"Ace" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 6 Feb 2008 22:19:18 -0000, in
, "PSmith"
paulDOTsmith_UK@tiscaliDOTcoDOTuk wrote:


All the guidance on DIN settings hovers around age as well. Hitting "50"
the
DIN settings seem to reduce by 1. I appreciate that bones in older people
can become brittle, or is it an indication that older people should slow
down!

Yes, and Yes. Or more accurately that most people become somewhat less
gung-ho and more controlled as they get older and wiser. The
overriding rule should always be that bindings should be set as low as
is possible, to avoid injury, while still ensuring they'll stay on for
any level of abuse which the skier would be able to recover from. If
you don't _need_ your bindings set high, don't set them high.

I certainly agree with your comments. When I first started skiing there was
within my group much talk of "now we are improving we had better get longer
ski's etc". It seemed to be a status symbol. It's common in many sports:
people seem to think that top of the range equipment makes them better.
Longer ski's, higher binding settings or boots with more buckles all goes
with a certain mentality. Its only recently that I have thrown away a well
used pair of ancient Salomon rear-entry boots and a pair of Dynastar Course
GS ski's with Look bindings (in later years these became my rock-hoppers for
early and late season skiing when the pistes were becoming bare). I did not
move into carvers until several years after they became popular - and I
still miss my old long 195 planks! Certainly the carvers will turn on a
sixpence; but at speed on a long schuss I find them a little twitchy!

Paul