Have you had a collision with your ski in a fall ?

[swbca]

Traditional rubber boots or modern variations of them require different forces to have them pulled off of your foot compared to the forces required for a mechanical release to separate you from your ski.  As a result the continued trajectory of the ski and skier can be different when falling at speed depending on the type of boot.  What about the chances of the skier having a collision with their ski depending on the type of boots ?  

This doesn't measure the overall safety of one type of boot over the other.  It just addresses the risk of having an significant impact with ski during a fall with the different types of boots.

"Collision" means the skier had an impact with his ski during a fall that was at least slightly painful.  The impact may have happened before or after the ski was detached from the skier in the progress of a fall. 

Edited December 11, 2023 by swbca

[Horton]

Please define collision. 

[Horton]

one of the worst slalom falls I've ever heard of happened at my dad's lake 10 or 15 years ago. kid was going out the front and ejected forward from the ski at the wakes. The ski followed him & hit him in the head and caused a traumatic brain injury. kid had to be airlifted to a trauma center.

He's okay now. Think he's an aerospace engineer so it's all good. shit happens.

[Rednucleus]

I would also be interested in the skier's ability level when this happens - is it more common in 34-36mph short liners or 15 off 30-32mph hacks like me

[Mastercrafter]

Pre-release through the gates resulted in 6 stitches in my chin.  Better than my teeth stopping the ski. 

[thager]

Never collided with the ski with a releasable boot, but the boot sure kicked the crap out of me!

[MISkier]

I’m not sure how to count this one, but I hit the tip of my ski with the top of my head at the start of an OTF when the ski stopped under me at the turn.  But, I am fairly certain I had not released yet when this happened, so there may not have been any continued trajectory involved.  Rubber bindings.

 

Edited December 10, 2023 by MISkier

[swbca]

Back when I had unlimited access to practice for 20 consecutive years, I had full double wrap arounds.  I had switched from an RTP in the back to a wrap around rear boot for safety.  As I recall l didn't come out of both boots more than few times in 20 years of heavy practice.  And, I never came out of one boot but not the other.  This means I never had the risk of a twisting ankle injury . . . . both feet in or both feet out 100% of the time.  Only if I were to switch to an RTP would definitely switch to a front release design now. 

Maybe part of that decision is I don't recall ever having an out-the-front fall in my lifetime except when I ran over ball 3 and broke my arm in the handle.  I have slapped my ribs into the wake 3 times with a broken rope (twice in tournaments with committee ropes) but the type of boot release won't help that. 

Edited December 11, 2023 by swbca

[Minelickskier]

After 30 years from a couple of nasty out the fronts I still have a head and face scar of a jobe and connelly tip.  Those were 2 of 3 concussions I had from skiing…probably needed to be wearing a helmet with a face mask back then.

[gsm_peter]

Nasty fall using Reflex. Had adjust the setting it a bit on the hard side to avoid pre release. Still it happens. 6 stiches very close to my eye....

My humble opinion.    I consider release bindings more dangerus than soft bindings.

[Johnseed]

Took a ski tip just below my right eye on a stuff the tip fall.  Bad black eye for 2 weeks....x-rays said nothing was broken.

[GaryJanzig]

Got yanked over the front and got hit above my right eye. Had to get 7 stitches. Still have a half inch scar.