Don't carve in powder mode!!!

[Derf]

That's among the most horrible things I ever saw! I can't stand Cathy Bates since I saw that.

[Ray]

Good to hear it heels 100% ! Get well soon!

[Justin A.]

This has been said before, but don't carve in powder mode with Raichle/Deeluxe boots! The lean adjuster isn't strong enough to take a large impact without it being locked. If you want the flex that powder mode provides, buy the BTS or RAB.

I was taking my second to the last run of the season in spring conditions at Whitetail in PA. I was making turns on a fairly shallow part of the slope toward the bottom when I went into a toeside turn going fairly fast. I'm not positive what happened next, but I think the nose caught a patch of soft snow. A kid who was watching said that I did a couple of complete flips in the air. When I can down from the first flip I landed toeside, the boots flexed, and the lean adjuster on the front boot, which was set to powder, literally exploded, and a split second later my tib and fib snapped right above the ankle. I knew my leg was broken even as I was upside down in my second flip. It's weird seeing your foot flop around. If the adjuster had been locked it wouldn't have pulled apart. If it had been locked or if I had installed my BTS (which is sitting on my coffee table) I really don't believe my leg would have broken.

I'm currently sitting at home with new titanium hardware in my lower leg, and have to stay off that leg for 6-8 weeks. The stupid thing is, I had the BTS, but I put off installing it till the summer since I needed to make some modifications to my boots to make them work properly.

The whole ordeal wasn't too bad except for when they had to take off my boot. My boot is downsized and a very snug fit. I had a friend with me and the only time they looked ill was after the boot removal.

I have pictures of the leg, but didn't want to post them since they kinda gross.

Wow...that's pretty much 100% what happened to me a few years ago. It happened when I was 15, I'm now 19 and the area around the break is still swollen-not painful whatsoever, just swollen up with alot of scar tissue. My leg kinda shattered though, so where yours is a break you'll be fine.

Same thing-the whole thing wasn't that bad except for the removal of my boot-I had my AF700's fitted for racing, so I needed a construction crew to get into and out of them...they yanked and yanked. Glad to hear that you're not going to give up because of a particularly nasty accident.

I also agree that it probally had little to do with boot mode, since the AF700's don't have a mode, it's more of a BTS kind of system except not nearly as refined. Alot happens in crashes, it could very well have just been the crash forces doing that.

Here's to a speedy recovery!

[Corey]

The problem is that in powder or walk mode the adjuster is very susceptable to breaking, which is exactly what what happened in my case.

No doubt! I agree 100% that having the adjuster easily comes apart when unlocked. You can pull them apart with your hands when they're off the boot.

The adjuster went all the way closed, then blew out the stop, came apart, and let the boot continue to close with little resistence. Had it been locked or had a BTS on it, the boot would have held it's shape better and would have flexed deeply upon impact, spreading out its force and duration.

How would a locked device allow the boot to 'flex deeply'? By definition, the adjuster locks the boot in one position. The BTS can only make a boot stiffer than it was with an adjuster in walk mode.

Here's another thought experiment. Take two situations at the extremes of flexibility:

1. No boot at all. Assume your foot is held rigidly to the ground. As you move your body further and further forward, your ankle is going to pop way before your leg breaks.

2. Foot firmly encased in cement to the same height as a snowboard boot. As you move your body forward, your leg is going to snap before the ankle is very stressed.

I love my BTS and think everyone should try them, but I just can't see how they would do anything to help you in your crash. I believe your leg would have broken just the same no matter what you had to stiffen your boot.

[bob knox]

Ahhhhh, the horror! I did the exact same thing ski racing 5 years ago. Caught my ski on a gate and it didn't release, but my tib/fib did. Yeah, getting the boot off was real fun. My buddy took my wife out of the room before they yanked.

BIG word of recovery advise (from doing this twice). Get the doc. to put on an Aircast removable cast right away. When you are just sitting on the couch, take it off and try to work your ankle immediatly. It will hurt a bit and feel really funky. If you don't do this (like I did the first time), you will lose 20-40% mobility in your ankle. My right foot is still majorly messed up/stiff after 15 years. Physical therapy couldn't break it loose. The left one (as broken above) healed and loosened up 100%.

Get Well Soon,

Bob K.

[pebu]

I'm no doctor or therapist or engineer... Wait, I am an engineer... Anyways, I'm kinda suspecting that it wasn't the boot in walk mode that broke the leg, but the whole series of events. The leg was able to move freely, then all of a sudden it got caught by your lean adjuster (probably). Not only that but then the lean adjuster broke letting it flex farther until the cuff hit the boot and stopped suddenly again. Talk about cyclic loading... Overall, I'd say it was just a series of unfortunate events.

Get better.

[Hugh]

Whoa, thanks for posting those pics

Heal up strong, lock those boots and ride on next season.

Let us know about your healing progress.

Take care,

Hugh

[eos4life]

First off, heel fast!

How did they get your foot out of the boot?

Did they use a cast saw to rip the boot open?

I just can't imagine yanking the foot out of the boot with no bone connected to the lower portion of the leg!

If that was the case, I think I might have heard the scream from Canada!!!

Again speedy recovery!

[zoltan]

How did they get your foot out of the boot?

Did they use a cast saw to rip the boot open?

I just can't imagine yanking the foot out of the boot with no bone connected to the lower portion of the leg!

One guy pried the boot as far open as he could, and the other guy got his hands as far down to my foot as he could, then the guy with the boot started pulling. I went from grunting, to screaming, to gurgling. It took them a little while. My left foot is a size 28 and I wear a size 26 boot that's had a lot of work done to it, so the fit is very tight. The only time my friend looked ill was after getting the boot off.

[powell1.8]

Sorry about the injury, hope you heel fast.

Pulling your foot out of your boot, makes me think of primeval torture. Thinking about it makes me squirm a little. I think I would have opted to cut the boot off or something.

That's seriously crazy. Heel fast.