Ramp Delta Angle Question

[Pinelander]

I will be getting my new boards - Kore 93's, and bindings - Knee bindings, setup. I normally have my skis balanced to get me in a more forward position. Consequently my toes get raised. I know that the ramp delta angle is dependent on several things, length of the boot sole being one. Prior to setting up the bindings (Knee's) what would be the best setup for me to order for the Ramp Delta...6mm, 4.5mm, 3mm, or 1.5mm? Bearing in mind that the setup will be balanced to keep me more centered (forward) Thanks!

 

[Rod9301]

How do you get your skis balanced and what's the thinking behind it?

 

[Pinelander]

How do you get your skis balanced and what's the thinking behind it?

Actually, the skis do not get balanced. But, rather the correct amount of lift is placed under the binding to get the skier to be more centered on their skis. Not many shops can/do this procedure. When it's done properly the skier is in a better position relative to the boot, binding, ski.

 

[Rod9301]

You mean like equally balanced on the sole of the feet? Because this will not change how centered you are.

 

[David Chaus]

Any/ most ski shops can and will do a binding remount and add the material to lift the toes however much you tell them.

Now, how much to tell them to lift the toe piece is up to you. A good bootfitter will often have you bring your skis and click in and give you suggestions. Also you can use layers of duct tape or other shim materials on the toe pieces, and try different millimeters of height to see what feels balanced to you.

On one set of ski/bindings I had the toe pieces lifted 5mm and on another pair 8mm. Trial and error gives you a lot of feedback about what works for you.

 

[Pinelander]

I appreciate all the suggestions, and I know about the trial and error method, which also works for determining can’t angles. However, the trial and error method requires one to ski, have a knowledgeable skier follow to give feedback on what they see, to go along with what you feel. This process requires repeated trips to the mountain, and the boot fitter to dial in the setup. This is primarily a static process until one gets on the snow. There is a procedure where an actual balancing takes place with the boot fitter. However, none of the suggestions address my initial question as to which ramp delta should I purchase, since I originally posed the question, I spoke with my boot fitter and he suggested the 1.5 mm.

 

[ScottB]

Pinelander,

My suggestion is to search and read some of the post(s) here about binding delta angle and boot ramp angle. Your semantics are hard to interpret. If you are asking how thick a shim to purchase to put under your binding? I would suggest the following. Bindings have fixed delta angles, meaning the toe is a certain height off the ski and the heel is a certain height off the ski. I personally prefer the toe and heel to be the same height. Others like the toe lower by 3-5 mm. You have to determine what your preference is? If you don't know, start with equal height. The next thing is to find out what the height difference is between the toe and heel for the bindings you are planning on using.(they vary quite a bit from one binding to another) I don't know about Knee bindings. I suggest you contact Knee for the information. Get a shim that is the thickness of the difference. If the height difference is 0, then get a 1.5mm and a 3mm shim. You want to change in small steps to feel what you like the best. You may want to put the shims under your heel if the height difference is 0, to see how that feels. Most people don't like the toe higher than the heel, a lot of people like the toe lower than the heel, by as much as 5-6 mm.

 

[oldschoolskier]

I’m going to go against the trend of advising you to get this done, unless you have some pre-existing issues.

Get a good boot fitting, adjust the cuff (no this is not canting, though mislabeled as such).

Finally learn to ski neutral. This is not trial and error, just focused practice that it becomes natural.

I’ve skied all sorts of different binding/ski setups and I always do a 360 spin in both directions to climatize myself to the neutral feel on that setup.

The reasoning for my comments is that tweaking in this manner with proper reasoning (ie racing, physical condition or some such), you are better served to do without as it hide conditions and errors. You learn to ski correctly.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I will be getting my new boards - Kore 93's, and bindings - Knee bindings, setup. I normally have my skis balanced to get me in a more forward position. Consequently my toes get raised. I know that the ramp delta angle is dependent on several things, length of the boot sole being one. Prior to setting up the bindings (Knee's) what would be the best setup for me to order for the Ramp Delta...6mm, 4.5mm, 3mm, or 1.5mm? Bearing in mind that the setup will be balanced to keep me more centered (forward) Thanks!

It sounds like you are just looking for a start point on your initial mount. Let's just say you are an average guy, the Knee Binding has a lot of delta without the shims. I'd say start with a thicker one like the 4.5mm.