Vonn - Mancuso

[Beckmann AG]

NBC doesn't like me, so I'll just guess.

Plates can be a liability as well as an asset.

Stack height became regulated following the untimely death of Ulrike Maier. (Video available on Youtube).

Plates can delay response time between skier and ski.

Just as a plate can provide the skier with a bigger lever between their foot and the ski, so too can the ski gain mechanical advantage over the skier.

As of a few years ago, stack height is measured inside the heel pocket of the boot, with liner and footbed installed. Combined measure of footbed, liner, zepper, shell, and add-on sole plate must not exceed maximum dimension.

Location of plate can influence effect. Originally, plates went only under the binding.

Rules changed, so plates were then added to soles of boots.

Rules change again, so thinner plates go inside boots.

Rules change yet again to determine absolute measure.

The more junk you put between yourself and the ski, the less you feel.

In downhill, sense of touch translates to glide, so if the course is not particularly steep, and does not require the extra leverage/clearance needed for the course, the racer may determine that less stack is better/faster.

Given that each competitor has scads of ski configurations to choose from, each probably has a setup in mind for any given course.

In the slalom, faster feet are more important than clearance/leverage. Loads are higher, but shorter duration.

My guess is that you may see something a bit different for GS/SuperG

Merely conjecture on my part, and bear in mind that I might not be a reliable narrator.

[skategoat]

I was standing beside a corner the locals call Toilet Bowl during the Women's DH. You enter the turn over a blind ridge. Take a bit of air and land on a traverse. Then you have to take a 110* turn left before going over another small bump. I would've snowplowed down the thing. A lot of the racers were running scared. Can't say I blame them.

[skatha]

Amazing, and they had abbreviated access to the course to check it out prior to racing, too.....These ladies have real balls....

[TheTruth]

ok, so again, what's up with the minimal or non-existant sub-binding plates in the skiing dh?

watching women's super combined slalom portion now, and again I don't see much there?

Jack, all the race skis have plates under the bindings. The 2 reasons they may not seem as prominent as in the past:

1. FIS has reduced the total stack height to protect racer's knees.

2. Ski waists are now wider across all disciplines, therefore binding plates don't need to be as high to prevent boot-out. Visually, the wider skis make the plates look even shorter.