Hipsup

Does this apply to standard fins as well or just the wf?

I'm wondering if dft is particularly critical on this ski? It's practically impossible to get a reliable & repeatable measurement as a benchmark for dft but moving the fin forward could make the turns better but would it make the ski generally faster and more nimble?

Thanks @bigtex2011. Stock for a 65 is 6.920, 2.45, .750 so overall she's probably got more fin, although as you say she's a bit shallower.

My daughter has been skiing on a 66 arc S for a few years but this year has really struggled to make it work. At stock numbers or close the ski appears really slow cross course with ponderous turns. She's gone back to skiing on an older strada which turns much better and seems faster but is not as smooth as the arc. She's not alone- we know of at least 2 other skiers at our club that have abandoned an arc for the same reasons. Given Hortons review and all the other comments saying what a great ski it is this just doesn't make sense. What changes should we make to try and rectify the problems. Less fin, move fin forward, bindings back/forward, less wing angle?

@mmosley899 yes she's on the g10 plates, although the first gen ones not the wider one. I look forward to seeing the poly release mechanism- although I've still not seen another system at all here in the uk.

My daughter has been on a double ob4/mob system for around 5 years and she skied into 13m as a 14 year old on it. She falls very rarely but when she does (2-3 per season) she takes massive otf's which have in the past resulted in broken equipment and concussion-Seeing your precious little kids take massive crashes at 34 mph shortline is not for the faint of heart! For some reason there is always a lot of suspicion on the dock about the MOB system with people often commenting that no good skiers use them so they must be rubbish-but I don't like being a lemming and like to make my own mind up. The system has always released as it should for my daughter and she has never had a pre-release. This season I have also mounted my vapor binding on a MOB single release and I have not noticed a perceptible difference in feel or performance. If anything the binding now feels better and gives better edge control because I'm able to do the laces up really tight without fear of not releasing. Whilst my daughter uses the double set up I do think it works better as a single because it's quite heavy and a bit of a hassle getting the boots in and out. Also because the spring release on the rear foot is behind the boot and most falls result in your weight moving forward it does seem to work more smoothly as the front boot release. In the time I've been using the single release it has pre-released twice (spring not tight enough) but since I have adjusted it correctly it now releases when it should and not before and the release is really smooth with no drama. On the subject of dock tests you can't really do one with your foot in but you can test the system with the boot in for sideways release. I tend to just test it once or twice a year to put my mind at rest by just laying the ski on its side and pushing the rear of the boot downwards-it's take quite a lot of force/weight but the boot will release sideways without damaging the ledges/mounting/boots. Otherwise, we just make sure the release levers work smoothly before each set and we're good to go. You'll never know for sure if a binding setup is going to save you in a bad fall but at least I know that it can release sideways and from the toe if it needs to unlike a reflex/rubber. I've been at a tournament when a young kid very nearly lost his foot in a rotational crash wearing a rubber boot - and it's not something I ever want to experience again!

Fundamentally, you have to think about falling forwards and moving with the boat - not away from it. It helps if you start with as much weight as possible over the toe of your front foot but if you just fall back and away from the boat in a tug of war then it doesn't matter if your legs are straight or bent.

To update, I adapted @hortons numbers & changed the settings on my daughters blue 66 from stock to 29 5/8, 6.935, 2.473, 0.755, 7 degrees. She's now had about 6 sets with these settings and the ski is Magic! - faster, more stable and turns better.

Interesting, @horton what do you estimate the equivalent settings would be on a 66?

Hmm! Quite different from the recommended settings-any particular reasons? Does anyone have good alternative settings for the 66?

These boots are powerslide rollerblade boots. They are very light and good quality. I got my daughter to try a pair on her ob4 system last year. She found the boots to be really stiff and the boa closure system means you have no adjustment on where you can specifically tighten the boot on your foot like you do with buckles. With her foot shape, she couldn't get them tight where she wanted and therefore had to really tighten the top buckle to stop her foot moving around which probably contributed to the overall stiffness. They are nice boots but you would need either the right foot shape or to do quite a lot of fiddling and adjusting to get them to work well. For the record, she has the original ob4 soft boots, which she still really likes.

@horton whilst on the subject, what did you think of the OB4 system that you tested some time ago?

Thanks @The_Krista , the syncs look interesting but these look like double hard shells maybe on a single plate? It looks like there is a release of some sort at the back of the rear boot.

Thanks @The_Krista , the syncs look interesting but these look like double hard shells maybe on a single plate? It looks like there is a release of some sort at the back of the rear boot.

Interesting looking bindings he's using in the video. Anyone know what they are?