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How to get rid of a one legged A- frame
- Thread starter MissySki
- Start date
It’s definitely interesting to look in a mirror and adjust pelvic tilt, it does in fact seem to help my knock kneed stance in general. I’m not sure during dynamic movement that it would have the same effect, but definitely things to play around with. Hard to know on dry ground what will help on the mountain. Gosh I can’t wait to get on ghe mountain!!
What about how we roll our edges into turns? Could it also be that I’m not rolling the inside ski onto the pinkie toe edge enough and opening my knee out as well to allow the movement on that side? I ask this because when I was standing in front of the mirror playing around I was also trying to roll my feet side to side as if edging, and it felt a little stiffer for my right foot/lower leg when it’s going to the right as well. Obviously I wasn’t in boots or skis, but I felt a noticeable difference from my left side.
I got to go back and rewatch Ursula’s video, and I’m glad I did because the pressure versus weight concept is a really great reminder to start the season with!! Especially since I’m someone who can have the tendency of getting a little too far back in my turns.
What about how we roll our edges into turns? Could it also be that I’m not rolling the inside ski onto the pinkie toe edge enough and opening my knee out as well to allow the movement on that side? I ask this because when I was standing in front of the mirror playing around I was also trying to roll my feet side to side as if edging, and it felt a little stiffer for my right foot/lower leg when it’s going to the right as well. Obviously I wasn’t in boots or skis, but I felt a noticeable difference from my left side.
I got to go back and rewatch Ursula’s video, and I’m glad I did because the pressure versus weight concept is a really great reminder to start the season with!! Especially since I’m someone who can have the tendency of getting a little too far back in my turns.
All this talk gave me weird dreams last night! DH and I were at a ski boot fitting (which we ARE doing this weekend) and he ended up with no new boots but a brace (no, he wasn't injured) that would push his knee to to the outside (not even a problem he has). Meanwhile, I didn't even get to my fitting because I met up with some Divas who were also there and whose names I couldn't remember and then missed my appointment because we were eating at some cafe where the sprinkler system went off and we all got wet.
No, I was not drinking last night.
No, I was not drinking last night.
This is AWESOME Great on the Ursula video. 
I think the fact that you noticed a difference rolling side to side is a great clue and one that the sideslipping drill I mentioned will really help with.
When I teach sidelsipping I encourage folks to figure out which physical cue works best for them to flatten/un-edge their downhill ski.
1) tip your knee outward? (this is actually a function of the hip joint not the knee itself).
2) relax your ankle and let it collapse against the outside of the boot (this is the one that works for me)
3) push the pinky toe edge of the foot down and/or lift the big toe edge of the foot.
You might be able to try these out in your boots right now. (I can’t wait to get on snow either!) See which physical action you can feel the best and which is most effective at tipping your boot toward the outside. Try to notice any differences between right and left legs. If you can stand sideways on a ramp all the better.
For you, it might just be a matter of having to make the move bigger or more forceful on the right side.
I think the fact that you noticed a difference rolling side to side is a great clue and one that the sideslipping drill I mentioned will really help with.
When I teach sidelsipping I encourage folks to figure out which physical cue works best for them to flatten/un-edge their downhill ski.
1) tip your knee outward? (this is actually a function of the hip joint not the knee itself).
2) relax your ankle and let it collapse against the outside of the boot (this is the one that works for me)
3) push the pinky toe edge of the foot down and/or lift the big toe edge of the foot.
You might be able to try these out in your boots right now. (I can’t wait to get on snow either!) See which physical action you can feel the best and which is most effective at tipping your boot toward the outside. Try to notice any differences between right and left legs. If you can stand sideways on a ramp all the better.
For you, it might just be a matter of having to make the move bigger or more forceful on the right side.
If you look at my avatar, you'll see that the feet are apart, but the right knee tends in. Problem I've been working on forever. This pic was taken on a flat groomed, so didn't really care. But you can see that both skis are on some edge.
I have to think and use the knee out to flatten the ski. Then the turns happens so much better.
I have to think and use the knee out to flatten the ski. Then the turns happens so much better.
This has always been key for me in learning. Different people have greater awareness of different parts. If I'm given a "little toe" movement to do, I often have to do that consciously -- and perhaps standing still -- and follow the chain of body parts until I find the one that I am more aware of, which is often the knee.
Your pointing this out to skiers is great, @Skisailor.
Your pointing this out to skiers is great, @Skisailor.
I agree, and I think this also goes to the pressure versus weight command issue because now I’m curious what I’ve actually been doing! In my mind, I think I’m liking the thought of getting my knee out there in a more dynamic way, but I also want to try raising my big toe versus pressing on the little toe like I normally would. I sure hope all of this stays as fresh in my mind when I actually get on the snow as it seems right now!
