Bio Stance Alignment

[Little Lightning]

https://biostance.com/

Yesterday I had this alignment done at Outdoor Divas in Boulder. Because I bought my boots there last spring they offered it as a free service. The system looks at boots and bindings plus whatever other paraphernalia that you might have in your boots

I went in with few preconceived notions of what to expect. Some of the employees told me what a difference it made but beyond that I knew nothing about it.

I bought new boots because my Lange's were bothering after 63 days of skiing. The common thought is that the liners are breaking down and it's normal after so many days. I also had orthotics, heel lifts and boot heaters. I had all the technology and thought I was balanced.

At the beginning of our Women's Wed. lessons last year the instructor talked about balance. We might have spent 20 minutes on this. I thought I was balanced.

Some things I did know, my wonderful perfect fitting Langes hurt by the end of the season. When I skied my Fat Luvs in powder I had a hard time keeping my balance. In bumps my instructor told us to extend, push our toes down when going over the bump, I couldn't do it. When skiing on one foot I could easily go one edge but not the other.

So, yesterday I packed up my Volkl supersports, K2 Lotta Luvs, (both with Marker bindings) and my K2 Fat Luvs (Salomon bindings), Lange Freestyle 100 boots, new Head Dream Thang boots and headed for Boulder.

I worked with Chris Korish who developed this whole system. The first thing I noticed is that there is no glitzy, computerized equipment.
Chris interviewed me about my skiing, my boot problems and type of skiing. Chris informed me that Mike (Outdoor Divas) had filled him in on my issues.

We started working with my new boots, Chris questioned me on the feel of my boots based on 3 zones https://biostance.com/downloads/FitZoneTesting.pdf then I put my old boots on and went through the same process. I also tried a Nordica for comparison. Normally, they would have tried different brands but the Nordica was the only other boot they had in a size 22.

Once Chris was satisfied that the Dream Thang was the best fitting we started working with different ramp angles. We were trying to find the best balance point for me. Too much ramp angle, think high heels, and I was on the ball of my feet, too little and I'm on my heels.

When we found the optimal ramp angle my body totally relaxed. I could feel the change and Chris could see it. To find optimal ramp angle Chris uses a pair of very short skis with bindings that can have shims added to them. Then you decide where you are most balanced.
Once we found the optimal ramp angle my body totally relaxed. I could feel the change and Chris could see it.

Finally, I put my one of my skis on and kept the prototype ski on for comparison. My skis with the Marker bindings didn't feel to much different, I was slightly on the balls of my feet but when I put on the Fat Luvs with the Salomon bindings, wow, I thought I had put on high heels! The ramp angle was so high!

When I was testing my binding Chris unbuckled my boot that was on the prototype ski then, while on my own skis, asked me which boot fit better. Every time the unbuckled boot felt better! When I put on the Fat Luvs it felt like the boot on that foot grew two sizes! Then I shocked when Chris told the employee "that now, she could buckle my boot! I had forgotten my boot was unbuckled!

This whole process took 3 hrs! It was longer because Chris used me for training employees so he spent a lot of time explaining things to them and me.

What I learned from this is, I don't need heel lifts, orthotics were actually hindering my stance and I may not need them and not all bindings are created equal in ramp angle.

Once the fitting is done the shop keeps your prescription, so to speak,
so that you don't need to go through it again.

Cost of all this, if you buy boots from the store the fitting is free. You do pay for adjustments made to bindings if you don't buy skis from them. For me the total cost was $400. Mainly because the Salomon bindings were so off for me.

Be aware that if your skis have a railed system the ability to cant and shim them is less likely.

Only 12 shops in the country are using this system but the zone idea is good to use when you buy boots, print it and take it to the shop with you. When demoing skis pay attention to the ramp angle. Ask yourself if you feel like your standing on "high heels". Also pay attention to how much ramp angle is on the ski.

Hopefully, I will be able to ski in a couple of weeks. I'll report back after I've been on the snow.

Kathi

 

[cyn]

Wow! What an interesting post. I'm almost positive I have balance issues, and I wonder if there's anything like that available in the east.
Please let us know how your overall comfort and skiing change once you hit the snow.

 

[Little Lightning]

Update

I finally got to ski my with my new boots, Head Dream Thangs, and my newly adjusted bindings.

First I tried the Lotta Luvs. I was without orthotics and heels lifts so I was unsure what to expect. When I looked at my feet my skis were perfectly flat on the snow. It is the first time I've been on skis without being on my inside edges. Conditions were hardpack and fast but the Lotta Luvs held and edge nicely. After a few runs I found I could move naturally with the skis. I discovered carving potential in the skis I had not noticed before.

