Aligning/accessing and canting -why?

Correct adjusted equipment is essential in alpine skiing, especially in racing. Today, all racers test and adjust their equipment, especially the boots. One of the most effective ways to influence skiing performance is canting. Canting is done by altering the vertical angel of the sole to fit the individual skier’s lower body. Canting does not only affect skiing performance but also plays an essential role in injury prevention, as stated by Flörens et al. [1].

The main reason to align and cant ski boots is to get a straight or straighter line between the foot, knee, and hip. The straighter the line is, the easier it is to withstand high loads, edge the ski and to apply force when skiing. A correct canted/aligned boot- setup allows for maximum control and power transmission to the ski AND faster on-edge movements since less inward lean is necessary to get the ski up on it’s edge. 

A skier can be extremely knocked kneed to bull legged, but most alpine boots are built as “one-size fits all” even though some manufacturers accommodate canting through shims.  

Assessing a skier’s lower body angels and adjusting the boots to the individual will enhance not only the performance and enjoyment but also prevent injuries no matter if you are a recreational skier or a racer!

1.             Flørenes, T.W., et al., Injuries among male and female World Cup alpine skiers. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2009. 43(13): p. 973-978.

ALIGNMATE -accessing the stance and lower body movement

AlignMate is developed together with the Swedish Winter Sports Research Centre (NVC,) a world-leader in skiing research and the Olympic test center for winter sports in Sweden

AlignMate assesses the skiers lower body movements and stance and allows the boot fitter to simulate different cant angels with the help of lasers and digital reading of angels down to 0,1 degrees accuracy.

New picture coming soon as AlignMate is now made in anodized aluminum

CANTMATE

CantMate is a patented machine and method for milling/cutting the boot sole to desired degrees of canting and ramp angel (also with 0,1 degrees accuracy) and restore the sole to ISO norm.

CantMate can measure the boots degree of canting and ramp angel as well as the FIS regulated thickness of the sole (separate tool used in the machine).

CantMate is portable and only needs a solid surface to stand on to operate.

More information

coming soon