approaching the dark side

Ken Roberts wrote:

-- boots for serious ski-skate racing have soles that are pretty stiff,
similar to a Scarpa F1 AT boot.

But they also have toe bindings designed to take skating forces through
them, where the Dynafit doesn't. Agressive skating and trudging uphill
aren't necessarily comparable from a design point of view.

-- the most popular binding for serious ski-skate racing (Salomon Pilot)
_does_ indeed have a _hook_ whose purpose is to keep the heel and ski close.

I was quite aware of that, which is why I pointed out that if there was
any advanatage for an AT setup for skating then an AT setup for skating
is just what be found in competition

-- unlike most tele boot-binding combintions, the Salomon Pilot binding has
no resistance which must first be overcome in order to press the heel of the
boot against the ski.

For a "rolling terrain" setup using 3 pin bindings (pretty normal)
there's no real resistance to pushing the heel down.

The _mushiness_ of the heel connection ("rocker
launch") in most telemark boot-binding combinations is a very strange
concept to ski-skate racers. That's where an AT binding has an obvious
advantage for skating.

Quite possibly, but relying on skating possibilities for backcountry
travel is rather wishful thinking in a lot of cases: kick 'n stick is
generally more likely to come into play, especially over many miles with
a heavy pack, and it's there that a natural walking motion rolling off a
flexing foot is a winner. You could do that with an F1/Dynafit, I
suppose, but not everyone chooses F1s or Dynafits for various good reasons.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/