NTN Growing Pains

[Vulpes]

Hi! You all were very helpful picking new gear and I have been out a half dozen times. Liking NTN quite a bit but Crispi WC Evos and 22 Designs Bandits are a far cry from 17 +year old Garmont Synergys and axle.

Focusing on carving, my goal was more confidence on hard pack/ice and the power and edge control have made a world of difference.

But…. Sometimes it feels like I am not getting my shin forward enough and pressured into the cuff on my lead leg. Keeping the top two buckles very loose feels better. Maybe feels less off when keep my stance higher/tighter.

Any thoughts and advice appreciated. Thanks!

[Montana St Alum]

Yeah, that combo is VERY stiff, and keeping enough forward pressure on the REAR (Vs. the front) foot cuff is generally more of a problem when people go from old flexy gear to new stiff gear. I believe the Crispi can be adjusted in forward lean. In your case, if you were to increase the forward lean angle, it might help to get your weight forward on the front foot. Also, you could try the walk mode. You'd keep the edge stiffness while softening up the forward flex. I think the best course of action would be to continue to ski them to get used to them, but I've found Crispi Evos to be a bit too stiff for me, so the WC's must be like having a cast on your foot.

[phoenix]

"Also, you could try the walk mode. You'd keep the edge stiffness while softening up the forward flex."

I'd try this first. I always ski in walk mode, it does have a more natural feel and the range of motion might allow better pressure control. I'm in walk mode 100% of the time. Also a little puzzled at pressuring the front ski, but whatever.

[Vulpes]

I appreciate the feedback. I’ll try skiing in walk mode that might be the ticket.

It is definitely odd that the front foot is what feels off. The back feels fine. Definitely stiff but that is what I wanted and I am a big guy (225) so flexing it is fine. I’ve never skied a 4 buckle boot so that could be part of it. I will look at the forward adjustment and try walk mode as well. I imagine more time in the new setup will help too.

Thanks!

[lowangle al]

4 buckle boots took a while for me to get adjusted to. It would throw me off center when I tried to get too much pressure high on the cuff of my lead leg. I couldn't do it and still keep enough weight on the rear ski. My solution was to stop trying to get pressure high on the cuff of my lead foot. I just flexed my ankle and concentrated on keeping even pressure on the bottom of my foot to control the lead ski. It was enough to control the lead ski and enabled me to concentrate on the rear ski while staying centered. Hope this helps.

[Vulpes]

Thanks, I appreciate it. I’m heading out to the hill tomorrow and will try some of these suggestions out.

[Vulpes]

While I did not try walk mode yet I did make sure the boot angle was completely forward, kept the top buckles relatively loose, and focused more on flexing the ankle on my lead foot and it felt much better.

I was experimenting with a ski swap ski that is a little shorter and much more rockered than I am used to so there may have been too many variables put into play. I will try these changes with my normal setup and see if the improvement continues.

Thanks again!

[Montana St Alum]

Sometimes it feels like I am not getting my shin forward enough and pressured into the cuff on my lead leg.

This could be an issue of expectations - what you think you should feel, Vs. the reality of what you'll feel limited by the boot stiffness.

If you're skiing on stiff boots, with no rocker launch built in, the indicator (the feedback/feel for the front foot) of pressure on the front foot is more a feeling at the foot bed - the area where your entire foot sits on the foot bed, than the shin.

It's more subtle than pressure on the cuff of the front ski. It's more of a feel of where, on the sole of your front foot, the pressure is. So, without actually pressing against the cuff, it's more of a feel for, "is the pressure equal along the foot, more on the heel, or more on the ball of the foot".

Because of the stiffness of the boot, the angle at the ankle can't really change (compared to an alpine setup, or a soft boot setup) because your heel isn't held down and your ankle angle is "set in stone" so to speak. If you really press the front cuff, you are apt to tomahawk or reduce rear foot pressure too much.

For the most part, just try NOT to have your weight on the footbed on the heel of your front foot. With this boot/binding, think more about having the weight along the footbed equal along the foot, or maybe toward the BOF. That's about all you can do, given the locked nature of the ankle.

This isn't to say that the front shin never pressures the cuff. I do feel that when skiing the bumps, but it's very transitory - kind of a momentary "punch" of pressure, rather than a continuous pressure. And in the case of bump skiing, it's probably a function of my front shin "hitting" the cuff as a result of the dynamics of the impacts from the bumps.

I hope this makes at least a little bit of sense. That's about the limit of my writing ability!

[lowangle al]

Sometimes it feels like I am not getting my shin forward enough and pressured into the cuff on my lead leg.

This could be an issue of expectations - what you think you should feel, Vs. the reality of what you'll feel limited by the boot stiffness.

If you're skiing on stiff boots, with no rocker launch built in, the indicator (the feedback/feel for the front foot) of pressure on the front foot is more a feeling at the foot bed - the area where your entire foot sits on the foot bed, than the shin.

It's more subtle than pressure on the cuff of the front ski. It's more of a feel of where, on the sole of your front foot, the pressure is. So, without actually pressing against the cuff, it's more of a feel for, "is the pressure equal along the foot, more on the heel, or more on the ball of the foot".

Because of the stiffness of the boot, the angle at the ankle can't really change (compared to an alpine setup, or a soft boot setup) because your heel isn't held down and your ankle angle is "set in stone" so to speak. If you really press the front cuff, you are apt to tomahawk or reduce rear foot pressure too much.

For the most part, just try NOT to have your weight on the footbed on the heel of your front foot. With this boot/binding, think more about having the weight along the footbed equal along the foot, or maybe toward the BOF. That's about all you can do, given the locked nature of the ankle.
This isn't to say that the front shin never pressures the cuff. I do feel that when skiing the bumps, but it's very transitory - kind of a momentary "punch" of pressure, rather than a continuous pressure. And in the case of bump skiing, it's probably a function of my front shin "hitting" the cuff as a result of the dynamics of the impacts from the bumps.(end quote)




Exactly, don't try for too much shin pressure. Instead concentrate on even pressure on the bottom of your lead foot with relatively lighter pressure lower on your cuff. For the rear foot I pressure the cuff by sinking down into it as opposed to pushing forward.




































I hope this makes at least a little bit of sense. That's about the limit of my writing ability!

[Vulpes]

The idea of expectations actually makes a great deal of sense. I’ve been reading more about technique and trying to be more intentional about technique with my switch to NTN and it may really just come down to what I thought I should feel combined with my memory of my old super soft and broken in gear. I think the idea of putting more focus on the bent ankle helped so I’ll combine this with the idea of whole foot pressure and not worry so much at all about my shins on the cuff.