What I learned today

[newboots]

Day 23. After last week's idiotic adventures with SkiTracks, I went back to work on keeping in control.

Today's (self-taught) lessons:

• If you're going to pole while skating, keep the poles outside of your skis (falling while skating seems to be my specialty).
• In addition to keeping control, I need to work on regaining control after picking up that runaway train sort of speed.
• Get with the program and wax those skis.
  
• If your lift-mates are discussing leaving soon for Switzerland and just returning from a 10-day heli-skiing trip out West, instead of joining the conversation just quietly wonder to yourself what the heck they're doing at Berkshire East, where 3 of the 4 lifts are running (that triple has been down for weeks).

 

[newboots]

What I learned today (day 26 at Killington):

• Same as the easier trails, on the hard trails you make turns and keep everything under control
• The DIN number really does have to go up. When the soft snow grabs your ski and your binding gives it up, time for a new approach to the DIN (currently at 3.75. Yes, I know.)
• Soft snow is lovely. Challenging, but such fun
• Eat right and sleep before skiing (duh)
• I love skiing!

 

[mustski]

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[*]If you're going to pole while skating, keep the poles outside of your skis (falling while skating seems to be my specialty.
[/LIST]

I hear that! In soft snow, I have a tendency to stop too suddenly and "trip" over my downhill pole.

 

[bounceswoosh]

The DIN number really does have to go up. When the soft snow grabs your ski and your binding gives it up, time for a new approach to the DIN (currently at 3.75. Yes, I know.)

What *should* it be based on a DIN calculator?

https://www.mechanicsofsport.com/skiing/equipment/bindings/din-calculator.html

You can't compare the absolute number to anyone else unless they are your same height, weight, and critically - Boot Sole Length. It's all about leverage.

 

[nopoleskier]

as for the "DIN" Calculator. I think the more one skis the more one understands DIN and what works for each person.
I just put my stats in it said I should be at 8.5!! NOT.. I'm at a tad over 7 only because I gained weight.. when I lose weight I'll put back to 6.5.

@newboots yes yours is too low if they are 'falling' off on stopping in the piles of snow.. but then they are doing what they are supposed to do come off when put in a position that if it doesn't come off you could get hurt.. they are designed to work under pressure like Bounceswoosh said "leverage"

I"m wondering if the ski didn't come off would you have fallen? and if you fell and the ski didn't come off sadly that's how our knees get wrecked.. and yes sadly knees get wrecked when the skis don't come off too. Learning to fall and save your knees is important IMHO....

@newboots Glad to hear you were at Killington.. Friends said it was great on Fri/Sat they had 5" new snow!!!

I think I'll be making a spring trip next week after Easter or even in May since I am lamenting working and not skiing... wishing I was retired.. I'll stop moaning....

 

[nopoleskier]

I hear that! In soft snow, I have a tendency to stop too suddenly and "trip" over my downhill pole.

Why I dislike Poles :-)

 

[Jilly]

Why I dislike Poles :-)

 

[bounceswoosh]

Why I dislike Poles :-)

Honestly, at my last group lesson of the series, we were practicing side slips - one of the ladies side slipped into her pole, got caught, pulled forward to the ground, and hurt her shoulder. I don't remember exactly the diagnosis, but I think an eight week recovery.

There may be outliers for DIN calculators. My calculated DIN results in me coming out when I want to, and not when I don't. If I came out of my binding every time I touched a snowflake (okay, every time my tip hit a pile of snow), that would NOT be tight enough.

 

[newboots]

The calculator puts me at 4.5.

But my experience was that I was strong enough to ski through those ridges, but my binding ejected, thus causing me to fall. I wrote about this elsewhere and didn't repeat the whole explanation; sorry for the confusion!

 

[newboots]

@newboots Glad to hear you were at Killington.. Friends said it was great on Fri/Sat they had 5" new snow!!!

I think I'll be making a spring trip next week after Easter or even in May since I am lamenting working and not skiing... wishing I was retired.. I'll stop moaning....

It was awesome at Killington! I am hopeful that this weeks' foray into summer doesn't make for a rapid decline. I might be able to come up Easter Monday.

I want to retire to ski and hike! I do like having an income, though...

 

[Jenny]

The calculator puts me at 4.5.

But my experience was that I was strong enough to ski through those ridges, but my binding ejected, thus causing me to fall. I wrote about this elsewhere and didn't repeat the whole explanation; sorry for the confusion!

Mine comes to 4.5, and I have no problems either way - no premature ejections, and no non-ejections. It always seems so wimpy when other people talk about their DIN, but it works for me, so I don't think too much about it. Only when DH and I switch skis. His DIN is 5.5, and I don't really know how much stronger (or whatever the right word is) that is than mine.

 

[bounceswoosh]

I wanted to look up what the DIN number actually means, and ran across this, which is definitely "What I learned today" : https://www.mechanicsofsport.com/skiing/equipment/bindings.html (scroll down a bit ... lots of info!)

 

[santacruz skier]

Calculator puts me at 3.5 or 4. I always have my bindings set at 4.5 and come out when I need to. Any lower I pop out when skiing and that is dangerous.
Ah hem except for my accident in Switzerland. Had attack 13 bindings at 4.5. But I wasn't skiing really so.....

 

[Jenny]

Calculator puts me at 3.5 or 4. I always have my bindings set at 4.5 and come out when I need to. Any lower I pop out when skiing and that is dangerous.
Ah hem except for my accident in Switzerland. Had attack 13 bindings at 4.5. But I wasn't skiing really so.....

Doesn't it figure that when you needed it the most . . .

 

[newboots]

I wanted to look up what the DIN number actually means, and ran across this, which is definitely "What I learned today" : https://www.mechanicsofsport.com/skiing/equipment/bindings.html (scroll down a bit ... lots of info!)

Interesting stuff!

And we should get our bindings checked by a tech. Just because you turn the screw to this DIN or that, doesn't mean the binding is going to do what it's told. Better to know before we ski than find out the hard way.

Can you tell I'm dating a ski mechanic? I thought so.

 

[bounceswoosh]

Yeah, I always get a release test when I get my bindings adjusted.

 

[santacruz skier]

Yeah, I always get a release test when I get my bindings adjusted.

good idea

 

[Pequenita]

Yes - to echo newboots, the DIN calculator may be all well and good, but when you are looking at your heel and toe pieces, you are looking at the visual indicators, which may not correspond to what happens in practice (or when tested in the shop). If you do choose to adjust them on your own, you're better off counting the number of turns with the screwdriver than relying on the visual indicator so that at least you'll have them symmetrical.

 

[mustski]

Techs are always apologetic as they explain that they are setting me at 5 - because of my *ahem* ripe old age of 58. I pretty much just laugh. I've been at 5 as long as I can remember and it's fine. I've always been a finesse skier so I don't pre-release.

 

[nopoleskier]

Pre-release I think is all about the leverage, pressure and angle. Once I had a DOUBLE release when I was skiing bumps I hit the bottom belly of the bump 'just' right and the ski bent just right and poof Launched! no skis! I was in free fall! the people that watched said it was a "wide world of sports" fall. thankfully I was fine, finding the skis in the woods was not fun.. and I was WAY younger when that happened.