Do you’re new boots already look like they have been well-loved. Or your well-worn boots have significant gouges out of the big toe side. Possibly you might have a case of the Scuff Syndrome. Big Boots, Stiff bindings and Phat skis can demand we alter our skiing technique a tad to avoid carving out the sides of our boots. Although there isn’t much you can do to fix the existing scuffs, you can do something to avoid future outbreaks.
Here are 5 tips to help you become “Scuff Free”.
First- Check in with your Stance. If it’s too narrow, you may tend to catch the inner side of your boots. Assume a natural athletic stance; then take it a bit wider than usual to account for the girth of your skis.
Second-Put Pressure on your Back Foot. Lift the back heal and put pressure on the ball of the foot to you help drive your ski around. This will help prevent skidding into your downhill boot and ski.
Third-Flex Your Front Ankle to help keep equal pressure on both skis. Keep your front knee bent over your toes. Think about pressuring the front cuff of your boot or sinking into your foot.
Fourth-Early Edge Release. Feel your skis moving onto your downhill edge sooner. Play around with tipping your downhill knee out to initiate the new turn. Steer from the foot and the femur. This can help you from skidding and allow your skis to come around without colliding with your boots.
Fifth Stop the Skidding. Work on rounding your turns on the groomers to get in the groove. Keep equal pressure on your back ski as it comes around and becomes your downhill ski. Play around with a cowboy stance to help you widen your stance, improve early edge release while keeping your body moving down the fall line. This can prevent the skidding that happens when you don’t weight the back ski.
Remind yourself often to have a wide stance, pressure your back foot, flex your front ankle, early edge release and rounding out your turns. Make it your mantra when scuffing seems to be on the rise. Hopefully this will help cure the Scuff Syndrome for you too.
