Season of the Switch

By Published On: August 21st, 2015Comments Off on Season of the Switch

Three-time Olympian and World Cup veteran Steven Nyman has posted some good results during his career. But like most racers on tour, he’s been frustrated by inconsistent performances.

Last summer, that all changed when, after months of looking two gates ahead, he looked down at his equipment.

For Nyman, the assumption had always been that technique or fitness issues caused the swing in his stats. But in the run-up to the 2015 season, he was convinced this wasn’t the case, so he closely examined his gear.

With a few simple changes to the set-up, Nyman found both consistency and confidence in his skiing.

To help you dial in your own gear, SkiRacing.com spoke with Nyman on how he approached changing his equipment. We also chatted with his coach, Scotty Veenis, on the performance impact of those changes.

SkiRacing.com: First, congratulations on last season — two podiums, five top-10 finishes, fourth in the FIS World Championships, and seventh overall in the 2015 World Cup downhill standings. Outstanding year!

Nyman: Thank you! It was a lot of fun. The most fun was being so consistent and knowing I could put it in there every race.

SR: Before the 2015 race season you “tore down your equipment and built it back up from scratch.” What initially started you down this path?

SN: Over the years I’ve made a lot of changes in my skiing — physical state, mental state and skis. I had some good results, but also a lot of inconsistencies. I always blamed my issues on my physical state, but in 2014 I was in such good shape, this wasn’t the issue. So I finally looked deeply into my equipment set-up.

SR: Which piece of equipment did you begin with and what did you do with it first?

SN: After the rule changes in 2013, our new ski models were good, but impacted my confidence in the set-up, so ski testing was my initial focus. Then, in 2014, we worked on some changes to the skis and found a combination that really worked for me.

SR: During the ski-testing phase, what was the most important objective you had in mind?

SN: The biggest thing I was searching for was comfort. I always believed if I felt balanced and comfortable on my gear, I could change my skiing much easier.

SR: Which piece of equipment did you work on next?

SN: Once I had the skis dialed in, I felt something was wrong with my boot set-up. I started looking at different flexes that were softer and had more responsiveness. Once I found the boots I liked, I then turned to their alignment. I used a laser and mirror to check my alignment. Then I made multiple canting strips using small pieces of canting material wrapped in duct tape and then skied with various angle combinations. Once I found the best combination I secured the cants in position between the lifts and boot sole.

nyman_Schramm_900px
“Make small tweaks with what you have,” says Steve Nyman, whose experimentation paid off on the Birds of Prey podium.
Photo: Eric Schramm

SR: How would you assess the performance impact of making the boot fitting and alignment adjustments?

SN: It was a huge impact! I changed from a bigger, stiffer boot and downsized to a smaller, softer boot. Instantly, my GS and super G game was raised.

SR: With your ski and boot set-up adjustments now dialed in, were there any unexpected improvements?

SN: The biggest difference I noticed was my balance in GS. I always had a stronger turn in GS, and once I aligned my canting, it was hard to decipher which turn use to be the weaker one.

SR: Did you make adjustments to any other piece of equipment?

SN: Yes. I looked at the binding placement and the ramp angle on my skis. We tested everything from 0.25 centimeters ahead/behind of center point to 1.5 cm ahead/behind of center point as well as 1.3-millimeter differences in the ramp angles of the bindings.

SR: Once you were satisfied with all the set-up adjustments, what was the combined effect on your performance?

SN: The combined effect was simply more confidence on my skis. When you have confidence and balance on your skis, you’re willing to push it more and test your limits.

SR: When and how often do you check your equipment for possible set-up adjustments?

SN: I’m always scrutinizing my equipment. Each piece of equipment has its own personality and needs individual attention. You can’t take every pair of boots and do the same thing to them, because they’re all slightly different.

SR: What advice would you give to racers attending pre-season camps on checking their equipment set-ups?

SN: It’s preseason, so the snow is different than in winter. You don’t want to do too much tweaking. Use this time to find which brand’s specs fit you the best and make you feel the most comfortable in your set-up. We have a rare opportunity in the U.S. at Copper to test all kinds of gear and see what works best for us.

SR: Are there set-up adjustments that can be done in preparation for getting back on snow?

