Has anybody ever injured their rear leg while using an RTP?

[Than_Bogan]

Technically, I have. When I was a teenager I blew the tail, my rear foot came out and (presumably) just barely tagged the side of the ski, dislocating and breaking my little toe.

 

But I'm more wondering if Achilles tears, ankle breaks, spiral fractures, and other severe injuries have ever happened to the rear leg with an RTP.

 

PLEASE understand I am not trying to make a case that an RTP setup is safe. I am keenly aware that a RTP has the potential to increase the probability and severity of damage to the front leg. I am just trying to collect a little unscientific data about the rear leg itself.

 

Thanks in advance.

[ToddF]

I have had the ski hit the ankle bone and toe like you mentioned. I did have a pre gate (spinning) pull out crash this summer, I kicked in my foot a bit tighter than I like and was trying to wiggle it out a bit, it went all the way out and out the front I went. It was at 35 off and my wife didn't notice I wasn't behind the boat until she got through the gates.

So, that is probably the oddest occurrence for me with a rtp

[Andre]

Another dislocated toe from hitting the ski here...

[JWebSki]

Stitches on the rear shin. Out the front ejection leading to the tip of the ski hitting my rear shin. Not really the type of injury your looking to record though

[6balls]

No rear leg problems, lifelong toe-loop skier.

[Than_Bogan]

@JWebSki True, but still of some interest. Thanks.

[ozski]

Yes I ski with a guy who kicks and has problems with his rear ankle as a result of an odd crash in that setup.

[Wish]

With being new to this I have had odd falls. Couple times I tweaked my back foot. But just a tweak. Part of me thinks it could get worse with shorter lines and another part of me says that's probably as bad as it gets.

[Chef23]

I cut my toe on the wing of my fin once. I am a lifetime RTP user and that is the only issue I have had.

[TDL]

My neighbor suffered a pretty bad ankle/foot break in his rear leg while using a RTP. I think the ski blew out or hit the buoy. The injury occurred when his ski reentered the water with both feet still in the binders.

[Razorskier1]

I have had the ski hit my foot after it comes out of the RTP a couple of times. This only happens if I don't come out of the front boot. Typically I do come completely out, and don't have any issues.

[Than_Bogan]

Apologies if it seems like I am "liking" injuries. Quite the opposite: I am liking information. Thanks!

[Ilivetoski]

I heard a story about some one breaking a leg while on reflex front and RTP rear... Don't know which leg it was

[wtrskior]

the reason I switched to a dbl boot setup shy of 20 years ago was because of a concussion when my rear foot came out of the RTP and I went OTF

 

For a specific rear foot injury; I cut a vein on the top of my rear foot on the ski somehow. Wouldn't stop bleeding and all the boat crew had in the medical kit was a maxi pad. I was from there on out "tampon skier". If the concussions weren't enough to move to a rear boot, that was :)

[ozski]

I do remember back in the 90's when I switched to double boot part of the logic was the perceived reduced risk of injury. The conversation around safety might have changed a bit since then with improved release technology but one foot flying out well before the other still makes me think uncomfortable thoughts.

[2tracmind]

No data for you, in my group of +/- 25 skiers, only 3 are on rtp's, i am one of them.I find the threads and opinions on the safety of binding systems very interesting as they are mostly based on what people FEEL is safer based on their opinion or on some anecdotal (n of 1)observations. Feelings are not Facts, but that is all we have with this topic.

Moving back to the RTP after 5-6 years on dbl boots, i FEEL safer on the RTP as my form is better and I ski with more front foot pressure. I am aware others FEEL there is more risk with the RTP and I have heard their explanations, they "do not compute" to me.

Data I would like to see (for starters) but we can't get:

1. Have you been injured below the knee while waterskiing ?

2. Front foot/leg or Back foot/leg ?

3. Front foot binding Type ?

4. Back foot binging Type ?

5. Free skiing or course ?

6. Water Conditions ?

7. Line length you were skiing at the time of injury ?

 

 

 

 

[Howa1500]

Payed a visit to the doctor today after my foot slipped out of the RTP and kicked the back of my reflex boot leaving a nice quarter inch gouge and fortunately only a hairline fracture. Consequences of buying an RTP that's too large.

[Than_Bogan]

@rico Go for it. Collecting good data is very, very hard. Narrowing can make it possible, but then you have to have the sophistication to understand how little that tells you (which I do).

I also suggest reading the opening post again.

[mopowpow]

I was bruising the top of my rear foot real bad with a RTP, I was always afraid of breaking the bones. This is why I switched to double boots, they fit my boney high arches.

[DefectiveDave]

When I first switched back to an RTP I had an issue with my rear foot slipping out. This resulted in a few ankle sprains when my foot partially came off the ski going around turns.

 

These were not serious injuries, but with constant skiing and winter activities it took my left ankle almost 18 months to get back to normal. However, this is probably an experience issue as I no longer seem to slip out of the RTP (knock on wood).

[Wish]

Will see how this goes on Wed. Liked it this morning in the half attemp before rain chased us off the water.

 

 

[OldboyII]

@Wish my setup allows more heel movement though not possible to kick in :D

Back to topic: once I hit rear knee by landing on ski after OTF.

 

[xrated]

RTP and yes I have hurt the rear leg this summer. I don't even know what cause me to go helicoptering through the air, but for whatever reason my foot stayed in the RTP. After my head corkscrewed in the lower half of my body continued the rotation which the ski followed along with.

 

When the ski entered the water my back knee twisted (I think since I didn't see) and boy did it hurt and click/catch a lot for the next couple weeks. Tried to ski for a week but it hurt to much so I took the next off. All seems fine now, though it does click/catch more than it used to.

[BraceMaker]

@rico

 

You're right about front leg. I spiral fractured my front foot femur riding open water early in my teenage years. Plain wrap front binding and rtp

 

Went right to double hardshell a few years later once I had the hardware out and never went back.

[Than_Bogan]

Thanks folks! I've gotten what I was looking for here. @Horton, feel free to close this thread if it doesn't just die out on its own.

[gsm_peter]

@Than_Bogan

I could not see any obvious pattern.

Can you make a summary?

[Than_Bogan]

My key take-aways:

Severe injuries of the rear leg are possible, but very rare.

Hit-the-ski injuries happen in release, and are typically less severe.

Non-release injuries can occur, and indeed that was a theme in some of the more serious injuries.

This thread provides NO insight into the side effects of RTP use on front leg injuries. (Nor was it ever intended to.)

[adkh2oskier]

Been on open toe for 30+yrs. Only rear leg injury was a fall where the rope broke as I was right behind the boat(of course) free skiing at -28/34 and the fall resulted in the ski hitting my shin, pretty good gash but no stiches. Only front leg injury in 30 yrs came 2 weeks ago, hit 4 bal at 35 and instead of just catching my balance and skiing away I tried for 5 and took a strange fall which resulted in a minor front ankle sprain. Took 10 days off but even today it still hurts getting into front high wrap rubber binding.