How often do you move your fin or bindings?

[Horton]

What best describes how often you tweak?

[MISkier]

I try to get as close to stock settings as I can and leave it there. I have much more to do with my own technique before settings are an issue.

 

In the case of my latest ski purchase, I bought it from a MM skier and he dialed it in with settings he selected for me. They are working for me just fine. I haven't skied a whole season on it yet (just 10-12 sets) and I will have to see if water temp changes become a concern.

[DavidN]

Too often. lol

[Than_Bogan]

Really none of those for me. I adjust frequently but more out of curiosity than chasing performance. Back when I was more performance-focused I would spend a few weeks dialing it in and then not touch it for years thereafter.

[JC McCavit]

The poll may need more categories. I just don't leave it forever after getting it close. I will test other settings I hear about @ballofspray just to see how they work. Especially if @SkiJay makes a recommendation.

[Wish]

What @Than_Bogan said.

So that makes 2. That's gotta be worth a separate choice. :)

[ALPJr]

This year I tweaked throughout the season with help from @savaiusini trying find the right feel. Think I'm pretty close. My preference would be to go to ski school and have the pro set it. That will be on my list next year.

[aupatking]

Yeah, saying I adjust until I ski good a few times may be an oversimplification. I go to stock, then get the right feel dialed in and then work on me. Once I find something I like, I don't like moving it unless I just want to test a certain ski behavior, rather than trying to fix me. Good luck with that

[lpskier]

I set and forget, until I decide its time for a change. I haven't moved my fin in 8 months but I've changed the rotation of my front binding twice since mid September.

 

Usually, a change is prompted by a recommendation from a skier I trust.

[SkiJay]

I develop a good setup and stick with it, AND change my setup almost daily.

 

Once I have a good setup, it becomes my baseline setup against which I compare the daily test setup, i.e. I'll ski 4-6 passes on the baseline setup, then do a quick swap to a second fin block with the fin preset to the test settings du jour.

 

I just came from 53° to 80° water, and found my favorite baseline setup as solid as ever.

[chris55]

Since I am skiing the course only since 3 years, I control my setting to be stock and worik on my technique. So I don't think I have enough experience to know if the ski is going well or could be better for me. But I wish I could ski with an experience coach who could tell me if I can get a better setting.....or not !! (skiing at 32mph and 34mph and getting there on a public lake)

[spicoli]

I always wondered if you can work on technique if your ski isn't set up right .stock is good but there's always a chance a tweet here or there it might even be better and let you ski better form. I'm just a hacker and if my ski isn't right I fight it and it makes me have bad form trying to make the ski do things it won't do does this make sense a couple of us always chasing best set up cause the ski making us do bad things and couple of us ski stock and say it my form .o well

[bkreis]

I was told by GOAT," always make your gear work for you, and always question if it can be better..you can always move things back."

[Horton]

@SkiJay I glad you already chimed in. You and I may have some aberrant behaviors in our personal skiing. My question for you is - if the average baller's prime goal is to run more balls how much time should they be spending on their gear?

[SkiJay]

There's no doubt in my mind that the vast majority of skiers will improve most quickly if they can find a setup that works well most of the time, then turn all of their attention to technique.

 

To put it in terms most people can relate to, the difference between a poor setup and a great setup is similar to the difference between a bicycle with slightly low tire pressures, and a bike with ideal air pressures. Getting the tire pressures right will make bike training easier and more fun, but tire pressures alone are not going to turn a recreational cyclist into a Tour de France contender.

 

Similarly, putting a good setup on a ski will make working on technique easier and more fun, but it won't fix the technique issues blocking substantial progress. Furthermore, constantly changing setups in pursuit of illusive "perfection" hinders ball count too.

 

To answer @Horton's question, I'd say it's best for most skiers to avoid the trap of chasing setups around in circles in response to normal daily fluctuations in their skiing ability. Instead, do the best you can to nail down a sound setup that you can ski well on most of the time (if in doubt this means factory spec), then focus all of your attention on technique.

 

[Horton]

@SkiJay I 100% agree that a good set up is critical and your book has clearly helped a lot of skiers.

 

It seems to me like so many skiers not only chase settings instead of working on technique but also often never find or settle on a setting that is "close enough".

 

It is a hard balance to achieve. It is hard to know when your settings are right but we would all ski better if we would stop tweaking when we do find that setting.

[Jody_Seal]

I check my setting's every few weeks to make sure they have not changed. This year I went better then three months before checking. when it would not turn on my off side I decided to get the calipers out and my note's... Sure enough it had moved as the rear set fastener had relieved it self from it's thread's. New set screw and a known adjustment and off we go!!

[adkh2oskier]

Third season on my Prophecy, made first fin adjustment in July. Seemed to help w offside turn. Had a really good M2 skier set it up as I don't own any adjusting tools. My philosophy is that the ski/fin setting is probably not what is keeping me from more buoys, technique is more the issue.

[spicoli]

I like the bike anology I've ride a bike with low pressure work your ass off. My vapor I was running a long shallow setting I skied well thought this is it then tried the shallow deep easier to get up and skis with less work .

[lpskier]

@adkh2oskier I change your fin settings every time you leave your ski unattended.

[PatM]

If the ski works for me I never change from factory. That being said there has been some exceptions where I had to tweak the fin, even then it was not good results.

[baja]

Previously always confirmed the fin was set to bone stock. Then found my happy place in boot position. Next change was 2-3 years later when new ski arrived. Then starting 1 year ago with the Radar 2016 Vapor, the knowledge base shared by so many others on this ski on BOS, and the publishing by @SkiJay of the Fin Whispering rosetta stone, I got comfortable changing things up. Just a few weeks ago I flipped from the long and shallow settings to the short and deep. Felt very similar but better in little ways.

[Waternut]

I don't really change my ski for water or conditions but more for changes in my own ability/habits. Usually only a few times a year and it typically takes a few weeks of the same kind of problem before I'm willing to make adjustments.