19. How far forward should I mount my skis?
With today's twin tip all mountain, and park and pipe specific skis, riders are commonly mounting their skis forward from a traditional mid sole mounting point. The main benefits are increased control when riding or landing switch, and a more neutral balance in the air or on rails. For this season, all Factory Team skis have a mounting scale on the sidewall running from traditional mid sole mark, to a 7.5 cm forward marking. Following is a general guideline for where to mount these skis. If you are uncertain, the best bet is to go conservative at first and stick to a traditional mount.
0 to 2cm forward: All Mountain Riding - If you plan on skiing mostly outside the park, and want the ski to behave like a traditional ski, you should stay on the conservative side and mount closer to the traditional mid sole mark.
3 to 5 cm forward: 50% All Mountain, 50% Terrain Park - When mounting beyond 3 cm, you will lose a little of the traditional feel of length in front of the binding, but with more tail, you gain the control in the air and riding switch. Seth Morrison mounts his skis at 5 cm forward.
6 cm to 7.5 cm forward: Terrain Park or Switch Riding - If you bought the skis primarily for the terrain park, or are focused on riding switch in the backcountry, you may consider mounting your skis this far forward. While you may sacrifice forward directional float and stability, it's made up for in switch riding and landing balance and performance. From 6 cm to 7.5 cm forward is where Pep, Benchetler and Mahre typically mount their skis