Question to Nils, Patrice, or Jacques....

[CarveJunky]

Nils,

I read your post on the AF700 Mods. Are you trying to eliminate forward lean? After reading the post I took a look at the video "extremedreamer". In one part of the video at about 2:02 Patrice is coming out of a toeside turn and it appears as if his knee is almost touching the groom. At 2:13 Jacques, in a heelside turn, also seems to be bending his knees quite severly. Is this an illusion, or can you help me to understand a little more clearly the reasoning for the modifications?

Thanks in advance for the replies...

CarveJunky

[rcrobar]

Hi Carve Junky

I was the guy who made the modifications to the RAB (Raichle Accelerator Box) springs that come with the AF 700’s. I’m no expert, but I though I’d respond and share my reasons for doing so.

Shortly after J&P launched their web site I started trying and experimenting with all the EC tips and lessons that they had been giving. One of the tips that I really liked was to use the stiffest possible tongues (Raichle 225’s) while the boots were in the walk mode. This allows for more weight shift or movement over the toes and heels of the boots, which I like much more then the “locked and blocked” feeling when the Raichle ride relax mechanism is in the locked position. The walk mode also permits a lot of forward flex of the knees, which you mentioned, much more then when the boots are locked. The walk mode, however, does not stop the boots when they are “flexed” violently forward, this is where the spring assists. What I found for me personally was I like to straighten my legs more than the minimum forward lean of the springs permitted. My legs got a real thigh burn and it felt awkward for me, it felt like the forward lean was restricting my natural movements. (Mainly the front leg for me.) So I modified the springs settings.

J&P recommend that the front and rear leg have the calf lean settings exactly the same, my guess is this is for better control when laid out and enjoying the low ride.

When watching the video I too noticed a great deal of rear leg bend as the turn starts, but check out how straight the legs are during mid turn ... when laid out. Also, check out how straight the FRONT leg is during the beginning of the turn (2:20 min spot of movie). The legs go from very bent, with the rear leg bent more than the front, to very straight.

Having a different front and rear foot lean, as is very common when the boots are blocked and locked, will not permit the rider to have equal pressure on the edge, while riding flat on the snow for as long as possible. Yet the legs are bent very differently during the transition between turns. This is why a boot with more movement and flex is key.

My GUESS about forward lean, as I am very much learning like everyone else who visits the site, is that the movement of the spring while using the RAB or the Northwave boots (with the spring system) allows the rider to bend the knee so that their is a lot of forward lean, but at the same time allows you to straighten your leg up so that their is little forward lean. The movement of the spring system does not force the rider to pick, then block and lock, a predetermined lean setting. So it is not a matter of liking or not liking forward lean, it’s more how the boots are able to move at different points during the turn.

This is why I made the modifications, but we will have to wait for J&P to respond to get the REAL answer.

Rob

[rilliet]

Hi Carvejunky,

All is related to our "push pull" technique.

We enter the turn knies bent (the board is pulled)(1'58'' of the movie). In the middle of the turn, the legs are straightened (the board is pushed)(2'00''). Finaly, at the end of the turn, the legs are flexed again (the board is pulled, ready to be pushed in the middle of the next turn, etc...)(2'02).

To achieve such a movement, the boots must have an ankle flex.
Our Northwave have been modified such that they have a progressive ankle flex until the ankle is at its angulation limit. in this position, our spring mecanism is totaly compressed and the boot can't bend more, thus protecting the ankle from any injury.

To obtain our progressive flex, we replaced the original long spring with 3 shorter ones that have 3 different stiffnesses: soft, middle, hard.

The harder is the boot, the most difficult the push pull movement is...

But if you soften your boots, be carefull to have "stop point" in the flex that will prevent any ankle overbending.

Jacques

[rilliet]

Hi Rob,

Very good article! I agree but would like to precise a few points.

J&P recommend that the front and rear leg have the calf lean settings exactly the same, my guess is this is for better control when laid out and enjoying the low ride.

The fact is that when we get the perfect adjustment that gives for both feet the same pressure on the edge, the correct body position and movements, we notice that both boots settings are exactely the same!

Also, check out how straight the FRONT leg is during the beginning of the turn (2:20 min spot of movie).

Of course! The rotation has just been made. So the front foot hips side has gone back and the rear foot hips side has gone forward.

You can check this by yourself: stand up in front of your computer, thinking you are on your EC board . Put your feet in EC stance. Make several rotations with your upper body and hips.
You can see how both legs flexes are varying.

But anyway, the feet stance involves that the rear leg is always a little bit more bent than the front one.

Jacques

[CarveJunky]

Now its becoming Clearer...

Correct me if I'm wrong. You pull during the transition and into the start of the turn. You push during the turn apex, then you pull again to finish the turn and transition into the next turn. This is really viewable in the video. I have to tell you the video's are very entertaining but also help to illustrate the body positions that are used. Excellent!

The boots have to have forward and rear flex without being locked in? This aids in the push pull movement of the knee's. The X-Mach boots are built similliar in that they have the same type of tongue piece. However, the spring mechanism is reversed. When you lock it in you are locked into a forward position. The spring progressively limits how far you can straighten your knee.

So I would have to a) lengthen slightly the threaded rod to assure the proper forward lean during the pull position and then b)reduce the spring pressure to assure that I can straighten the knees for the push position.

Is this correct?

CarveJunky

[rilliet]

Correct me if I'm wrong. You pull during the transition and into the start of the turn. You push during the turn apex, then you pull again to finish the turn and transition into the next turn

You begin to pull at the apex of the previous turn, until the transition. During the transition, the board is totaly pulled. At the moment you enter the turn (at the end of the rotation), you begin to push, until the apex of the current turn. At the apex the board is pushed, etc...

Trick: don't be totaly straightened at the apex if the snow is not perfect. In bad conditions you should keep a little bit of legs suppleness to absorb any uneveness.

The boots have to have forward and rear flex without being locked in?

Yes, but the rear flex is not necessary (the shell softness is usually enough). On our Northwaves, the original back lean spring was much softer than the one we have now. If you have too much back lean softness, you won't have enough strength to hold the backside edge pressure. Don't forget that with current alpine narrow boards, most of the forces are transmitted by the sides of the boots instead of the tips.

The spring progressively limits how far you can straighten your knee.

Totaly straighten the legs is not necessary too. But a too much forwarded position is not good because it limits the legs movements and is particularly exhausting.

Jacques

[eltrut]

On the web pages under technique, it mentions that the SSBS was going to produce a book and CD rom about their technique. Have they done it? Is it available in English?

Thanks

eltrut
d.b.

[rilliet]

Yes, the book is available, but in German and French...

[audacium]

By the way,
I once ordered this book by website / email but never received an answer. Do you have direct contact with the persons responsible maybe? Then I would try to order again. Of course I would like to buy it (in German).


Thank you, Eduard.

[fivat]

Do you have direct contact with the persons responsible maybe?

No direct contact, though Jacques is a SSBS instructor.
So you should try to order again.

-Patrice