Mounting Location for Telemark Skis

[GLB]

You guys have been a lot of help with my questions. Thank You for that. I have searched this subject until my eyes hurt and just want to know where you would recommend.

I am getting a pair of K2 wayback 88 for 70% resort skiing and some low angle BC. I plan to mount my Rotefella Chilis with 10mm riser. Where on the Ski would you mount these. CC, BP, BC in between???
Thanks
Greg

[MikeK]

BOF on sidecut center is the theory I subscribe to (that would probably translate to BOF on Alpine BC). Any number of things seems to work though.

[GLB]

Sorry not sure what BOF is

[MikeK]

BOF = ball of foot

I don't think many people actually do this though. Seems what I've read it's either Alpine BC or 1-2 cm back from there, which is not as far back as BOF would be.

My guess is that it's not that critical, you'll compensate and either of those will work. It's probably a function of active bindings, stiff boots and rocker that make this less of an issue.

If you had a pair of skis with minimal sidecut, traditional tips and were skiing plain pins with leathers, I'd think being closer to BOF on the center of the ski where you are trying to flex it would be a lot more critical because it's really (IMO) all about edging and flexing that rear ski.

[mainer]

Look up the K2 shop/tech manual and use their boot center point as a start. The midsole of your tele boot (pin line to heel / 2) over the mark for alpine boot center is usually a good bet. You can usually find the shop manuals as a PDF with a little google leg work. The skis might also have a mark on the top sheet for boot center. I usually don't trust those to be 100% accurate, but they sometimes are pretty good. Shop manual is better.

Pin line over chord center mounting doesn't make all that much sense with current ski shape/rocker profiles.

[GLB]

1 to 2 cm back from Ski/BC seems to come up a lot. Maybe a compromise/good place to start??

[Rodbelan]

Boot center on center mark is the way to go for a mostly resort ski... It gives you better tip pressure...

[mainer]

1 to 2 cm back from Ski/BC seems to come up a lot. Maybe a compromise/good place to start??

Could be. I just don't see any reason to start anywhere other than boot center on the manufacturer's mark, unless there was some kind of consensus between everyone who had ever mounted the ski that the factory line was total garbage.

Moving 1cm in my mind isn't really worth it, as I doubt anyone can really tell the difference. Moving 2cm might be a better starting point, if you really think the bindings need to be moved. If the bindings you're mounting have the standard 4 hole tele pattern, you have plenty of space to move them around if you don't get it right the first time.

[dnt_upton]

Did pinline over chord center ever make much sense, other than it was easy to figure out?

Start with the K2's recommended mount point and putting your boot center there, as Mainer suggests.

If you want to get nerdy, you can compare that with other approaches -- BOF over sidecut center as MikeK suggests or BOF over the balance point or BOF over the center of the running surface, and see where each of those approaches would put you. You can compare that location with your mount locations on skis you liked and make the call. Or, skip that crap and go with the simplest -- the one the ski maker suggests.

[dnt_upton]

1 -2 cm back from the ski maker's line is fine too; it just happens to be concocted from thin air and reflects the person's own preferences. I do it a lot after putting the skis and bindings on the floor (unmounted), standing above them, and eyeballing whether it looks right. Cracky but comforting.