Alignment Assessment.

Get an alignment assessment from Skier Synergy and find out if custom footbeds or canted boot plates can instantly improve your performance!

Custom Footbeds.

 

Skier Synergy offers custom footbeds designed to improve your performance.

Canted Boot Plates.

 

Skier Synergy offers canted boot plates!

What is Alignment?

Alignment problems -- Examples and solutions.

How does alignment affect my skiing?

Watch the video:

Video: "Alignment and Your Skiing"

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What Are The Effects of Mis-alignment on Your Skiing?  

How Do You know If You Have Alignment Issues?

In general, the symptoms can be broken down into three categories of problems:

    1. Knock kneed
    2. Bowlegged
    3. Rotary

Below I have provided seperate tables for the first two. Rotary symmptoms often appear as a by product of the first two. Therefore, it appears as a symptom within each table

Watch a video of yourself doing free skiing and shallow traverses on each foot. If you have an alignment issue, you should find a consistent pattern of symptoms in your skiing.  Depending on other factors, such as boot fit, etc. there may be other symptoms present also, but if there is an alignment issue, an easily recognizable pattern often appears. Remember, one often has different alignment on each leg, use the appropriate table of symptoms for each.

1. Knock Kneed Symptoms

Task 

Traverse on downhill foot

Traverse on Uphill foot

Free skiing

General
  • Ski veers uphill or
  • Ski slips downhill
  • Ski Veers downhill or
  • Ski slips downhill
  • A frame
  • Tail skidding
  • Step to release

Stance ski
  • Roll to BTE and arcs uphill
  • Tail washes out with A frame
  • Ski Crabs downhill
  • Rolls flat and goes downhill
  • Tail washes out
  • Ski rails or sticks at the end of the turn – hard to release
  • Must be lifted to release

Free ski

(inside or raised)
  • Tips crossed
  • Set back down to regain balance
  • Cant be lifted
  • Set down to regain balance
  • Tips together
  • Flat. No tipping to the LTE
  • Converging position with stance ski

Legs
  • A frame
  • Converging shins
  • Knees pinched together
  • Shins converge
  • Knees pinched together
  • Knees together.
  • Consistent A frame though out turn – sometimes gets progressively worse through turn

Arms
  • Hands arms reach toward stance ski side
  • Stance arm held out to side
  • Both arms reach toward stance ski side
  • Held close. Inside hand close at end of turn

Upper body
  • Leans downhill
  • hips countered
  • Leans uphill
  • Leans way downhill to make hip angulation
  • Bent over
  • Turns uphill

   

2. Bow Legged Symptoms

Task 

Traverse on downhill foot

Traverse on Uphill foot

Free skiing

General
  • Ski slips downhill
  • Ski teeters on edge
  • Ski arcs uphill or
  • Teeters on and off edge and skids downhill.
  • Lots of skidding.
  • Lots of Upper body input to start the turn.

Stance ski
  • Teeters on and off edge with a straight leg.
  • Tail washes out with very straight leg (no A frame).
  •  
  • LTE engages and ski arcs uphill.
  • Teeters on and off edge and skids downhill with straight leg.
  • Tail push at start of turn.
  • Ski stays flat to snow even when body and leg has angle.

Free ski

(inside or raised)
  • Tails cross.
  • Set down to regain balance.
  • Held apart.
  • Held apart.
  • Set down to regain balance.
  • Tips to LTE much more than stance ski to BTE.
  • Held apart.
  • Grabby on LTE.

Legs
  • Shins apart.
  • O frame appearance.
  • Shins apart.
  • Knees apart.
  • O frame.
  • Or sudden A frame with heel thrust.

Arms
  • Both arms held wide, especially free side arm held to side.
  • Both arms held wide, especially free side arm held to side.
  • Rotates strongly.
  • Stance arm drives forward.

Upper body
  • Leans uphill.
  • Turns uphill.
  • Hips square.
  • Leans uphill.
  • Shoulders turn to face downhill.
  • Rotates at start of turn.
  • Counters strongly with heel thrust.

 

For more information also see:

http://harbskisystems.com/alignover.htm

http://harbskisystems.com/aligntopic.htm

The above list offers general symptoms. However, these symptoms do not immediately suggest the most appropriate solution. This requires an assessment of potential causes. Any adequate alignment assessment will include measurements and tests for common causes of alignment problems. The causes will suggest the solutions.