Problems turning Fischer S‑Bound skis, remount bindings?

[MikeK]

Chord length is measured from tip to tail with measuring tape flat on the floor, correct? If so, pins are 1/2 inch in front of chord center.

No. Chord length is tail to tip along the tangent. So hook the tape on the tail and measure in a straight line to the tip. Then divide by two and measure that up from the tail. That is CC.

Sorry I responded but misread what you wrote.

[MikeK]

I find it easier to hook the tape on the tail and measure to the tip, but it's the same measurement. The tape is not flat.

[nemesis256]

The binding is slightly in the way, but previous measurement is still pretty accurate. Pins are 1/2-3/4 inches in front of chord center.

[MikeK]

The binding is slightly in the way, but previous measurement is still pretty accurate. Pins are 1/2-3/4 inches in front of chord center.

OK - figured it should have been close. That's pretty ideal for that ski BTW.

Now back to what I was going to say...

You could go forward a bit more, but I don't think it's going to do much.

Lowest risk would be to go see if you can demo some other skis and boots, then decide if the skis are right for you. If you think you will keep them, then no harm in trying to move the bindings forward... just don't plug the other holes until you decide (a dab of wood glue will seal them until you try and you can use wood glue to re-mount... will be easy to break free and change).

I still really think it is weight and technique though.

[lowangle al]

I wouldn't remount without giving it a lot more time. You need to work a lot harder to get that set up to turn than on alpine gear. When doing P turns on light gear I need to flex my ankles forward and drive knees into the turn. I was doing T turns many years before I figured out how to do good P turns on my skinniest skis and lightest boots. It's a finese thing, you have to feel your edges and be in synch with how the ski wants to turn, you can't rely on power. To be stable on light gear you need to be carving, if you are skidding through turns it's easy for a ski to be deflected and send you flying.

I also think that on hard snow there may be times that those boots won't get that ski on edge, but the T4 might. A heavier boot will make poor conditions more skiable.

[lilcliffy]

This depends on which generation of the Fischer BCX6 we are talking about...Nemesis- are your BCX6s current?

Yes they are, the shop had to order them for me because they didn't have my size.

Cool...What are they like? Leather at the base and metatarsal flex area? Do the laces extend to the top of the boot? What is the sole flex like?

I was really impressed with the performance of my older version of these boots- I love the balance between XC range of movement and lateral stability (similar to what Mike describes in the Svartisen). The version I have is 100% synthetic however, and the sole flex point crushes my metatarsus- I simply cannot wear them for any distance- they ae too painful...

My close friend has the last version of these boots (brown)- and although they much improved it with real leather that breaks in and provides a customized fit- they lack the full-height lacing stability of my older version.

I was hoping that the new version might blend the best of previous versions and then some...

I am greatly interested in trying Crispi BC-XC boots, but there is nowhere I can try them on- and sending them back to Europe or from the US border is just too much of a hassle...

If Fischer gets the BCX6 right, it should be able to compete with the Svartisen in terms of performance.

Went out this morning on groomed XC trails to practice telemark technique (I got that book that was mentioned earlier). Definitely difficult balancing in that position, feel like I don't have enough weight on the back foot. The conditions didn't help, it was frozen granular, and hadn't been groomed yet since yesterday's tracks. I mostly just went up and down switching feet. Tried turning a bit telemark style but it was not productive. The few times I did try turning standing up, I once lost some control and the skis rotated 90 degrees to go sideways down the hill. Again the tails whipping around by themselves, like I described in my original post.

I would advise trying a much narrower ski with the BCX6 on hard/dense/difficult snow. For example, with a BC-XC boot, I can downhill ride my Epochs and Annums (both 195cm) with ease on IDEAL snow conditions (i.e. soft, fresh snow). But, if the snow is hard/dense/icy/difficult, I find I need to be on a narrower ski on the downhill. The next size down (e.g. Eon/S78/E-109) is much more manageable with a BC-XC boot than a ski as wide as the S-98.

Even the current E-99 is surprisingly manageable on the downhill. And if you want an uncompromising distance-oriented XCd ski- I think that current E-99 is the best I have yet tested. If you want more of a real balance between xcountry and downhill- the E-109 (or Eon/S78) are more balanced than the E-99...

[lilcliffy]

I wouldn't remount without giving it a lot more time.

TOTALLY agree.

You need to work a lot harder to get that set up to turn than on alpine gear. When doing P turns on light gear I need to flex my ankles forward and drive knees into the turn. I was doing T turns many years before I figured out how to do good P turns on my skinniest skis and lightest boots. It's a finese thing, you have to feel your edges and be in synch with how the ski wants to turn, you can't rely on power. To be stable on light gear you need to be carving, if you are skidding through turns it's easy for a ski to be deflected and send you flying.

Good stuff Al.

I also think that on hard snow there may be times that those boots won't get that ski on edge, but the T4 might. A heavier boot will make poor conditions more skiable.

More good stuff.
..............................

Again- on difficult snow/terrain most mere-mortal skiers will need either a more powerful boot- or a less burly ski.

[lilcliffy]

Some potential negative effects of moving your bindings forward:

1) Loss of XC glide- they will certainly be grippy bastards- but moving them much more forward of BP will definitly negatively affect XC glide.

2) You may end up with some serious tip dive in deep soft snow...

I am with Mike and Al- I wouldn't be hasty to move to more aggressive forward mounting point...

[lilcliffy]

I also agree with Mike that it now can be a terrible time to buy new skis- but there are still some deals on previous gen skis. I would be interested in how you would feel on a less burly ski with the same boot:

http://gearx.com/madshus-voss-mg-bc-ski-waxless
http://gearx.com/madshus-epoch-68-bc-ski-f16
http://www.orscrosscountryskisdirect.co ... -skis.html
http://www.akers-ski.com/product/17495.html
http://www.akers-ski.com/product/17395.html
http://www.akers-ski.com/product/17MG1.html
http://www.akers-ski.com/product/17491.html
http://www.akers-ski.com/product/17M99.html
http://www.akers-ski.com/product/17505.html

Don't give up on your desire to XC fly and still manage some moderate down-hill terrain!

[MikeK]

All good info, and I agree with the risk of being said I am speaking in an echo chamber

Most everyone will tell you the same things for XCD:

1) use the right gear for the conditions (why some of us have multiple pairs of these skis and different boots)
2) practice, practice, practice
3) don't expect miracles (there is always a tradeoff, so refer to #1)

Also there will be many people, perhaps yourself included who will tell you it's too hard. Maybe it is? But I'll tell you 100% it's not impossible. Everyone here will tell you that.

All you need to decide is if you are having fun. If not, see if you can try some different equipment.