This is super interesting to me. I have very similar issues initiating right turns. Makes me wonder how a different zeppa/delta in a boot/boot board could affect this issue. Seems my favorite boots performance-wise were my Salomon XMax 90s, but they were vastly too large in volume for me. But they stand darn near flat vs. most of the other boots I've had.
I have pics of me mountain biking that show that same anterior tilt. I always thought it came from my days of working to be a "perfect" equestrienne.
Definitely something I'm going to pay more attention to as ski season begins.
I have pics of me mountain biking that show that same anterior tilt. I always thought it came from my days of working to be a "perfect" equestrienne.
Definitely something I'm going to pay more attention to as ski season begins.
Something that came up at my bootfitter’s last year was that he didn’t like the alignment of my boot cuffs (I got my boots elsewhere several years ago). We didn’t change anything because I didn’t want to play with my boots at that point. His concern was that while my lower legs point inward, my cuffs are the opposite, and so it does actually create a bulge or pinch on the inside of my leg when everything is tightened up. I hadn’t really noticed it before that, and I decided to put my boots on just now and yeah plain as day in a mirror, especially without ski pants on, my boot cuffs point in the exact opposite direction as my legs do. So I was wondering, could this contribute to having a harder time rolling to the outside edge on my right leg where things are seemingly more pronounced? If the shell is closer to the inside of my leg, wouldn’t it get me on an inside edge quicker but potentially delay getting to the outside since it’s relatively further away from my leg and therefore requires more movement in that direction to achieve the desired outcome? Plus it’s a tougher movement to me in general. I’m not sure how big of an impact this might have in reality, as I can’t imagine the shell moves all that much for alignment, but I think I’d like to move it in and start out that way this season and see what happens. My bootfitter had said it was something I could experiment with myself easy enough, and I can put it back if I don’t like it. Of course now I can’t find a tool of the right size.. I’ve got one too big and too small, but need to search more for the just right or go to a shop and have them do it.
Is this somerhing on a shell that can move itself over time? I’m not sure why I would have been setup this way originally. Everything I read says the boot should follow the leg versus trying to push it in one direction or another to correct alignment issues..?
P.S. I’ve been trying to consciously uncurve my pelvis for the past two days thanks to this thread haha! In the car, at work, in the shower..
Is this somerhing on a shell that can move itself over time? I’m not sure why I would have been setup this way originally. Everything I read says the boot should follow the leg versus trying to push it in one direction or another to correct alignment issues..?
P.S. I’ve been trying to consciously uncurve my pelvis for the past two days thanks to this thread haha! In the car, at work, in the shower..
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I'll admit, I have nothing technically to add to this thread, but wanted to chime in and say I find it all really interesting. It's amazing how such a small part of someone's anatomy, tiny technical offset or minor equipment nuance can cause such a large struggle.
It's threads like these that I also read and think...wait...do I do that? haha. Maybe I shouldn't overthink it, but it's in my genes, there's no changing that now.
I'm guessing you have an imperial hex set? Most boots will be metric since most ski brands started in Europe. From a quick Google ...looks like a 3 or 5 mm...https://www.lange-boots.com/skiboots-faq-canting
(looking at your picture, it looks like a Lange?)
It's threads like these that I also read and think...wait...do I do that? haha. Maybe I shouldn't overthink it, but it's in my genes, there's no changing that now.
I'm guessing you have an imperial hex set? Most boots will be metric since most ski brands started in Europe. From a quick Google ...looks like a 3 or 5 mm...https://www.lange-boots.com/skiboots-faq-canting
(looking at your picture, it looks like a Lange?)
How much effect it has is dependent on how much of a gap you have. I'm a proponent of things that maximize our range of ankle motion in the fore-aft direction (there are times when I'm skiing that my shin is off the tongue or my calf is off the back of the boot). But we don't want movement laterally! In the lateral direction we should have a nice tight fit for just the reason you describe above. Since the cuff cant is something that you can easily adjust yourself - go for it. The important point with cuff canting adjustments though, is to realize you can't use it to force your lower leg into a certain position. That will just create a source of discomfort. It's just there so that you can match your cuff to whatever your lower leg angle actually is. Making an adjustment to that lower leg angle is usually best done with your footbeds.
Absolutely, yes. It would appear that my current alignment of the boot cuffs are for a bow legged person.. I have no idea why that would be the case though. Seems like that would be if someone were trying to correct me versus following my leg angle. Do some boot fitters do that? Everything I've read says NOT to do this, so it seems weird that they are set this way.
