Ski Center Is Your Store for Total Ski/Boot Stance Alignment

The subject of stance alignment has emerged as an essential factor for enhancing performance for any level skier. A skier who is not aligned correctly is handicapped and will never be able to ski in the effortless manner that is within their potential. We have always been at the forefront of skier alignment theory and correction. We were the first shop in the mid-Atlantic to introduce skiers to custom molded footbeds in 1980. In 1983, we introduced skiers to the Peterson Canting Board. Although controversial at the time, its concepts have withstood the test of time. We also use the DFP Texscan system to analyze pressure distribution inside the boot. We pioneered the Campbell Dynamic Balancer to help determine binding position on the ski. Last year we introduced to the east coast, the Biostance system, which dials the skier into the proper binding ramp and cant angles in their specific boots. Each year we examine the latest alignment tools to assess and correct skier stance and balance.

Medial/Lateral Alignment

What is the purpose of medial/lateral alignment? It is to put the skier in the most efficient position over the skis, in order to ski in a natural and relaxed manner. Most skiers are either bow-legged or knock-kneed. If bow-legged, skiers tend to have poor ski angulation, hip rotation, knee wobble, tired quadriceps, and difficulty making a turn across the fall line. If knock-kneed, the skier tends to stem their turns, and to ski with too much knee angulation, but still have poor edge grip, with no quickness from edge to edge. With proper alignment, hip and knee angulation are used in a natural proportion resulting in a relaxed stance, with better grip on hard snow and improved agility and balance. In other words -- More Fun!

Orthotic Molding

Starting from a flat surface inside the ski boot, a "good" footbed is a key element to stance alignment. It should have a deep supportive heel cup to control the spreading of the fat pad under the heel and help limit lower leg rotation. Good footbeds are made by experienced technicians using materials from SuperFeet, Master Fit, Conformable, and other companies. A good footbed is one that puts the skier’s foot in what is called a “subtalar neutral” position and limits the amount of pronation (inward rolling) and supination (outward rolling) of the ankle to a few degrees. Remember that a good footbed will only be effective if it's interfaced properly with the boot. (Not every footbed will fit in every single boot). The boot and insole need to be matched to one another. The technician should also examine the foot for dorsiflexion (forward flexion at the ankle) to determine if heel lifts are required. If a person has limited or excessive dorsiflexion it will affect boot selection.

Next is the alignment of the boot cuff, mistakenly called canting by many boot companies. The cuff alignment allows the boot cuff to follow the line of leg in the boot, eliminating possible shin pressure, which would interfere with proper stance alignment. The footbeds are installed in the boot shells, without the liners. Then the skier stands in the boot shells while the technician aligns each cuff to follow the shape of each leg. Be aware that not all boots have a cuff adjustment, and among those that do, some are more effective than others. Many entry level boots will not have this adjustment capability, but most mid level to top end boots currently being made will feature some type of cuff adjustment.

Biostance

Next in the stance alignment process is the canting alignment. Proper canting involves centering the knee over the center of the boot, allowing the most efficient transfer of pressure over either the inner or outer edges. Standing on a flat board, the skier's feet are placed at hip width. Using a specialized caliper, the technician finds the center of the knee mass -- which is not necessarily the center of the patella. The center of the knee mass is then aligned over the center of the boot. If the knee falls too far inside (knock-kneed) or too far outside (bow-legged), modifications will be necessary to achieve a more optimal stance. This is done with Biostance alignment caps, under binding canting or ski boot planning. All three techniques have issues and limitations in their application, but certainly one of them can be made to work.

Fore/Aft Balance

The next step in the equation is finding the optimal fore/aft balance which actually affects your skiing even more than medial/lateral issues. This balance issue is first addressed by boot forward lean angle and boot board ramp angle. Assuming these are suitable, then the next step is the use of the Biostance platform to select the proper binding “delta” angle (the difference of the thickness of the front of the binding under the boot and the heel of the binding under the boot). Bindings vary by as much as 10mm from brand to brand! After the binding is selected, the final procedure is the use of the Campbell Dynamic balancer to determine optimal binding location on the ski. We can quickly determine the most comfortable ramp angle for each skier in their boots.

Ski selection also plays a major role in stance alignment. In tests done by Ski Magazine and Herald Harb's Balance Center, it has been determined that bow-legged skiers ski better on narrow waisted skis with riser plates, in order to engage the edge earlier in the turn. Knock-kneed skiers are better off on wider-waisted skis in order to get later edge engagement.

Each part of the sequence affects the rest of your stance alignment. If all these steps are performed properly, we guarantee that you will ski better and with less effort.