Shin bang from tracked out powder?

[The.Fish]

I was just skiing normal downhill, no jumps or cliff of any airtime, and I got some decent shin bang by the end of the day. I think it was from how bumpy the runs were because there was 9 inches of fresh stuff with refills and it almost hurt to ski down the mountain before everybody left and the pow runs really starting to kick in. I only have an 80/90 flex boot which may be an issue, but my shin bone has some bruising on it. When I usually get shin bang in the park, its a muscle in the back of my leg to the side, never the actual shin bone. I am 6’ and 175 lb for reference

**This thread was edited on Dec 27th 2017 at 10:07:23am

 

[onenerdykid]

If your boot is too soft for you, it's a sure-fire way to get shin bang. Especially in choppy, tracked out snow where a softer boot like that isn't doing any of the work for you.

 

[The.Fish]

If your boot is too soft for you, it's a sure-fire way to get shin bang. Especially in choppy, tracked out snow where a softer boot like that isn't doing any of the work for you.

okay cool, i was just on vacation so I don’t really need to deal with the issue. I was just curious as to what caused it. I like the flex for midwest park riding.

 

[onenerdykid]

okay cool, i was just on vacation so I don’t really need to deal with the issue. I was just curious as to what caused it. I like the flex for midwest park riding.

Your ski boot doesn't have any clue what type of riding you do- it only knows the physical forces acting upon it. A guy your size can easily manage a 120-130 flexing boot and it will be far more comfortable on your legs than 90 or 100 flex. It will be more supportive, taking the loads and stress off your legs.

 

[The.Fish]

Your ski boot doesn't have any clue what type of riding you do- it only knows the physical forces acting upon it. A guy your size can easily manage a 120-130 flexing boot and it will be far more comfortable on your legs than 90 or 100 flex. It will be more supportive, taking the loads and stress off your legs.

they are dabello voodoos, i tried on the boss (same exact shape with a 110 flex) and wasn’t that big of a fan. Maybe its cause I didn’t ski in them. They were only $220 plus custom footbeds. My next boot will for sure be a much stiffer one, but i love this boot for the type of riding I do currently. I have friends with horror stories of riding park in super stiff boots.

 

[onenerdykid]

I have friends with horror stories of riding park in super stiff boots.

When a boot doesn't match you (your leg shape, weight, strength, etc.) then it can definitely lead to problems. A boot that is too stiff for someone is just as bad of a problem for a boot that is too soft. Just one example- Nicky Keefer does everything in a Redster World Cup 130 (which is stiffer than normal, commercial 130s). It's just what works well for him and his style of riding.

One of the things I bet that is going with your situation is that the boot itself isn't supportive enough and your body (leg) is doing more work than it should, and this is can definitely to the pain you described.

 

[The.Fish]

When a boot doesn't match you (your leg shape, weight, strength, etc.) then it can definitely lead to problems. A boot that is too stiff for someone is just as bad of a problem for a boot that is too soft. Just one example- Nicky Keefer does everything in a Redster World Cup 130 (which is stiffer than normal, commercial 130s). It's just what works well for him and his style of riding.

One of the things I bet that is going with your situation is that the boot itself isn't supportive enough and your body (leg) is doing more work than it should, and this is can definitely to the pain you described.

i had a pair of voodoos 4 years ago when I was around 140,- 150 lb and 5’8. I had the same exact issue but worse. Then again those boots were from a ski swap and were two whole sizes too big because I didn’t know there wasn’t supposed to be toe room. My newest pair is the correct size and I don’t get the pain as much. I still get it though because I am in the process of learning 360s and I still can’t land on axis for my life so there is definitely some backseat riding going on. No boot is going to fix pain from landing back seat.

 

[Rum_Ham]

went from a 90 flex to 120 flex atomic with the extra screw so its like a 130, shin bang is gone.

 

[tomeaston]

I am 6' and about 155 lb, I'm an intermediate kinda skier so nothing stupidly aggressive and I'm on a 110 flex and I personally wouldn't want to be on anything less... I remember using some crappy, single shin buckle, really old, borderline broken, ridiculously flexible rental boots once and in three hours had bruised shins. I'd just say you want a more supportive boot flex.

 

[WoFIowz]

No one here thinks it's because of him riding the bumps in the backseat? If your shins aren't sore, is it really shin bang? Also when you say your muscles on the backs and sides, are they bruised or just sore? Because sore would indicate that you're just using them more often and haven't recently, which could be a result of all the extra effort required to ski powder and bumps. If they're bruised on the sides of your legs, that could be to an awkward tongue placement (my boot tongue was off to the side one day and I had a huge bruise and swelling on my inner calf at the end of the day because of it. Once I moved it over, they were fine).

 

[WoFIowz]

I'm gonna guess it's due to him using a lot of effort to maneuver his skis back and forth. Lots of twisting back and forth with his feet in between bumps and deep snow is a sure way to get those muscles sore.

 

[The.Fish]

No one here thinks it's because of him riding the bumps in the backseat? If your shins aren't sore, is it really shin bang? Also when you say your muscles on the backs and sides, are they bruised or just sore? Because sore would indicate that you're just using them more often and haven't recently, which could be a result of all the extra effort required to ski powder and bumps. If they're bruised on the sides of your legs, that could be to an awkward tongue placement (my boot tongue was off to the side one day and I had a huge bruise and swelling on my inner calf at the end of the day because of it. Once I moved it over, they were fine).

No i definitely wasn't backseat. When it gets bumpy, you have to absorb lots of shock and energy, and my boots just transferred it to my shin. I isn't a common problem because I ski a real mountain like 4 days a year and it snows for maybe one of those days. I think my boots just are too soft for the type of skiing I was doing. I wasn't really looking for a fix, more of a cause or an explanation.

 

[BigPurpleSkiSuit]

I'm 6'4 185 lbs and I ski on a 120 flex boot. I have shin bang problems that I definitely chalk up to my occasionally backseat landings and crashes but just skiing chopped up crud I get shin bang sometimes too. Would it make a big difference to go up to a 130 flex boot in helping my shins?

 

[quagsire]

I'm 6'4 185 lbs and I ski on a 120 flex boot. I have shin bang problems that I definitely chalk up to my occasionally backseat landings and crashes but just skiing chopped up crud I get shin bang sometimes too. Would it make a big difference to go up to a 130 flex boot in helping my shins?

Go to a reputable bootfitter and get your fit evaluated prior to making any decisions to buy a new boot. Sometimes a shin bang issue can be solved with a change in footbeds, or the addition of a Booster strap or an Eliminator foam tongue. But yes, at your size, assuming you're a strong skier, you could definitely consider jumping up to a 130.