Latest posts for the topic "Dissertation research help!"

Dissertation research help!

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:15:33 GMT

Hi guys, I'm a design student and my dissertation is on ski equipment design and safety so was hoping you guys could help me out and answer a very short anonymous questionnaire for me. It'll only take a few minutes and will help me out loads for my dissertation

The focus is on ski boots and bindings and how technology and materials have changed and improved safety for the sport.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hodBDo2MrYVkifsA_oKJ7ifA_rb9m1N1i56duRpborQ/viewform

Thank you very much in advance!

Re:Dissertation research help!

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:52:08 GMT

I did it.

Modern bindings are fine. Touring bindings have more issues, but I guess that is a small market.

Re:Dissertation research help!

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:06:07 GMT

Thank you! much appreciated

Re:Dissertation research help!

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:04:13 GMT

done...in principle nothing much has changed since 1975

Re:Dissertation research help!

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:38:26 GMT

done :)

Re:Dissertation research help!

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 21:07:43 GMT

Stephen, apart from carrying out a visual check to see if anything has broken or come lose it's not possible for a skier to check the "integrity" and "safety" of the ski boot / binding system.

In the case of bindings this can only be done using a ski binding testing device, either a manual device such as the Vermont Ski Safety binding release calibrator or an automatic device like the Montana Jetbond

The information required to ascertain if a ski boot sole is in compliance with ISO 5355 (if a ski boot sole is out of specification the binding might not function properly) is not available to the general skiing public.

The manufactures recommend that these tests are carried out by qualified technicians before the start of each season.

The tests are seldom carried out. In 2009/10 the Austrian Ski Federation carried out a study in which they found that:

• 35% of the ski bindings tested did not meet the safety requirements. i.e. the settings were outside the tolerance range of + / - 15%.

• 5% of the bindings tested were no longer functional.

• Almost one fifth (18%) of the surveyed skiers reported that their bindings opened unexpectedly from time to time.

• Only 1/3 of the surveyed skiers had their equipment tested annually.

As Daved mentioned the basic design of ski bindings hasn't changed since the 1970s they were designed to prevent broken legs. Since then the design of skis has changed dramatically and now the most common skiing injuries are knee injuries, overall they make up 40% of all skiing injuries and women are twice as likely to suffer one.

None of the bindings produced by the major manufactures were designed to deal with the backwards twisting falls that cause most knee injuries.

The basic design of ski boots hasn't changed since the 1960s http://www.zipfit.com/blog/2010/02/15/plus-que-sa-change-plus-que-sa-reste-la-meme/
Other designs have been tried notably the rear entry boot, but none of these were as successful (either commercially or functionally) as the classic overlap design.

Re:Dissertation research help!

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 22:18:06 GMT

Other designs have been tried notably the rear entry boot, but none of these were as successful (either commercially or functionally) as the classic overlap design.

So, remind me agian what boots Bill Rodgers was wearing when he won his Olympic gold medal?
And which boot were all the leading freestylers of the world, (eg Nelson Carmichael), using at that time?
When I first saw the Raichle boot, as an engineer, I recognised this as the best boot I had seen. I have not seen another since which beats it's simple, but effective engineering principles. It was originally designed by Eric Giese, a NASA space design engineer. He specialised in the design of spacesuits, hence the similarity in the ankle joint.
The boot failed for a series of commercial reasons, including the untimely death of the Reichle president, Peter Werhan. His wife tried to run the company, but it ultimately failed.
Kneissl took it over, but made a mess of the branding. Full Tilt now manufacture the boot. I agree, that after all this history, it remains a minority boot.
My OH also skis a rear entry boot, a Nordica. I didn't influence her choice, she figured it out for herself. She now wants another pair, but the only place I could find that is a known stockist is in Saas Fee. Damn! We may have to go back there.
Just so long as you understand the only reason I am going back to Saas Fee, dear.....

Re:Dissertation research help!

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 01:14:54 GMT

Thanks guys, really appreciate all the tips and information!

