Race Set Up... HELP ME!

[Metz the Jersey boy]

Alright, here's the dilemma...

 

I have-

GS skis with no plate on them that need bindings

Marker Piston Control Titanium 12 bindings with integrated piston system

 

I want-

As high performace a race system as is possible... within a reasonable price

 

i know that the plate with 14.0 eps's or something along those lines is probably the best race system going... and my Ti12's aren't worth mounting on a plate... I'm sure having 2 pistons on the same ski is a bit of overkill (not to mention breaking all sorts of USSA/FIS regs on binding height). What I want to know is: am I truly going to see a discernable difference in performance if i go with a lower plastic mounting plate under my Ti 12 pistons as opposed to the full piston plate with the 14.0's? Someone help me... make a recommendation for me... please.

[Ski]

The max stack height was 55mm, but might have been lowered. I used to ski a 58mm ski/plate/binding and you'd be surprised what 3mm can do for you in leverage. But unless you are skiing USSA, USCSA, or NCAA, it doesn't matter, as far as regulations go.

 

Metzy, I know that a woman won Olympic Gold with a new binding/plate setup, then everyone jumped on board with her...but it's my opinion that speed begins with the skis torsional rigidity, length, boot fit, base/edge tuning, then wax setups. Then comes the plate/binding setup, which is important because that's where energy is transfered. I guess I'm just saying that for recreational racing, I'd put having a high end plate at the bottom of my wish list. Again, that's just my opinion from my experience. And I have somewhat limited experience, since all Atomic skis come with smokin' race plates

 

But...I'd trust Dranow or some of the Epic race guys with this question, though. You should probably hit up the NASTAR MB. Repost their response here, though. I'd be interested to read what they have to say.

Edited December 2, 2006 by ski

[Ski]

I freestyle rap better than Dranow...I never knew I had race plates...I thought they're lifters...is there a difference?

Some bindings come with lifters (lifters are for raising the binding off the ski to create leverage), but race plates are a separate beast. They have different flex properties. A World Cup SG has something like a minimum turn radius of 33m, so you'd want a stiff race plate that is not hyper responsive to the skier. A typical World Cup GS has gates set at around 22m, so you'd want a softer, more responsive race plate.

 

Most race skis are still sold "flat", I suppose, but the trend it toward an integrated plate and binding.

 

Now, about the term "interface"...

Edited December 2, 2006 by ski

[Ski]

What meter-age do you thing the gates are set for Blue mountain Nastar? ASRA go Pro at Tanlewood?? My skis are 17m and called Long Turns...When you say they are set at around 22 meters..that's the distance left to right?

 

Ha, wow, Rob is the expert on this from his eBay deals gone bad It's the arc of half a circle...so, yes.

 

IDK, I suppose TWood is 12 and Blue is 14, on average. Funny to hear 17m skis are long turn, though. I guess long turn as compaired to slalom.

[Metz the Jersey boy]

I'd probably be willing to bet that the gate radii are a bit longer than that ski... on average, those are probably it, but I'd say at blue you'll probably see about 16-18 on the headwall and toward the finish, and probably the same at the go pro, with the regular GS at twood being a bit wider

[AtomicSkier]

I'd probably be willing to bet that the gate radii are a bit longer than that ski... on average, those are probably it, but I'd say at blue you'll probably see about 16-18 on the headwall and toward the finish, and probably the same at the go pro, with the regular GS at twood being a bit wider

 

says the resident race expert metz....

[Metz the Jersey boy]

Never claimed to be any kind of expert, and the last thing i wanted to do was sound arrogant or like a know it all. I just know that there are guys getting through those courses on 18m skis without skidding. I know there are a few guys that skied the first Twood course on 21>m skis, but I'm not sure how clean they did it.

[AtomicSkier]

Never claimed to be any kind of expert, and the last thing i wanted to do was sound arrogant or like a know it all. I just know that there are guys getting through those courses on 18m skis without skidding. I know there are a few guys that skied the first Twood course on 21>m skis, but I'm not sure how clean they did it.

 

@ the skidding.

 

Bernie was on 24m when he roasted me. Ski was refering to a non go pro I think.

[Ski]

You're probably right, Metzy, but some gates are set at 2 or 3...

 

 

Tip it hard and release it fast. Shorter turn.

[Metz the Jersey boy]

I wonder if they actually have a way to measure this stuff... Randomly I met one of the girls that runs the ASRA race at twood (mostly behind the scenes. turns out she works at the golfsmith by me) anyways, I wonder if they set gates with a specific radius in mind

[Ski]

I wonder if they actually have a way to measure this stuff... Randomly I met one of the girls that runs the ASRA race at twood (mostly behind the scenes. turns out she works at the golfsmith by me) anyways, I wonder if they set gates with a specific radius in mind

USSA has specific course setting requirements, but ASRA does not. The hill tends to dictate how a course is set more than anything. Just think about it: TWood is probably the hardest ASRA course to set, since it's so narrow, has a steep headwall, then the long flat. A setter needs to keep the speed down on the headwall, yet allow for enough speed to carry through the flats. And then the Go-Pro narrows it down even more. So the turn radius is less of a concern than are speed factors.

 

ASRA also takes safety issues into consideration, since there's no safety netting, as is required by USSA. They don't send a racer toward a tree at 30 mph to keep a turn at a specific radius...instead, they move it up or drop it down. An extremely tight GS gate set at 10 mph is totally different when a racer comes into it at 40 mph.