Help please: moved from PowerShells to Reflex front/R-style back

[Anderson]

Made the switch from PowerShells to a Reflex classic/R-style setup. After 20+ years with double boots it is an adjustment for sure. My on-side felt good after a few passes. Off-side is feeling very strange and it is freaking me out. On my off-side, when the ski starts to make the turn the front of the ski seems to dip and bites hard early in the turn, and the front of the ski "bounces" up and out of the arc, then catches its edge and bites again. It isn't a feeling I have ever experienced on previous ski/binding combinations and it causes me to lose balance (it feels like hitting a ball) and I nearly go OTF on the turn. It scares the heck out of me. When I make a long, slow off-side turn it doesn't bite so hard, but I'm pretty sure I have something wrong with my setup. I'll start experimenting with boot placement but I would love to get some advice before I start moving my setup forward or backward on the ski. Thanks in advance for any advice you can share. Hopeful but anxious -- thanks! (PS: Running on a 2016 68" Radar Vapor with my front boot at 30.25")

[gregy]

I went from double rubber binders to the same set up as you. I remember having some problems with ski catching in the turns also. I just got used to it after a while (2 to 3 weeks). It help when I heat molded the liner which I didn't do at first.

[Anderson]

@gregy Thanks for the input. Glad to hear you got used to it -- I hope it smooths itself out. Right now I'm trying to decide if I should just keep working with the current settings, or starting moving the boot forward or back. I'll give it a few more sets and then start playing around with settings

[BCM]

I made the switch from Powershells to Reflex a few years ago. I struggled at first. I wound up moving my front boot back a hole or two from factory (Powershells were mounted at factory location) for a few weeks then moved it back forward. Moving the binding back helped with whatever the new setup was causing and then as I became comfortable with the new boot I was able to move things back forward.

 

It was a difficult few weeks and there was some buyer's remorse. After I figured out the boot, I couldn't be happier. I feel safer in the new setup and believe it has helped my skiing.

[Anderson]

@BCM Thanks! It sounds like the new setup may take a couple weeks to get used to. I'll try moving the boot back and see how that feels in the mean time.

[Ed_Johnson]

@Anderson .... Did the same switch 3 years a go, and the best move I ever made. I did use a full liner in the back, with a velcro strap around the top. Fooled my pea size brain into thinking I was still in double boots.

 

What is happening to you now is that you have more freedom of movement with the back leg, and therefore able to get more COM movement. A GOOD thing. However, when you shift to the inside off the apex, you are moving more mass suddenly to the inside. Also a good thing. Your not use to that happening so you are feeling the reaction. You can temporarily try to move the bindings back 1/8" to 1/4" to compensate for this till you get use to, and smooth out your turn in. Once that happens, you should slowly start moving back forward. When I was riding the 68" Vapor, I believe I was about 30.5" on my Reflex.

 

If you notice, everyone that commented said there was an adjustment period but ended up liking this setup much better and improved their skiing.