Once upon a time, it was routine to mount bindings for Telemark behind center or the boot on the marked boot center mark on the ski. Pins on balance point is still the general rule for XC oriented skis, but for downhill oriented skis the thought is going strongly to boot center on the boot center mark.
It’s been a few years or more when I mounted some Asnes Tindan 86. I wanted these skis to kick and glide well, and to turn well. After much debate, I mounted then pins on balance point, which was about 3 cm behind boot center on boot center mark.
Quite a few guys mount back to prevent tip dive. In honesty, I mounted back to prevent sticking a tip. The difference being, with neutral bindings, and skiing aggressively, trying to stay centered on light skis, occasionally I could get tossed forward just a bit, and stick a tip. The result was going over the bars. The Tindan is a more solid than the light ski that liked to throw me over the bars.
Flash forward to this year, I mounted my first real piste oriented ski in 20 years with the Transit binding boot center on boot center mark. Rather than being concerned about tip dive being caused be a much more active binding, I find the active binding helps to stabilize me. Unlike a floppy setup, the boot binding interface is solid. I can mount more forward, and be quicker edge to edge.
My thought is that while some guys still mount back a few cm’s. The great majority are mounting boot center on the mark, and my thought is greater binding activity assists in a more forward mount.
The 2nd unrelated item is that I finally bought some knee pads. The first great thing about them is that they are so comfortable I forget I have them on. It doesn’t get better than that! They have a somewhat flexible hard shell in front. Then a foam pad. They stay up with Lycra with a sticky band that stays in place over my long johns. They appear to me that they will certainly offer a good deal of protection if my knees impact something hard and pointy. I didn’t start wearing them until January, so I can’t comment on long term durability. There are the SevenDip Sam Hill Knee Pad (who comes up with these names?)
Here’s a photo, they were available from the big box mail order shops here in the States:
