Struggling with skiing all of a sudden!

[alaski]

I seem to have lost my ability to ski in anything other than perfect conditions. I keep wanting to lean backwards against my boots and I struggle to control my skis. Turning doesn't seem easy any more, it seems like it takes a lot of effort.

I just had new bindings mounted, and I'm wondering if they may have gotten the mount point wrong? When I'm in tour mode (free heel) and pick up my boot, the ski tail swings down and hits the ground. Shouldn't the ski be balanced at the pivot point? Would mounting the bindings slightly forward cause such a big difference in my skiing?

Help, I'm so frustrated!

 

[altagirl]

What are the bindings?

I've got to admit, I've never figured out how to ski well in my Fritcschi AT bindings. I think it's a combination of the ramp angle, height, general... wobbly-ness. I just do not like them - and I've put them on several different skis. I always feel like I'm having to lean back to get the ski to carve - and that is NOT what I want to do.

I wish I had a better solution for you. I tried taking the toe shims out of the bindings to make the ramp angle better - the improvement was minor. They still just don't feel... stable to me. And as I result I just don't tour much and stick to regular alpine bindings whenever possible.

 

[alaski]

That is interesting that you felt you had to lean back as well.

I have Dynafit bindings. My Fritschis were fine, but when I got the Dynafits mounted, I was concerned that the tech would use the old Fritschi holes and as a result the bindings would be too far forward. To be honest the tech kind of blew off my concerns (he told me I "wouldn't notice" if the bindings weren't mounted just right, grrrrr), so I am really concerned that he didn't properly balance the skis. It's the only ski shop in town that's open any more, though.

There are a number of theories about touring skis and how they should be mounted forward, so I wonder if the techs that mounted your Fritschis and my Dynafits were going with that theory. I guess the only thing I can do is have them remounted and see what happens.

One of the things I don't like about the Dynafits is that they put the heel higher than the toe when in ski position, and I really feel that in my skiing. I've been having to tinker with my boots to compensate and I have enough boot issues as it is! Sigh.

 

[IntheClouds]

Measure the ramp/delta angle difference for each binding. It really does make a difference in balance. So could mount point. But I'd check the ramp angle as they are different brands.

Ooops, just re-read you post. From the sounds of it, there is a difference you feel. Measure it or have the shop guys measure it. It can be adjusted for with plates ? & put you back to the same angle. This changes your balance back to what works for you. For the mounting point & ski swing you may have hit upon the problem already. Sounds like 2 issues.

 

[altagirl]

That is interesting that you felt you had to lean back as well.

I have Dynafit bindings. My Fritschis were fine, but when I got the Dynafits mounted, I was concerned that the tech would use the old Fritschi holes and as a result the bindings would be too far forward. To be honest the tech kind of blew off my concerns (he told me I "wouldn't notice" if the bindings weren't mounted just right, grrrrr), so I am really concerned that he didn't properly balance the skis. It's the only ski shop in town that's open any more, though.

There are a number of theories about touring skis and how they should be mounted forward, so I wonder if the techs that mounted your Fritschis and my Dynafits were going with that theory. I guess the only thing I can do is have them remounted and see what happens.

One of the things I don't like about the Dynafits is that they put the heel higher than the toe when in ski position, and I really feel that in my skiing. I've been having to tinker with my boots to compensate and I have enough boot issues as it is! Sigh.

Yeah - what's interesting is that I've been told I should switch to Dynafits. I feel like my heel is way too low on the Fritschis. And for some reason the sweet spot on the ski just doesn't seem to exist when I try to stay centered, and leaning forward doesn't help either. It just washes through everything and only seems to want to carve when I feel too far back in my stance. And basically I don't feel comfortable skiing anything other than easy powder on that setup.

I bet the boots have something to do with it. If you have boots that worked with Fritchis and the heels are higher on the Dynafits I can see why they would not work well on both. (I'm just using regular alpine boots, not AT boots, which would obviously have to change if I switched to Dynafits - and is the reason I haven't - the extra expense.)

 

[alaski]

That is exactly how I feel when I ski these days. My skis are just kind of dead feeling and I can't get centered on them. Then again, backcountry skis are meant to be skied in powder so maybe I'm fighting a losing battle trying to ski them in mank conditions. But when I first skied at resorts this year, my skis were great even on hardpack, so it must be some issue or another.

I should have mentioned, I'm actually in new boots AND new bindings. The boots are way better than my old ones, though.

On the other hand, I had so much spectacular powder skiing this year, maybe the conditions really spoiled me and now I can't ski in anything that isn't perfect! But I doubt it.

 

[alaski]

Altagirl, would you do me a favor? Put your Fritschis in touring mode, then pick them up by the binding. Does the ski stay more or less flat or does the tail swing down to touch the ground?