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Show Look Down Brother There May Be Trouble at Your Feet Hang your head low, brothers and sisters. Not in shame but safety skiing safety. For you might have trouble right at your feet. Trouble with a capital "T that rhymes with 'B' that stands for Binding. And Safety that starts with 'S' and shares that sound with Strap Safety Strap. So take a second to check a few things and consider a couple of alternatives and tips about bindings and safety straps which may help you to get a better start on the season. Of course, first and foremost about bindings is the question of whether or not they've been adjusted ad-justed and lubricated since last season. Such care is recommended since your last binding settings, probably made during warmer spring weather, may not react the same during much colder, early winter skiing. And added to a summer of warm storage, your bindings may not be the friends they ought to be. Also, consider the fact that at the end of last year you were probably skiing at your seasonal best with fast ski-reflexes and corresponding muscle tone. Your bindings could then afford to be seta little tighter than normal without harm. Now it may be the time to loosen them up a bit to compensate for slower reaction times and tight muscles. While you're checking your bindings, it might also be a good idea to make sure your anti-friction device is in good enough shape to be functioning properly. If it's a slick surface non-moving type, it probably is ok. If it's a mechanical or flexible material type, make sure it still slides or stretches. Summer humidity plays havoc with many types of rubber of. elastic materials used in some anti-friction devices. If in doubt, replace them they're not very expensive and are very important for correct cor-rect binding functioning. Moving up your boot, we come to the safety strap; an inconspicuous, simple device that's constantly ignored and usually misunderstood. For it serves another important purpose besides simply preventing runaway skis as most people think. This little gem (if it's a good one) has the ability to also prevent what's commonly known as a "windmill or a ski that has released re-leased and begins to spin like a helicopter blade with potentially disasterous results. (Continued on Page Ten) Trouble Below (Continued from Page Seven) Most elastic and singly -attached safety straps are potentially dangerous when it comes to a windmill wind-mill for they don't keep the ski in line with the foot after releasing. Take a look at yours. If your ski released, would the strap restrain the skifrom windmilling or would it allow it plenty of space to do what it pleased? If you answer the latter, perhaps per-haps you should consider changing to the safety, strap most professional ski patrolmen use the Arlberg-type. Made of leather because be-cause of its strength but slight flexibility, the Arlberg-type strap connects to the ski by rings on both sides of the boot. The strap attaches to one ring, is wrapped around the boot top and fastened to the opposite side. It therefore prevents the ski from windmilling after a release. One last suggestion concerning your safety straps. Be sure to connect them to the top of your boot rather than directly to your leg. In case of a twisting fall, your boot will take the pressure of the strap rather than your leg and you'll avoide the chance of getting cut or burned by the strap. |