SN: There are a lot of things you can do with boots to improve balance and weight distribution; check your fit and flex, shave the bootboard, change footbeds, and try different buckle adjustments. But my initial feedback is to get the canting aligned to your body, then ski them and see how they feel. If the boots are too stiff you can cut them to make them softer. The “duct tape” canting method can allow you to do quick alignment testing and changes.

SR: Any specific set-up advice you’d like to share with younger racers (and their parents) who often grow out of their equipment annually?

SN: It’s tough as a young kid, especially when you’re growing fast, to find something that will work for the whole season. But my words of advice are not to change too much in-season. Make small tweaks with what you have, stick with it and try to maximize performance. Also, take care of your gear. This is super important in making equipment last and perform accurately.

Now, here’s what Scotty Veenis, U.S. Ski Team Men’s Speed Coach, saw regarding the “before and after” performance differences.

ScottyVeenis
(Scotty Veenis; USSA)

SR: After the adjustments that Nyman made in his equipment set-up, what changes did you see in his skiing?

Scotty Veenis: First, let me add that it’s critical to test any equipment change in a controlled skiing environment. We did this with Steven in the spring of 2014 both at Snowbird, during the PSIA camp — where we worked on fundamental freeskiing, and then again in New Zealand, during summer training, where we ran a large GS block. By the way, running GS is very beneficial for speed skiers.

I saw at least three significant improvements in Nyman’s skiing after his set-up changes. His skiing became much more dynamic, more “outside to outside” with a lot less lateral movement. It appeared that he could “feel” the ski better, and that made him more fluid.

Another area was his ability to move through the transition, allowing his body to be in a more stacked and balanced position at the top of the turn, resulting in a cleaner, more powerful top of turn. And he was matching up on both sides much better than before the changes.

All of this resulted in Steven giving himself more space at the gate — taking it deeper — and generating speed more consistently turn to turn.

rule

Staying on current gear for the upcoming year?

The process of dialing in your set-up is just as important for existing equipment as it is for new gear. Don’t assume your current gear is good to go for next season. During the next few months your physical characteristics, strength, conditioning and skill set will likely be changing.

Replacing gear for the upcoming year?

Each time a new piece of equipment is introduced into the set-up, repeating part or all of the dialing-in process is required to help insure that the interaction between you and all your critical gear is optimized.

rule

2015/2016 World Cup, FIS and USSA Length & Radius Rules

rule

Resources for Race Gear and Set-up Help

There are several ways to get expert advice on equipment selection, fitting, set-up and tuning.

Race-dedicated ski shops (see partial list below): They have a trained staff with the latest information and are in direct contact with manufacturer’s reps.

Your coaches: Can help you on-snow by watching and asking the right questions about the interaction between you and your equipment.

Older, more experienced athletes: Many have been there and done that when it comes to set-ups; learn from their experience.

Service/Tech Reps: They are trained by and work directly for the major factories, and often have demo products to try at race camps.

Ski Shop Race Specialists

Eastern US:

Artech Ski:  www.artechski.com  |  855-FIS-SKIS
Peak Sports:  www.peakskishop.com  |  802-422-9447
Sport Thoma/The Race Room:  www.theraceroom.com  |  888-745-8151
Reliable Racing:  www.reliableracing.com  |  800-223-4448
Ski Depot:  www.ski-depot.com  |  866-754-3376

Central US:
Pierce Skate & Ski:  www.pierceskateandski.com  |  888-754-1996
Skiers Peakwww.skierspeak.com  |  248-594-6200

Mountain Sates:
Alpine Base&Edge:  www.alpinebaseandedge.com  |  303-443.0814
Fuxi Racing:  www.fuxiracingusa.com  |  970-376-1288
Jans/Renstall:  www.jans.com  |  435-649-2500
Race-Werks:  www.race-werks.com  |  800-741-3985

Western States:
The Race Place:  www.the-raceplace.com  |  800-814-7223
The Start Haus:  www.starthaus.com  |  866-582-5781
World Cup Service Center:  www.worldcupsc.com  |  425-644-8304

 

nymanfinal

Brennan-Nyman-Fischer-Ski-Boot-Parts_900px

Brennan-Nyman-Set-up-Article-_Fischer-Ski-Binding-Parts_900px

Share This Article

About the Author: Dave Brennan

Dave Brennan is a ski industry veteran who worked in product development, testing and marketing for several major equipment brands. A former technical advisor to the U.S. Ski Team, he remains active in Masters racing and trains in Park City, Utah.