Progressive vs traditional mount point merits

[Lurch]

I've read this whole thread and am now cross eyed. So my question is, do I mount Faction Dictator 1.0 on the classic, progressive or new school ine?

[BlazersTimbers503]

I've read this whole thread and am now cross eyed. So my question is, do I mount Faction Dictator 1.0 on the classic, progressive or new school ine?

Only Faction skis I’ve ridden were the 2021 CT 3.0’s mounted at the classic line (-3 from the CT/new school line) and I think I would have preferred them at the progressive line (-1.5 from the line). I’m not an ex-racer, I don’t ski switch, and I do like to drive the shovels here and there. They just didn’t feel super balanced at -3 IMO. But hey… different skis altogether so who knows. If you’re not sure, progressive might be a safe bet.

[EWG]

I’d think it would depend on skiing style? More upright stance maybe you keep boot center constant, but if you really drive the front of the boot that’s shifting pressure on the ski forward and maybe better if ball of foot stays constant?

That’s one of the thing I’m interested to see if Alude gets waist points in Sooth Ski. On a freestyle oriented ski, where it’s expected that the skier will have a more upright/centered stance, is the recommended mount point further forward relative to the waist than a more carving oriented ski where it’s expected the skier is driving the tips more?

Necro bump but it came up somewhere else and I was pointed to this thread. Lots of good stuff here but I haven't seen this basic point mention yet, so I figured I'd add it for the record for future searchers. And also, as you read the below, I'm using centered weight point for progressive skis and forward weight point for trad skis as a shorthand. Yes, as mentioned in this thread it's not a static point, and trad and racing skis aren't really skied with the weight on the ball of the foot, but trad skis have weight further forward than progressive ones. So I'm hoping the below can be said without starting a semantic argument.

Mount point relative to boot size:
It's pretty complicated and depends on the type of ski. The recommended line is based on where the manufacturer wants the weight to be on the ski (ski loading point) - and how the ski is mean to be skied. To compare:

Take a progressive ski mean to be skied with a centered stance. The weight is dropping right through the middle of the foot, which should be right on the recommended mount point. So changing the foot size does not change the weight point.

Now take a traditional ski with a rearward mounting point and an assumed aggressive stance. In this case it's assumed the weight is forward - nearer the ball of the foot. This type of ski would require the boot center to change as boot size changes to keep the weight load point the same on the ski.

BUT - you have to think it through. Compare a 28 boot to a 22 in the second ski - keeping the ball of the foot in the same place is increasing the tail - which is a not big deal if you're driving the ski, but for something like a mantra, if you get it in bumps, that tail could become a real issue for a smaller footed skier. You could be elongating the tail by 4cm - which is quite a bit.

So the further you get from a 26 boot the more you have to consider the impact of the boot size change on the mount point - and the best formula (which sometimes is the least of all evils kind of thing) changes by ski, person, gender, weight, height, etc.

Hopefully I explained that well.

[Samski360]

Necro bump but it came up somewhere else and I was pointed to this thread. Lots of good stuff here but I haven't seen this basic point mention yet, so I figured I'd add it for the record for future searchers. And also, as you read the below, I'm using centered weight point for progressive skis and forward weight point for trad skis as a shorthand. Yes, as mentioned in this thread it's not a static point, and trad and racing skis aren't really skied with the weight on the ball of the foot, but trad skis have weight further forward than progressive ones. So I'm hoping the below can be said without starting a semantic argument.

Mount point relative to boot size:
It's pretty complicated and depends on the type of ski. The recommended line is based on where the manufacturer wants the weight to be on the ski (ski loading point) - and how the ski is mean to be skied. To compare:

Take a progressive ski mean to be skied with a centered stance. The weight is dropping right through the middle of the foot, which should be right on the recommended mount point. So changing the foot size does not change the weight point.

Now take a traditional ski with a rearward mounting point and an assumed aggressive stance. In this case it's assumed the weight is forward - nearer the ball of the foot. This type of ski would require the boot center to change as boot size changes to keep the weight load point the same on the ski.

BUT - you have to think it through. Compare a 28 boot to a 22 in the second ski - keeping the ball of the foot in the same place is increasing the tail - which is a not big deal if you're driving the ski, but for something like a mantra, if you get it in bumps, that tail could become a real issue for a smaller footed skier. You could be elongating the tail by 4cm - which is quite a bit.

So the further you get from a 26 boot the more you have to consider the impact of the boot size change on the mount point - and the best formula (which sometimes is the least of all evils kind of thing) changes by ski, person, gender, weight, height, etc.

Hopefully I explained that well.

This is really interesting and something that makes sense to me. I ski relatively small boots for my height/weight (25.5/~290m BSL depending on the boot) and usually ski skis in the 185cm range. I’m an ex racer that has no trouble driving skis, but I have noticed on directional skis I often feel like I’m behind the sweet spot. I kind of concluded it was either the ski, or I ain’t as good as I once was. Most of the skis I’m on now are a little more progressive (-8cm or so). Kind of curious to go mount up a pair of directional skis a cm or two forward to see if they feel better.