GlassJunkie

Just ran into this thread on a 42' off / 10m line length when I was looking for a list of skiers who have run competition 41' off / 36mph. The only list I can easily find is on the forum when Sasha ran it in 2016 as the 10th man in history to do so. Who has run it since? On the question of a 42' off length, I have thought it a good idea for years. The only pushback I have heard is whether ropes can be manufactured to that spec, but a 9" loop seems possible with the latest rope tech. And if you check the AWSA RuleBook chart on page 49, it starts in 0.25m increments after 43'off/9.75m so technically they were thinking that way. Why not start this 0.25m increment after 10.25m, to 10m, 9.75m, etc.?

Adding my story, similar to @mmosley899, I broke my ankle in a T-Factor. Switched to an animal and had a slight sprain a couple of years later, which prompted the search for a safety-first binding in the OB4. For me, there was too much chance (and the odds worked against me) in the rubber binding setups. Hence my recommendation of the OB4-type binding.

@mmosley899 Thanks for the additional information, and for confirming what we were guessing about the relationship of OB4 and MOB. From your post, it sounds like the split was complicated. Divorces are tough. How did you figure out who owns the patents / intellectual property, since your MOB system is essentially a further revision of the OB4, which looks like it has the patents? (It makes a difference in how long you might be able to support the platform). I hope you both can continue to develop safety-oriented bindings for non-world-class skiing community. I definitely appreciate the design work you put into the OB4.

I don't think MOB was around when I got my binding. I use an RTP and there is no need to grind the back of the boot, as MOB shows on their site. The OB4 works great just mounted to the baseplate. Check out a photo. Looking at the MOB system, it looks pretty close to the OB4 system. They both even use "OB" in their name. Perhaps OB4 is the 4th Rev of the "Overall Binding" system vs. MOB - Mike's Overall Binding. I suspect there was a falling out of partners, and perhaps Mike created a spin-off. Conjecture. The OB4 has gone through some work to make it lighter, including cutting the mounting plate. I believe Eric said they made a number of improvements in the current rev. It may be a little more seasoned. I also notice they hold some patents, so it's interesting the MOB seems like a straight knock-off. Perhaps there was an IP agreement for Mike's use when they separated. Again, all conjecture.

The problem connected with all the commentary on this thread is how we let our brains work. Humans form beliefs, then justify those beliefs by selecting data that fits. We see this pattern all around in our society (which gets worse as issues get more complex), including in skiing. It takes a conscious effort to suspend judgement, ask questions, then reach a conclusion with facts (or back those that are in a position to have facts). It's not naturally how our brains are wired to work. But recognition is the first step to recovery :). @bishop8950 said it well in his second comment on this page. It's essential to ask questions. It's not ok to form beliefs (and share them) without real data. (Read more: The Believeing Brain)

This is finally a topic on which I can comment. I had the same focus in looking for my current binding. I landed on the OB4 binding system. I’m nowhere near a 38-off skier, so I can’t comment on the performance characteristics vs. Reflex, etc.. I broke my ankle in a crash that was not an OTF (but that I caught on video) and it left me wondering whether the Reflex would have released because the ski hit the water on its side and the pressure on the ski was from the side. I’m confident the OB4 would have released properly in that case. The multi-directional release demo they have on their site in the videos section is pretty compelling. I have had the system for a couple of seasons and it has released when needed. Does anyone else have experience with OB4?