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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Bend, OR
    Posts
    109

    Duckfooted - Angle toes out?

    Bear with me here, this may be a stupid question. I'm not a stupid person, but i don't know much about skiing.

    I'm very strongly duckfooted. That is to say, when i stand, comfortably and naturally and facing north, my feet are angled apart so that my toes are pointing to my northeast and northwest, at maybe 25-30 degrees each. I think pretty much everyone's feet are this way, but usually to a much lesser extent.

    My snowboard stance is a little unusual in that it is angled very much like my feet are, much more than a "normal" stance. I've tried to pull my toes in a little bit in the past, thinking a more conventional stance would give me better control and/or performance. It just made me uncomfortable and I would get tired faster.

    The other day, i was skinning up a hill and very aware of the fact that it feels very unnatural for me to have to point my toes exactly straight ahead to ski exactly in the skin tracks. I notice this going downhill too, but to a lesser degree.

    Would it be crazy to mount my ski bindings a few degrees off of centerline? I wonder if it would make me more comfortable, both up and downhill.

    I suppose i'll catch some shit for even suggesting this... but has anyone actually tried it? Maybe it works.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    tashigang
    Posts
    1,564
    actually its a very good question.
    i dont know the answer, but some boots....fisher....were made duckfooted

    Hayduke Aug 7,1996 GS-Aug 26 2010
    HunterS March 17 09-Oct 24 14

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Eagle River Alaska
    Posts
    36
    Search, it has been discussed before.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Bend, OR
    Posts
    109

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Down the valley a bit further on the good side of the 49th
    Posts
    4,342
    Likely caused by pronation which places rotation on the tibia and upward to the hip. A footbed to get a more neutral position will also remove the rotation making standing with feet straight ahead more comfortable and natural feeling. Or treat the symptom by adjusting the boots/bindings to accommodate the underlying problem.
    It's not so much the model year, it's the high mileage or meterage to keep the youth of Canada happy

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    everyday sunshine
    Posts
    312
    it's different for everyone, but...

    i'm pretty bow legged and duck footed and have some pretty serious pronation going on as well.

    i got new boots two years ago and had a custom footbed made with my weight off my feet to put my feet in a neutral stance when I stood up. I could barely do a run without being in terrible pain from the knees down. everything felt cramped and twisted and completely unnatural to me.

    switched to a stock footbed, canted the boots inward and leaned them forward as much as possible and had the shells punched out a little in the fore foot to account for the pronation and it's all good now.

    but, everyone is different so spend some time with a good bootfitter when you're on the hill.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Banff
    Posts
    22,210
    what L7 said

    nordica and fischer make duck boots (similar) and/or get your bindings mounted duck on the skis . fat skis will take this better


  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Good ol' Europe
    Posts
    76
    Henrik Luthman from Hendryxskis is THE duckstance evangelist. Check out his ideas here. Makes perfect sense in theory and I think I'll try it this winter.

    BTW the Völkl Sanouk (Black Topsheet) had a duckstance reference printed along with the bootcenter mark.

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