Abstract
A study was carried out to investigate the application and method of adjusting a cant, and its effect in ski boots. Forty-two professional ski instructors were asked by questionnaire about the application and method of adjusting a cant, and its effect, etc. Simultaneously they were also checked regarding the alignment of the lower extremities. In order to reveal the effect of cant quantitatively, an experiment was performed on a ski-slope. The inclination of the axis of the lower leg was measured at an angulation position on the slope after placing a 1-mm, 3-mm, or 5-mm thick plastic medial wedge between the boot and the ski, so as to give valgus inclination to the heel.
The results and conclusions are summarized as follows ;
1) Twenty-seven of the forty-two subjects used a cant, and about one third of them stated that its effect was unknown.
2) Valgus cant ( (+) cant) had the effect of improving edge-control and decreasing the inclination of the lower leg, whereas varus cant ( (-) cant) had the effect of smoothing the sliding of the ski tail in the latter half of a turn.
3) There was little change in the axial inclination of the lower leg, even when a 5-mm-thick plastic medial wedge was placed between the boot and the ski.
4) A cant compensates not for static malalignment of the lower extremities but for deficiency of joint movement, and should be adjusted according to a skier's individual technical problem, for example poor edge-control, utilizing its merits described in 2) .
