Gap between front and rear feet? New ski setup

[Guest]

So i have bought my first ever ski(69” Radar Senate Alloy) which i will be picking up in a couple of weeks just before i go skiing. I have never setup a ski before but have found the recommended settings but there is no mention of the distance between the two bindings or if they should be rotated (not even sure if they can be).

 

I have read that a taller skier might benefit from more of a gap between the feet but how much?? I am a LFF 192cm tall (~6’3 or 4) 83kg novice skier.

 

Also should i use loctite on the binding bolts?

 

Cheers

[lpskier]

11.5 to 12” spread between heels. Mount your front binding per manufacturer specs; then mount the back binder as needed to get the desired spread. When you make a strictly front binder adjustment, move the rear binder the same direction and amount as you moved the front to keep a consistent spread between your feet. If your feet are so big that you exceed 12”, get your feet as close together as you can. Of course, once you have your ski set up and are using it, you can experiment moving the binders fore and aft, and expanding and reducing your spread to see what feels and works the best for you.

 

Set your binding up with no rotation at first. Until you really know what you are accomplishing by rotating your bindings, leave them straight fore and aft.

 

You shouldn’t really need loctite; just periodically check to make sure your screws are tight. If you use Loctite, do not use the one that is “permanent.” If you use the permanent, you’ll likely back the inserts out of the ski when you go to change binding position.

[KRoundy]

I am 6'-1" and have always put my back foot as close as possible to my front. My favorite setup is when my rear toes are touching the back of the front binding. That set up just feels right to me. It is always a battle not to ride that rear foot too much so why move it back and give it more leverage? I do not use Locktite, I just check the screws every couple of sets.

 

[ToddL]

Just FYI - The further apart one's feet are, the more asymmetrical their stance in terms of hips to tip trajectory alignment. Picture an extreme separation. (Picture a wake board stance as the extreme.) The ability to align hips or point belly button where the ski is pointed is significantly more difficult with a wide spread.

Conversely, extremely close stance means that rear-foot's hip can move more forward.

[Dicedme]

Ok thanks all. I will follow this advice and see how it skis before worrying about any further adjustments.

Cheers

[Tige]

By the way, nice ski for your 1st ever. I just put a new boot and rtp I put my boot in the standard position and my rear toe as close as possible. Feels good so far and I haven’t experimented as only tried the setup once so far. Good luck

[swbca]

What @KRoundy said . . try to have your back toes just touching the front binding. If insert spacing gives you a choice of being jamned up to the front binding or a slight space, go with the slight space.

 

Some rear bindings are built for a range of foot sizes. You may need to cut some length of the front of the rear plate to get your toes where they should be.

[Dicedme]

Thanks Tige and swbca. I will set it close and see how it feels. Can’t wait to give it a crack!

[Horton]

closer is almost alway better

[ScottScott]

The size of your foot will keep the heels at a proper spacing for your size if the rear toe is close to touching the front heel. As others have said....closer is better.

 

NO loctite, or you could end up loosening the inserts when removing the screws. Check mounting screws often.

[ALPJr]

Dbl Vapor boots. Rear as close as possible, have to press the toe material into the front heal just a bit.

 

[Dicedme]

Thanks, now just counting down the days til i can try out the new ski!!