Information about project titled 'On-slope evaluation of release bindings for World Cup freestyle skiers'
On-slope evaluation of release bindings for World Cup freestyle skiers
| Details about the project - category | Details about the project - value |
|---|---|
| Project status: | Published |
| Project manager: | Stig Heir |
| Supervisor(s): | Arne Ekeland |
| Coworker(s): | Sigbjørn Dimmen |
Description
Modern alpine boot- binding- release systems are designed to reduce the risk of tibial and ankle fractures. During the last decades the incidence of such injuries has declined considerably. Previous studies have shown however, that alpine racing skiers adjusted their toe bindings to a setting value 45% above International Organisation of Standardisation (ISO) recommended values.
The aim of this study was to estimate the torque at which the toe bindings of the World Cup mogul skiers actually release, and to compare these values to both the ISO recommendations for binding adjustment and to the setting values indicated on the scale of the skiers bindings. We also wanted to question the skiers familiarity with the ISO recommended setting values.
The setting values as indicated on the scale of the toe bindings of the 54 World Cup freestyle mogul skiers, were 92% (range 18 - 175%) higher than the ISO (International Organization of Standardization) recommended setting values. The estimated torque at which the bindings actually released when tested on-slope with a testing machine, was even 15% (range 23 - 143%) higher than the setting value indicated, decreasing to 7% (range 22 - 88%) after the first release. Only 4 of the 54 skiers suggested a setting value within a range of 10% of the ISO recommendations when asked what they believed was the ISO recommended setting value in their own case.
The findings of this study suggest that the ISO recommendations play a minor role when adjusting the setting value for release of the toe bindings for World Cup mogul skiers. Moreover, when tested the toe piece of the bindings released not only outside the ISO limits, but also at a higher torque than indicated by the setting values on the visual scale of the toe bindings.