Do wider skis make a difference on knee impact?

what i noticed about wide skis is that they can power through tougher terrain with more ease
than thin skis

Jemswhat i noticed about wide skis is that they can power through tougher terrain with more ease
than thin skis

In mogulled up runs wide skis get in their own way alot tho.



but op, all other things being equal, ski width wont affect impact force on your knee

Henrik has been spotted on ARV 86 allegedly for knee pain. Make of that what you will

Yes a wider ski are more stress for the knee. The way back from edge to flat it’s way longer and that can force more Energy to the knee. Henrik is riding the ARV 86 in 177cm Right now at Laax.

also Woodsy made the decision to not ski wider then 90 because of the knee.

i am over 40 and I feel huge difference between my ARV86 and a recorner 102
hope that helps

I like to think softer skis are easier on the knee since they give more if i land backseat and I usually just dump to the side at that point instead of trying to ride it out.

i think there is some sweet spot for most of these things

wider skis are smoother to ski in variable stuff because they have more width to bridge the gap over uneven shit and let you just ride over it

but edge to edge and edge to flat is a bigger difference the wider the ski is, and it seems like people have started to decide that that can be worse on your knees if that's an issue

also impact on wider skis seems to be rougher sometimes. when you hit the landing and sink less onto it, it's going to be a rougher landing. henrik has started talking about this lately so it's more on people's radar now but it's been being noticed for a while. i remember people talking about feeling more impact in certain situations landing big shit on crazy wide skis like hellbents because they didn't sink into the snow as much

so this is all a little bro science-y and subjective but in my mind, 80s-90s range is the sweet spot. clear advantages over the old skinny skis but not so extreme that you're starting to get other negative effects. depends where you ski too of course

Skiblade420I’m aware you’re not scientists but I’m interested in your opinions.

also this is a beautiful description of NS

i like wider skis more even though my knee is not that good. they make me do more mellow moves edge to edge, on narrower skis i get a stinging pain cause the move is faster. also i don’t like stiff tails cause when i land backseat the hard ski doesn’t flex and the force goes to my knee, i rather have the ski flex a bit more.

Think of contact point distance from middle of foot as a lever trying to bend the knee sideways a little

I found ski width does have an effect on knee pain. But not as much in the park.

In the park, wide skis (95 and over) makes the ski heavier and bad landings harder on the body.
Where the biggest difference occurs is in the all mountain. Fat skis on ice chatter like crazy and costs a lot of energy to hold the edge on stops and turns. That ruins my back, shoulders and knees. But a 95 in chattery, icy bumps makes for a smooth and more controled ride.

But in OP example; stiff, light camber and about 90mm underfoot is the best ski. Stiff for pop, camber for better support and low width for weight and control.

Yes but I think it depends on the makeup of the ski too. I tend to prefer skinnier in the park but I’m on some 95mm underfoot Chronics right now. They feel pretty narrow to be honest. Feels like a nice sweet spot.

My 107 underfoots def feel like a boat when it’s super hard out.


With the whole wide ski landing on harder snow - I always think about a boogie board in a pool. Have you ever tried jumping on one? I imagine the forces at work on your knees are similar



I remember I had some 108 underfoot k2s with Adrenalins (attack frame binding) on them. I went through a baby stash park and sent it way bigger on a jump than I expected. Straight to flat. I remember the noise and impact was so loud from the weight of the bindings and width of the ski (also, the tip rocker probably slapped too). Really surprised me

**This post was edited on Apr 1st 2021 at 10:05:55am

My brain science tells me that the ski is pretty much torqueing your leg towards the opposite edge that is on - wider ski = larger level more force.
Plus an older shop guy told me wider skis are harder on the knees and there's actual studies about it.

b0ssThink of contact point distance from middle of foot as a lever trying to bend the knee sideways a little

i find wider skiers to have worse landings imo

probably no difference in terms of like acl tears, that comes from twisting not brute force

Someone should actually do a study or at least write a paper on how the physics related to ski forces should impact joints in theory.

For everyone bigger/wider/larger surface area skis increase impact force while this may be true in powder or soft snow where there is 'give' I don't think the same can be said on hardpack. Source: I've hit jumps and drops on ski boards.