced. My head hit the ground hard and it caused the neck whiplash. I was skiing slowly but went down fast! I fell sideways.

Yikes and skis didn't release?

 

[mustski]

Yikes and skis didn't release?

Nope. I also rolled as I fell/bounced so that the left leg was pointing right and the right leg was pointing left. I flipped my leg and then popped the binding off manually. Then something must have got stuck in the binding (best guess) because I could not lock back in. I was jumping on it and it would not lock down. Mel had to give me an assist. It was "shades of the Squire nightmares!"

 

[santacruz skier]

That's crazy. Glad you weren't hurt.. well except for whiplash.

 

[Jenny]

@Jenny how are you doing, btw?

Not so bad. Doesn't really hurt much, and I think the swelling is down somewhat, but the color is interesting.

I go back to the doctor Tuesday, and I think I’ll have a much better idea of what’s going on then. His first goal after taking more x-rays seemed to be getting the swelling down. I’m assuming that’s so he can determine if there’s anything else going on in there.

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

See, I knew there was something sciency about it (says the wife of a quantum mechanics researcher.)

Well, if you had asked your spouse, it would have been pointed out that torque is force times radius, not diameter... Oops! (I should never post when tired!)

 

[Scribble]

When listing your weight on a rental form, do you put down your weight+gear? At 145lbs, as a type II, I am right between 6 and 7 depending on which I write down. I use my street weight, because when my din was at 7 my bindings didn't seem to want to pop, even when I wish they had. At 6, they release when I crash and I haven't had any trouble with pre-release during my lacking-sense-of-self-preservation moments. (Or days? Lol!)


I figure I might have to bump them up a bit for powder or steeper terrain, but on mostly bluish groomers I feel a safest with them set at 6.

 

[marzNC]

When listing your weight on a rental form, do you put down your weight+gear? At 145lbs, as a type II, I am right between 6 and 7 depending on which I write down. I use my street weight, because when my din was at 7 my bindings didn't seem to want to pop, even when I wish they had. At 6, they release when I crash and I haven't had any trouble with pre-release during my lacking-sense-of-self-preservation moments. (Or days? Lol!)


I figure I might have to bump them up a bit for powder or steeper terrain, but on mostly bluish groomers I feel a safest with them set at 6.

Good for you for knowing what DIN works best.

I changed from Type II to Type III when I was over 50 in order to keep my DIN at 5. I know that works almost all the time for my own skis and rentals. Demo skis too when I'm at a demo day and trying multiple pairs of skis. But in deep powder, I either check Type III+ or simply sign off on setting at 6 if I'm renting.

One time when I was helping my friend rent skis for her son at a destination resort, she had to add a few pounds to his weight so that he could qualify for the minimum DIN on the junior skis that were the best length for him. He was already an advanced skier by then at age 10 but on the small side.

 

[SnowHot]

When listing your weight on a rental form, do you put down your weight+gear? At 145lbs, as a type II, I am right between 6 and 7 depending on which I write down. I use my street weight, because when my din was at 7 my bindings didn't seem to want to pop, even when I wish they had. At 6, they release when I crash and I haven't had any trouble with pre-release during my lacking-sense-of-self-preservation moments. (Or days? Lol!)


I figure I might have to bump them up a bit for powder or steeper terrain, but on mostly bluish groomers I feel a safest with them set at 6.

I am a binding tech and recommend that customers use the weight in street clothes, much like you'd be weighed at the doctors office.

If, for some reason, you feel like you're releasing too early, you can do a CRS form which will let the Customer Request Setting.

One thing I'd like to note is that SIA has stopped having the Ski and Snowboard Binding Workshop that was originally started by Carl Ettinger and is doing it on line now with videos. That's nice for people to find the information on line, but its a shame because there is an incredible amount of information a tech can get in the actual workshop that is being missed.
You can see the direction of SIA here.
https://smw.snowsports.org

 

[newboots]

I am a binding tech and recommend that customers use the weight in street clothes, much like you'd be weighed at the doctors office.

Hi, Tricia! Nice to see you!

 

[SallyCat]

@SnowHot , your post got me thinking: I gained a lot of weight this winter (close to 20#) and didn't even give a thought to my DIN (long, stressful winter, and the weight really snuck up on me). I also became a bit more aggressive with my skiing. How much of a change should I be worried about as far as getting my DIN re-checked? I haven't had any falls (knock wood) but also haven't released early. I have a few more days of skiing and have returned to a much healthier lifestyle, which will put me back to my normal weight for next year. Would you recommend having a shop take a look at my DIN at the beginning of next season just to make sure I'm where I should be? Thanks!

 

[SnowHot]

@SnowHot , your post got me thinking: I gained a lot of weight this winter (close to 20#) and didn't even give a thought to my DIN (long, stressful winter, and the weight really snuck up on me). I also became a bit more aggressive with my skiing. How much of a change should I be worried about as far as getting my DIN re-checked? I haven't had any falls (knock wood) but also haven't released early. I have a few more days of skiing and have returned to a much healthier lifestyle, which will put me back to my normal weight for next year. Would you recommend having a shop take a look at my DIN at the beginning of next season just to make sure I'm where I should be? Thanks!