Re:Dissertation research help!

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:03:32 GMT

Knee Binding.If you could mount this on a non flat ski and get a touring version would be perfect.

Re:Dissertation research help!

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:22:06 GMT

SwingBeep - you're quite right about how sometimes the bindings are poorly maintained. I hired a pair of skis once, and when I dropped them down on the snow to put them on, the brake bit of one of them just flew off!

Luckily I was in a lesson, and we'd just gone up a gondola, and my instructor got a screwdriver from the gondola station and did it back up for me :)

Re:Dissertation research help!

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:35:17 GMT

AllyG wrote:SwingBeep - you're quite right about how sometimes the bindings are poorly maintained. I hired a pair of skis once, and when I dropped them down on the snow to put them on, the brake bit of one of them just flew off!

Luckily I was in a lesson, and we'd just gone up a gondola, and my instructor got a screwdriver from the gondola station and did it back up for me :)

I hope you took it back to the rental shop that night and gave them hell for it,
That could have caused you a serious injury.

Re:Dissertation research help!

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:36:40 GMT

Vreni Schneider was the only really successful racer to use Raichle boots. Strangely she is not mentioned on the Full Tilt website, perhaps because her boots were very heavily modified so that they functioned like a 4 clip overlap boot. They were popular amongst freestyle skiers mogul skiers because they didn't 'bang' their shins like the overlap designs from that era did.

The 3 piece design does have a few short comings when compared to a 2 piece boot. Some of them have too much flex (ski boots shouldn't flex more than 7 degrees), don't ski as precisely, don't fit as closely, don't accommodate as many foot shapes and aren't available in as many widths as 2 piece boots, but they are much easier to put on.

I don't think there's much point in going to Saas Fee to look for a pair of rear entry boots, the shop from which I think you bought your wife's Nordicas has changed hands. At some point you will have to replace the boots you have at the moment, the soles must be worn well below what the boot / binding manufacturers consider to be the minimum thickness for the safe operation of the bindings.

These might be just what you need http://www.dahusports.com/

Re:Dissertation research help!

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 22:41:03 GMT

Vreni Schneider http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL-9qjcuo9M was the only really successful racer to use Raichle boots.

Swingbeep, there is the small matter of Olympic gold medalist Bill Johnson, who won the Sarajevo Downhill, a few weeks after winning the Lauberhorn, wearing Raichle Boots.
Engineer, Eric Giese purposely designed the boot to give a limited forward flex, without having any ankle bulge, a common problem at the time. They retain the rear support stiffness, but allow a limited amount of forward flex.
Twice world freestyle champion, Nelson Carmichael used Raichle. So did Billy Shaw and Peter Ouellette. I quote ~ "The boots quickly caught on and became one of the top boots of choice by Olympic racers and freestylers"
The reason was nothing to do with "banging up shins". It was because a couple of degrees of forward flex, when really needed, is of great value.
My Saas Fee comment, although true, was a bit tongue in cheek. I'm not sure the current Nordica models would be as strong as my Raichle. At a rough calculation I have worn them for somewhere between 120 and 140 weeks skiing.
I cannot argue with the boot sole wear. By the book, you are correct. For a slow, twisting fall, this will have relevance. I may have one or two falls a season, sometimes none. My bindings never fail to release, always with good reason. :evil:
I guess that we will have to agree to differ on the subject of Raichle boots. That's OK, I have disagreed with Pavel on the same, and other subjects!

Re:Dissertation research help!

Mon, 1 Apr 2013 14:39:27 GMT

Done

Re:Dissertation research help!

Tue, 2 Apr 2013 11:50:07 GMT

thank you and thanks again everyone for the help!

Re:Dissertation research help!

Tue, 2 Apr 2013 12:00:31 GMT

When hiring from any ski shop I always spend time on checking the bindings just takes a couple minutes, if you see how people treat hire skis
it is not surprising that they get damaged, and ski shops donot always pick the damage up ..... so check.