Big feet ~ Where's stock?

[Ralph Lee]

I have a size 13 foot, my son is a size 13.5. Is one hole back actually stock for us?

 

I can always find my balance point, but the boy is just getting serious in the course and trying out new skis, new equipment, and we are looking for some help on where to start out with his bindings. Is there a formula for foot size?

 

He is 150 pounds with a size 13.5 foot, maybe he should take up barefooting instead. :)

[RazorRoss3]

Was your grandfather a duck by chance? That aside, I think some video or a description of what problems he is currently having would be necessary before I would give any settings advice.

[Ralph Lee]

@RazorRoss3 No video, right now just testing out different skis and bindings for him. He's got through 32 off at 25 mph, and moving to 28 mph now. He seems pretty balanced, but I'd like to have him demo everything on stock settings first. Ive always skied at least one hole back on every ski Ive ever owned, always wondered if one hole back for me was actually ''stock'' because of my size of foot.

[A_B]

I think it is always measured to back heel of binding. Have heard some discussion about ankle bones and stuff, but never have measured that way. I am a 12/13 and use back of binding measures as a start and then adjust as needed.

[Horton]

@Ralph Lee With such big feet the spread is the issue. I would think front binding 1 hole or 1/2 hole forward and back foot as close as possible. You are trying to get the center point in the right place more than just the front foot.

[Ralph Lee]

@Horton what you said makes sense, spread seems to be vital for me. Moving the front forward has got me scratching my head a little...

 

What got me thinking about this was a post I read a while back from one of the Adam's who mentioned being back one hole to achieve stock due to foot size.

[Horton]

@Ralph Lee i would listen to @AdamCord. Cord may totally disagree but the way I think about it is if your feet are big and your front binding is back then your back binding is really far back.

[RazorRoss3]

I'm curious what led you to that rope length and speed combination?

[gregy]

I have size 13.5 foot. I start at Stock and experiment. I've ended up both forward and back of stock on skis. In general I think I end up forward of stock. I'm usually around 12.75 to 13 on the spread.

[Ralph Lee]

@Horton Makes sense. I never thought about this much much till my Kid starting getting more serious about the course. I always just experimented till things felt right. He's skiing great, but has a difficult time explaining how the ski feels to him. Thanks for the advise!

 

@RazorRoss3 I kept slowing the boat down till he could get the gates and six buoys at 15 off. He was having so much fun shortening the rope, I told him have fun and once you get into 35 we are speeding things up.

[RazorRoss3]

Fair enough, shortening the rope is fun for sure.

[Drago]

Measure inside ankle bone from heel. "Stock" foot is 2 1/2". Adjust accordingly

[ScottScott]

I think some people are thinking a "forward" hole vs moving foot "back," which is the same thing. Going back a hole would move foot forward which you probably don't want. Stock measurements are to the back of the boot, with a large foot you may want the back of the boot to be a little farther back on the ski so the main force of your weight on the foot is more in line with where a 9-11 foot would probably be.

[gregy]

When I say forward I mean increasing the distance from the tail of the ski to back of the boot.

[Drago]

I was just wondering about a similar question. My son is getting bigger feet and gaining weight, but going up in speed, so staying on the same ski. So what to do with binding placement? Just move back binding back? Maybe move fin forward s bit to compensate?

[SkiJay]

Binding position is highly personal. And while it affects ski behavior throughout the pass, binding location is most critical from the end of the pre-turn through the finish of the turn. Fortunately, a binding position that maximizes performance while turning around the ball will also be excellent throughout the rest of the pass.

 

A good skier will have a majority of their weight on their front foot while turning. Some may load the ski through their front heel, but most will load their ski more through the ball of their front foot—and at "factory settings," the ball of a size 13 foot is further forward on the ski than that of a size 8 foot. This suggests that bigger feet MAY need a binding location that's slightly back from factory spec, and smaller feet MAY work best forward of spec. Technique plays a major role in binding location too.

 

Similarly, all good skiers transfer the majority of the back leg cornering loads through the ball of the back foot, not the back heel. The ski will turn like a school bus if the back heel is loaded. Skiing on the ball of the back foot suggests rear foot size should have little to no effect on binding location during properly executed turns.

 

So I'm with @Ralph Lee on this in that moving your bindings around until you find a position that works best for your personal physique, habits, and current fin setup is the best way to go. Measuring to your front heal, or even front ankle bone, is just a good starting point.

[Ralph Lee]

Moving the front binding back makes the most sense to what Ive always felt when setting up a ski, but I half assumed it was cause of personal skiing style/bad habits more than the size of my foot.