Its always good to have your bindings checked at the beginning of the season.
I'll admit that, if I weren't a binding tech I probably wouldn't get mine checked every season, but its something that I recommend to customers just because things can wear and/or we change.

A little on the humorous side...
I often say, "My published weight is 135."

 

[mustski]

I always think it’s funny when the guys in the shop get nervous when asking my weight. I don’t think most of us think twice about it because we’ve been telling it for years. Their nervousness implies some women are less gentle in their responses!

 

[newboots]

One of the things that attracted me to Mr. Blizzard the first time we met was the charming way he had of asking me those questions. I can’t even describe it, but he is very sweet and it makes you want to answer him.

@SnowHot - MY published weight is 135, too!

 

[Abbi]

One of the things that attracted me to Mr. Blizzard the first time we met was the charming way he had of asking me those questions. I can’t even describe it, but he is very sweet and it makes you want to answer him.

@SnowHot - MY published weight is 135, too!

Too funny!! Mr. Blizzard sent me home with the skis he ‘summer-ized’ with the din at zero. And a sticker to remind me!

 

[SierraLuLu]

I just upped by DIN from type II to type III setting for the first time and I’m a bit nervous because I don’t consider myself an aggressive skier. But on my last day of skiing last spring I tripped on a piece of rough snow and my ski fell off and hit me in the chest. It took 2 weeks for the swelling around my ribs to go down. My ski tracker said I was going 40mph, which I suppose is an aggressive speed although the terrain was pretty flat. There were a few instances where my ski came off at an inopportune moment last year, but since I’ve only been twice with a type III setting and on not very challenging terrain, I’m not sure what it’ll look like if my ski doesn’t come off when it needs to.

 

[bunnyslopelover]

I’m a type I skier primarily due to caution. But if I ski on a bunny slope I am a Type II skier as I feel a little less afraid of messing up and hurting myself too. What is my DIN?

 

[2ski2moro]

I just upped by DIN from type II to type III setting for the first time and I’m a bit nervous because I don’t consider myself an aggressive skier. But on my last day of skiing last spring I tripped on a piece of rough snow and my ski fell off and hit me in the chest. It took 2 weeks for the swelling around my ribs to go down. My ski tracker said I was going 40mph, which I suppose is an aggressive speed although the terrain was pretty flat. There were a few instances where my ski came off at an inopportune moment last year, but since I’ve only been twice with a type III setting and on not very challenging terrain, I’m not sure what it’ll look like if my ski doesn’t come off when it needs to.

Why not have your binding checked at your ski shop. They may need to adjust the forward pressure rather than your DIN.

 

[newboots]

I’m a type I skier primarily due to caution. But if I ski on a bunny slope I am a Type II skier as I feel a little less afraid of messing up and hurting myself too. What is my DIN?

Your DIN is a slightly complicated formula involving your height, weight, age, boot sole length, and Skier Level. I would say (based on the very limited info in your post) that you're a Level 1. Keep skiing! It's good to practice confident skiing on the bunny slope. I did a lot of that. I'm in year 4 now, and have graduated to Level 2 this year or last; I'm not sure.

In my limited experience, I was able to know during spring skiing that my bindings released early. I was definitely Level 1 at the time, and in the grabby spring snow, I was ejected suddenly, and I knew it wasn't from a fall. The fall was afterward. But getting hurt on these occasions isn't inevitable. You might consult with an instructor in the spring as to your level. In the spring you'll be better, and the wetter snow has more opportunities for early release.

Any experts on here who disagree, weigh in! This is based on my own experience, not a whole lot of expertise.

 

[SierraLuLu]

Why not have your binding checked at your ski shop. They may need to adjust the forward pressure rather than your DIN.

Good idea! But I’m using new bindings and new skis this year (the last ones were rentals). So we’ll see how the new ones perform.

 

[bunnyslopelover]

Your DIN is a slightly complicated formula involving your height, weight, age, boot sole length, and Skier Level. I would say (based on the very limited info in your post) that you're a Level 1. Keep skiing! It's good to practice confident skiing on the bunny slope. I did a lot of that. I'm in year 4 now, and have graduated to Level 2 this year or last; I'm not sure.

In my limited experience, I was able to know during spring skiing that my bindings released early. I was definitely Level 1 at the time, and in the grabby spring snow, I was ejected suddenly, and I knew it wasn't from a fall. The fall was afterward. But getting hurt on these occasions isn't inevitable. You might consult with an instructor in the spring as to your level. In the spring you'll be better, and the wetter snow has more opportunities for early release.

Any experts on here who disagree, weigh in! This is based on my own experience, not a whole lot of expertise.

Thanks for the mini article!