Second try was the Volkl Supersport 5, forerunner of the Attiva's. The
conditions were identical, hardpack and fast. These skis are carvers and should have performed better than the Lotta Luvs but I couldn't do anything with them. I found myself having a difficult time holding an edge, I slid all over the place. Because the slope was crowded and the good blue runs aren't open yet I couldn't go off and get familiar with the ski. I did get a chance to practice "falling leaves" and the edges released very nicely.

All in all I'm pleased with the Bio-stance experience. However, I'm not sure what it happening with the Volkl's, I just couldn't find the right technique for them. I couldn't find their sweet spot. They felt short and just didn't inspire me with confidence like the Lotta Luvs did. I used to love skiing the Volkls in hardpack but they set my skiing back to the way I skied before all my lessons last year.

I'll report more when conditions get better and I can spend more time becoming familiar again with the Volkl.

 

[Jilly]

I know exactly what you mean by "high heels". 4 years ago Rossi came out with their "soft boot". I absolutely loved them in the shop. Ordered a pair from the rep. Could not ski on them. Felt like I was on a pair of high heel ski boots. There was a ramp built into the boot that but your foot at an angle. I was always in race stance, not instructor or rec skier stance. Got rid of those things quick.
This whole experience sounds absolutely perfect. I hope they can train more shop techs and expand this system.

 

[Little Lightning]

Not only do the boots have ramp angle but it's also in bindings, skis, orthotics and heel lifts. Depending on the mix one has they could be way off center without knowing it, like me.

If you have a binding that is on a rail there is some ramp angle built in due to the design of the binding.

One of the problems is that the boot fitter makes the orthotics and fits the boots but generally doesn't consider the bindings and the skis.

The guy who came up with this system is very passionate and knowledgeable. I like that fact that in going through the process the skier understands what their needs are.

Thinking through this my Volkls are a railed binding system while my Lotta Luvs were flat and I chose the binding. I'm wondering if the Volkl binding was significantly out of my zone while the Lotta Luv binding is closer to what I need. In my lessons I progressed after I bought the Lotta Luvs but didn't see a lot of change on the Volkl's.

Fortunately, I'm doing the Women's Wed program again this year and if I haven't figured this out by early Dec. when the lessons start hopefully my instructor can help me.

About orthotics, I've used them for years and have gone through the gamut of people who have made them. But I was continually on the inside of my skis and disappointed that I wasn't on a flat ski. Canting my bindings was all I needed to get me on a flat ski.

Wow, I can see my skiing really taking off once my muscle memory adjusts to all the changes.

I also think this has a lot to do with why one person likes a particular ski and not another. If I had demoed the Volkls without knowing what I know now, I would have rated them very low. Now when I demo I'll pay a lot more attention to how balanced I feel on the ski.

And just when I was feeling so smug that my lessons had improved my skiing so much I'm back to where I started.

 

[SnowHot]

This is going to sound like a dumb question but.........is this some alteration you'll have to do on all of your equipment in the future, or is it something you can alter in your technique, now that you know what it is?

 

[sleddog]

I'd be really careful about shopping at a store that claims to make orthotics. Most reputable shops won't touch that term with a 10 foot pole since it implies that they are working with a certified pedorthist. Custom footbeds are what most ski shops build and you can have some that are well made and some that are not. Those that are well made should put your foot in a subtalar neutral stance.

I have a pair of Kork Custom footbeds that are wonderful and require no alignment adjustments, and a pair of footbeds made by HH :mad: that require me to have 1 1/2degrees of cant on each ski. Guess which ones I use?

As far as heel lifts go, some men need them just as much as some women. Balance on skis is an individual thing, and is very dynamic. I'm one of those rare women that probably do better with gas pedals as I can crush the flex of every women's boot I've ever tried, but there are also quite a few women who shouldn't have anything inside their boots that changes ramp angles.

I'm a little skeptical about shops that are correcting dynamic balance in a static position. When I'm skiing I'm constantly making adjustments to my balance - something a shop can't simulate. So, yes, there are some things that one should be aware of - such as whether a boot/binding system makes you feel like you're in high heels, but much of the balance correction should be made on the hill with someone with experience in correcting stance issues. There's a really good thread on Epic relating to boot stiffness/ zeppa + delta angles etc.

https://forums.epicski.com/showthread.php?t=18916

 

[Little Lightning]

I was skeptical of this system also, until I actually experienced it. Even though I was not "on the hill" it took 3 hrs to get me to my final alignment. I spent the whole time moving in boots then on skis with bindings that can be canted and shimmed then my own equipment. When we were finished I was tired.

