it usually is worse on your knees, but whatever. glad your gettin into it. i switched a couple of years ago, and its a totally diffrent ballgame dude. turning is actually fun for me, and a challenge sometimes, and since iv been xc skiing since i could walk, its way more natural for my heel to be free. and just a caution, dont get a ski past 90mm waist to begin with. i did, and it was hard. i did alright learning, and now i ride pistols, but youll want something snappy for turning and getting out of tight spots. the new piste pipes are nice. and you can obviously mount up a alpine ski with em too. i got a pair of snappy skogans coming my way which should be sick. good luck.