Tuning a 2010 ski: Hints

Just got 10 pairs of skis to lend to various skiers and I discovered a "tuning option" many ski companies have, yet do not explain.

Most ski companies now have a "rail" or grooved system to insert bindings. This is done to increase profits since it forces skiers to buy only bindings from ski companies. It also makes it easy to install bindings since there is a very high "turn-around" rate of new ski shop technicians.

The negative side to this is,,smart skiers must understand and insist that their bindings be "correctly" centered on the ski! very few skiers even bother to check,,or even know what to check for when taking a "demo ski" or even a rental (sorry,,, a "hired" ski)!

The position of the boots,,on the ski is critical to skiing. Do not assume that all skis are set "correctly"

I did an experiment last week when I got these skis to lend. I placed one binding 10 cm. forward from recommended mark! The skier was an intermediate +10years male skier! After two runs,,,,well he was not happy. He could never find "his sweet spot" on the ski!

Then I took his skis and replaced units correctly. The smile came back to his face. His new skis and him were one! His turns were "clean" sharp and even!

Lesson: Learn to just check alignment of boots and skis! All modern boots have a line, a triangle or some form of reference mark on the INSIDE sole section!
All modern skis also have a mark on ski sidewall or ski plastic plate.

Make sure these two marks are aligned before skiing. Do Not assume it has been done correctly!

Now for the "smart skier", the "adventuresome skier", the skier who wants to get the most out of his/her ski!
This rail system allows you to find your personal "sweet spot". It allows you to play around with binding location to "teak" the ski performance! Clearly this is not for beginner skiers!
Atomic several years ago had a binding with 3 postions to allow for this. So did Marker!

Read up on the various options and what they do to "change" a ski's personality.
All my skis have a varied boot position.
The racing SL skis are more forward, The "Fats" are dead center. While the 180's GS cruisers are 5mm back!
That is my choice. You find your personal options and enjoy discovering the "possibilities" open to you!

But remember this rule,,,,,,a little change is better that a huge change! Make small increments in mm!