From what I was told this system of alignment has been researched and tested for the last 3-4 years and is now being brought to the general public.

I too had cork footbeds that didn't change my alignment, only made my foot hurt. On my left foot my first metasaral drops lower than the others, can't remember what it is called, and had orthotics made that would cushion the metatarsal. I still need cushioning but am not sure that orthotics are the answer.

Because I bought my boots from the shop my alignment was free. I did pay to have the skis canted and ramp angle change. And my next pair of skis will be flat, without bindings, so that I can chose a binding that has a ramp angle close to what I need. To me the charge to change the binding is cheaper than the cost of a set of orthotics.

Basically, this system is bringing to the average skier what ski instructors and racers have known for a long time at an affordable price.

I suspect with my alignment issues that I didn't really ski my skis with technique, I had to adapt to the limitations of my alignment and skied them the best I could. Now I have new challenges learning how to use a flat ski and both edges instead of my inside edges all the time.

I knew I had problems, ie. when I tried to ski on one ski I could only go to one side, when I would do falling leaves my knees would hurt after a period of time, especially my right knee, the one that the orthotic was canting me to the inside. The inside of my foot hurt and rubbed the boot on that foot.

As I advanced in my skiing I probably would have seen a bootfitter my ski instructor recommended but this system presented itself to me free of charge so I tried it first.

Time will tell how I feel about it but my first impressions are very good.

 

[Little Lightning]

You have to alter your skis, bindings, and stay with the same boots because the bindings are set up for those boots.

My shop kept my prescription so that, in the future, if I demo skis from them they will set the bindings to the correct ramp angle and cant. The same for if I buy skis from them.

Knowing this, you might be able to overcome cant issues, but the ramp angle is built into the binding, there are something like 7 zones, and there is nothing you can do if it is off except alter the binding.

Unfortunately, most railed systems can't be changed but a flat binding system can be.

Hopefully, the ski industry will find a way to standardize boots, bindings so the consumer can chose or adjust equipment to works for them.

I spent all last season in lessons and while I improved my technique and skied more efficiently I was fighting my equipment so to speak. Some things I just couldn't do no matter how I tried.

The Bio Stance system helps you to feel and see changes in your body so you understand what feels neutral. The few things that was pointed out to me I could feel the difference between neutral and my current position.

I suspect this season I will be retraining my body because all the "crutches" are gone. It's going to be an interesting season.

 

[ski chick]

I'm dissapointed that so few shops are using this technology. Currently (according to the biostance site) there is only 1 shop in the east using this. I hope there are more shops that will begin using this. I think I would really appreciate it.

 

[Little Lightning]

I decided it's time to do an update on the Biostance system. I've mostly skied my Lotta Luvs which are my favorites because I ski bumps, trees, etc. I don't ski groomers unless I have to! The biggest change on these skis was to get rid of the heel lifts and some canting work. I bought the skis flat and picked my own binding and I intituively picked the best binding for me. I use these skis in my weekly lesson and can now do the exercises that we practice. I can use both edges, make really nice railroad tracks, ski on one foot, I need more work on this and "tgif" (tips go in bumps first) really happens well.

When I finally got to ski the Phat Luvs the first thing I noticed is that I could keep my balance in the powder! Last year I was pitched so far forward that my body was constantly seeking a centered position. Powder was frustrating and tiring. I've also discovered how well the Phat Luvs carve a turn (mine are the green w/ blue flowers, diferent from the current model). Last week I zipped through 12" of powder while my friends were all struggling. Good lessons has helped me, too.

My Volkls were a different story. First, they were out of control, I couldn't turn them at all. Thinking they were the tune I took them back to Outdoor Divas and Mike discovered that the bindings were set to the back position. He moved the bindings forward but to get them to turn I still had to "stand on my toes". I have a tiny foot and am lightweight so Mike had the theory that I simply couldn't pressure the tips on these skis. So, he drilled another hole in the rail of the binding and moved me more forward. Voila! the skis are fun again, I skied bumps, a little powder and ungroomed runs. I do have to make sure my feet are aligned underneath my body to get the tips to pressure properly and turn. But that's what a good skier does anyway, right?

When we did my initial fitting my canting was slightly off on my right foot. I was starting to notice pain in my ankle and vernicular bone. I had the Lotta Luvs with me and it was a 5 min. change. No more problems with the bones. I still need to take the Volkls and Phat Luvs in for a change, I especially noticed it on the Volkls because I'm having a hard time making perfect railroad tracks!

Like I said before I thought I had good alignment but had no idea how off I was. Biostance has certainly made a difference for me.

Sorry this was such a long post. It's snowing and blowing like crazy outside, in Denver!