realskiers

Quote from: Gary on October 02, 2011, 07:05:02 am

I must have good knees...I know I feel it when I'm trying to hold high edge angles with 98 underfoot...but 78...not so much.

Depends on your definition of high edge angles. How close to the snow are your hips. Where is your fore/aft balance?

All I know is what my body tells me, but, here's my take.

The position that aggravates pain in my knees is trying to obtain a more "counter-balanced" position, as PMTS describes that movement, using my 88 mm skis. The prime lever for tipping is the knee joint which does not flex side to side. The stance leg knee absorbs a lot of bending and twisting stress, especially on hard eastern surfaces. I also think my 88's are stiffer and that multiplies the strain.

Honestly, at my age, I will never get my hips very close to the ground as flexibility at the waist is very limited. There is the classic picture of Harald in Expert Skier 2 where he sits with his side against a wall and his legs are close to 90 degrees from his trunk. This position is seen all the time in World Cup racers. I can't get anywhere close to that amount of side bending and at the end of a day, my sides feel the stress from stretching side muscles.

No doubt that in these 2 specific areas, I'm probably trying to ski "in the style" of PMTS, but, if I were in class, I'd be called out to "tip, tip and tip some more".