The Thoren Theory
I recently read an article that gave some insight as to why women seem more prone to catching edges, wandering ski tips and the infamous sit-back syndrome.
Jeannie Thoren's research led to the key elements of these dilemmas. She observed that on an avant-garde canting machine she was knock-kneed, as are most women. As a result of this knock-kneed syndrome, women do not always achieve a flat ski on the surface of the snow. This in turn causes women to catch edges more easily. This also makes it more difficult for them to carve a ski like men do.
Thoren indicates that a large part of ski mistakes stem from women's equipment. Her research shows that proper boot fitting can help to overcome the anatomically induced ski mistakes.
The actual Thoren Theory is broken into four parts:
- Backseat Gravity
- No Knock-knees, Five Dollars Please
- Elvis the Pelvis
- Waist Not Want Not
Backseat Gravity
THEORY: On average, a woman's centre of gravity is one inch lower and further back than a man's, and she tends to carry more weight below the waist, especially around the hips, buttocks and thighs.
TRANSLATION: When a man flexes forward, his weight goes over his toes. When a woman flexes, her centre of gravity ends up over her heels. She is too far back, and her unweighted ski tips tend to wander and the tips cross.
REMEDY: Move the bindings forward so the woman's centre of gravity is over the centre, and the ski is properly weighted from tip to tail.
No Knock-Knees, Five Dollars Please
THEORY: A woman's larger Q-Angle (click for graph) makes her knock-kneed.
TRANSLATION: Approximately 80 per cent of all women's feet pronate and collapse inward. Thoren noted that on each turn the knee has to drive excessively inward in order to hold a ski on edge. The ski tends to slip, especially on steep and icy terrain. It also means that many women's skis are never flat but rather on an inside edge. This leads to the problem of catching an edge, especially when straight running. This knock-kneed stance often throws women off when skiing on ice, in bumps and the trees.
REMEDY: Foot orthotics (foot-beds) align the foot correctly within the ski boot. Once the feet have been stabilized with foot-beds, canting can be addressed. Cants are like placing a match book under the leg of a tipsy table. Using cants in conjunction with the foot-beds will get a knock-kneed skier's knees apart.
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