Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

OK! OK! Things are good. Day 1 in the books, 7" of fresh, had a great day. First day in a plastic tele boot, the T4, and first day on my Rossi Big Bangs with Rott Chilis and the Vectors with SwitchBacks.

Let's talk, because I'm new to plastic boots and rod/cartridge bindings.

First the Rossi's were awesome, and the boots were awesome (used a booster strap and found it good on this boot), and I was happy with the bindings because they felt like my Voile 3pins with cables that I have on all my XCD stuff, and life was good. Skiing was great, I love this ski, I have for years, now I'm just tele on it, and it was good.

There was more snow than I was expecting to so I swapped in my Vectors. My Vectors are awesome, I love them, they float so easy, and they are so turny and I'm just so chuffed I could hug you all. The T4's are a good match too for them, for now.

The only problem is that on the Vectors with the SB's, I can't stay on my ball of foot. When I drop a knee I can't get the bellow to flex as easy as the Chilis or Cables and I'm standing on my tippy toe on the dropped leg. This is a weird feeling. I'm used to leather boots and the Voile cable binding, and I keep my BOF plantedd on the ski. On the Rossi's, I was able to keep my BOF on the ski. Then I get on the Vectors and I'm all tippy-toed and like, WTF, Over? I backed the cartridges back a bit and it was a little better, but I still feel unplanted on my inside leg. I don't like this.

I'm not a powerful muscle skier. I am about technique and balance and being light on the feet. I don't have the muscles to push down and keep the BOF on when I drop the knee with this setup. Am I being overpowered by the binding?

I'm sure this has been a discussion when this technology started coming out so many years ago, but I'm eons late to the game and was looking for advice. Is it a technique thing? Is it something to get used to? Is there a big debate over rods vs cables? Should I get the Traverse binding?

Way out of my element here, but I wonder if it is the activity difference you are feeling rather than the spring type itself? In other words words the direction and magnitude of the force (vector, pun intended?) and how it comes in as you lift.



PS you sound like a real Telemarker (cables, rods, plastic)... I'm getting worried

Don't worry, I'm a total hack but look good on Green Circles and I paramarked the living crap out of the steeper stuff with the pow. Para para para paraMARK! It's my solution for pretty much everything. But I got into telemark to not have my heels down and take advantage of the increased suspension to take strain off my back. So I need to drop knees at some point.

Stupid question: you've checked to make sure the bindings are locked in ski mode, right?

mugglesport wrote:Stupid question: you've checked to make sure the bindings are locked in ski mode, right?

Um, yes. BUT (not so stupid comparison!) this is how it feels. The whole boot comes up.

Woodserson wrote:

mugglesport wrote:Stupid question: you've checked to make sure the bindings are locked in ski mode, right?

Um, yes. BUT (not so stupid comparison!) this is how it feels. The whole boot comes up.

I have absolutely zero experience with any of this, but I wonder if your toe is slipping back when you drop a knee, which I guess could happen if your cables are too long or if you're overpowering them (and since there are no pins to keep your toe in place and no bale to clamp the bill down).

mugglesport wrote:... I wonder if your toe is slipping back when you drop a knee, which I guess could happen if your cables are too long or if you're overpowering them (and since there are no pins to keep your toe in place and no bale to clamp the bill down).

MS might be onto something. When you engage the heel piece, does it 'snap' into place with some force? Voile describes how much tension should be on the spring pretty well at the bottom of the first page of the Instructions PDF that's available at their site: http://www.voile.com/voile_switchback_t ... ctions.pdf

I suspect the Chili bindings are more active than the Switchbacks and that greater activity is helping you properly flex the plastic boot. With the SBs, you have to do more of that work yourself. The switch from leathers to T4s (or T4s to T1s) is often awkward, esp. at the early stages of learning the telemark turn. Everyone's been there.

So go back to technique 101. Don't try to sit on the back leg. Butt cheeks in and drive/thrust through the cuff of the uphill/rear leg, keep the stance compact, and keep your hands down the fall line.

Connyro, thanks....they were so out of adjustment it wasn't even funny. Voile dealer shop mounted them too. I think well over 20 cranks to get them right. I was getting a nice good snap but didn't even know what the "scribe" mark was because it never showed.

dnt-upton, I hear it with more work on me, I wonder if it's what I'm up for, however. Do I want to do more work or not? Can a big rocker ski accept a more active lower-tech older binding and would I happier in the long run? Regardless, I need to keep trying here with the bindings readjusted to something that more closely resembles normal. Thanks for the advice though, dude. Keep it up nice, it's to have big-boot expertise.

Also the plastic boot has been fine and felt good on the Big Bangs... like I was alpine skier all over again! Years of soft boots...

Yeah, more activity tends to make driving bigger skis easier. Consider the most neutral -- a 3-pin binding with no cable. It's hard work keeping your stance tight and driving big skis in that. Good practice though.

I think it's hard to change between active bindings and more neutral ones. You adjust after a few turns, but it can be awkward.