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Background: In recreational alpine skiing ACL injury risk depends on the interaction of individual characteristics and behaviours as well as on equipment-related factors. Aim: to evaluate if and to what extent personal characteristics and equipment-related parameters are associated with ACL injury risk in cautious and risk-taking recreational alpine skiers. Methods: A retrospective questionnaire-based, case-control study of ACL-injured and uninjured in a cohort of cautious as well as risk-taking recreational skiers was conducted. Participants self-reported their demographics, skiing skill level, and risk-taking behaviour. Ski length, side-cut radius, widths of the tip, waist, and tail were recorded from each participant's skis. Standing heights at the front and rear components of the ski binding were measured with a digital sliding caliper, and a standing height ratio between the front and rear components was calculated. Ski boot sole abrasion at the toe and heel pieces was also measured with the digital sliding caliper. Results: In total, 1068 recreational skiers (50.8% females) with a mean age of 37.8 ± 12.3 years participated, of whom 193 (22.0%) sustained an ACL injury, and 330 (30.9%) participants reported a risk-taking behaviour. Results of the multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that a higher age, a lower skill level, a higher standing height ratio, and greater ski boot sole abrasion at the toe as well as heel pieces were independently associated with an increased ACL injury risk in both the cautious and the risk-taking group. Among cautious skiers, a longer ski length was an additional significant risk factor for sustaining an ACL injury. In conclusion, the same personal and equipment related characteristics contribute to an increase in the ACL injury risk regardless of risk-taking behaviour, with the only difference that longer skis represent an additional risk factor in cautious skiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors attempted to determine whether: (1) there are differences in stability between the conditions of standing in ski boots and barefoot, (2) the type of surface affects stability, and, (3) the level of stability differs between the frontal and sagittal planes. The study included 35 young male recreational skiers aged 20.71 ±0.63 years. Measurements of stability were taken by means of a Libra seesaw balance board. The conditions of soft surface were created by attaching an inflated cushion to the board. The experiment was carried out on both rigid and soft surface for both movement planes and two different conditions: maintaining the seesaw balance board in the horizontal position and performance of a particular balancing task. All the tests were performed with visual feedback. Restricted ankle joint mobility that results from wearing ski boots caused a reduction of stability in studied subjects, particularly in the sagittal plane. The differences found in the study were likely to be caused by the difficulty the beginners experienced in re-organizing muscular coordination in hip joint strategy and effectively using mechanical support of ski boots that reduces lower limb muscle tone. The use of the soft surface improved stability exhibited by the subjects in the frontal plane without compromising the stability in the sagittal plane. The soft surface might have contributed to a reduction in excessive corrective movements, thus improving stability in studied subjects.The aim of this study was to determine the effect of limitation of foot mobility and disturbances in afferent information from the plantar mechanoreceptors due to wearing ski boots on the level of postural stability in beginner skiers under conditions of the unstable support surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. In the initial phase of ski lessons, the skier encounters a completely new situation. The maintenance of body stability, which is influenced by various factors, attracts his entire attention. The aim of this study was to define the impact of ankle joint stiffening by ski equipment on the maintenance of body balance. Material and methods. The research was conducted on 13-member group aged 20 to 24. All the subjects were male students at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport in Biała Podlaska (graduates of the ski instructor course). Each participant carried out three postural exercises on the KISTLER dynamometric platform. Then the same exercises were performed with ski boots and skis. Two parameters were used for the analysis of body balance, namely the COP path length and the surface area of the stabilogram. Results. It was stated in the study that ankle joint stiffening while standing on both skis did not have a negative impact on the postural stability. In majority of the tested subjects while standing on one ski, a considerable increase in the both analysed parameters occurred in relation to the same exercises performed without ski boots. That being so, it can be inferred that ski equipment causes deterioration of body stability. Moreover, it was noticed as a result of putting on ski boots and skis that body fluctuations increased slightly in relation to the growth of the base of support defined by the ski length and ski width setting. Conclusions. On this basis, it was concluded that ski equipment does not have a negative influence on the maintaining body balance. The growth of body fluctuations during exercises is insignificant in relation to the increase of body base area. It is necessary to find new ways of compensating for body fluctuations in order to maintain body balance with ski equipment on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using a force measurement device on riding technique in mogul skiing. A mock-up version of such a device was positioned between ski boot and binding. Data on three-dimensional kinematics and perception were collected for eight subjects skiing down a mogul course. Parameters analysed were knee angle, side and forward lean of the trunk and hip, and the path of the body's centre of mass. A perception questionnaire was used on selective aspects to assess the skiers' perception of the performances. Perception ratings showed no significant detrimental effects. All assessed components showed a trend of improvement from the first to last run, thus suggesting familiarisation was achieved. Kinematic analysis revealed that no significant alterations occurred. In conclusion, it is intended to utilise a functional force plate similar to the one presented by Kiefmann et al. (2006) for future studies in freestyle skiing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]