テレマークビンディングの取り付け位置がアルペン用スキー板の操作性に及ぼす影響に関する一考察

抄録

In Japan, the number of telemark skiers has increased in recent years. However, most of them use alpine skis instead of specialized telemark ones. Although alpine skis are heavier than telemark skis, they are more controllable when skiing downhill and are preferred when skiing downhill compared to hiking uphill or walking around a snow mountain.
Traditionally, telemark bindings are attached to a ski according to its code-center, which is the middle of a ski length. The code-center has to be matched with a three-pin-line located under a skier’s telemark boot. Certain alpine skis, however, do not suit telemark skiing, particularly if telemark bindings are traditionally mounted. This is because alpine skis are specifically designed for alpine skiing and not for telemark skiing. However, these skis also have a boot-center line generally marked by a ski manufacturer. This line can be used to set up bindings for alpine skiing.
It is useful to know the most efficient mounting point of telemark bindings on alpine skis. This study conducted tests with two different settings of telemark bindings. In the first setting, the adopted boot-center line was used, which was in a position similar to that of the code-center. In the other set up the telemark bindings were positioned 5 cm forward from the first position. A tester skied in hard snow as well as mixed snow conditions with the two settings to examine the skis’ operability. From the results, this study considered an alternative method to set up the telemark bindings that would provide skiers with better operability.
The results of this test suggest that the second setting, in which the binding position was approximately 5 cm forward from the traditional setting, allowed better ski control.