15/03/2024
Fat ski syndrome.
Fat skis are designed for immersion in snow, where when tipped, a platform can be created that stretches at least from the ski edge to inside the edge of your foot. The wider the ski and narrower your foot, the deeper the edge and side of the ski, needs to pe*****te into the surface.
Wider skis are harder to tip and hold on any firm terrain. Edge grip, balance and initiating turns on firm terrain (and especially control on ice) is difficult for recreational skiers. Trying to tilt and hold an edge on firm snow, with an edge that is not below your big toe, is inefficient, ineffective and tiring. Most recreational skiers resort to largely pointing the skis downhill, making shallow turns and skidding a relatively flat ski. Many competent off-piste skiers on these fatter skis, while lording their stability, ski poorly on piste, and often refer to the piste as boring, even if they are on mid-fat ‘all mountain’ skis. Use of the edge tends to be limited to railing straight the slightly tilted ski in the bottom third of the turn.
Trying to steer the skis using edging creates a leverage that over time leads to overuse knee injuries. The outside ski will tend to flatten, rolling off its edge compressing the medial aspect of the knee joint and creating medial hamstring strain on the inside of the knee. Resisting this flattening often leads to the ski chattering. Skiing on piste and hard, uneven terrain with modern widths of ‘all mountain skis’ can lead to tendonitis and bursitis as well as aching knees, even in people without existing knee issues.
Ultimately there is often overnight knee discomfort, even walking with a limp after skiing and having to take days off skiing but the pain still reappears.
