Shin bang
Shin bang is what you feel when the front of your shin presses hard against the boot tongue. In the model the most common match is a boot that lets your foot and ankle move, so your shin meets the tongue late and hard. A second match is sitting back.
glutes working
Muscle load
Low, can hold all dayMidHighPeakTick: average through the turn
Tail at the finish
7%
The fix: 4%
Tip at the finish
10%
The fix: 14%
Showing: Your stance. 8.0 mm of boot play.
Shown for the default skier: 92 kg on the K2 Mindbender 89 Ti at the finish of the turn, 3 mm of boot play, groomed snow.
Shin bang is a bruised, tender or sore patch on the front of your shin, usually on the upper half. You might feel it while you ski, on the walk to the lift, or the next morning. Some people see bruising.
This page describes what skiers report and what the model can show. It does not diagnose anything. If it hurts a lot, or the pain stays after you stop skiing, see a physio.
Your shin and the boot tongue meet every time you flex forward. In a good fit the contact is broad and gentle. In a bad fit it is a small hard patch.
Three things are most often involved. - Your foot is not held still. If your heel or ankle moves inside the shell, your shin travels further before it meets the tongue, and it arrives with more force. - A pressure point from the liner or tongue. A hard edge or a gap under the tongue concentrates the load. - Your stance. In the back seat, you push your shin into the tongue to stay up, harder and more often.
Skiers on forums nearly always get the same first answer: a posted footbed. A footbed that holds your foot neutral and stable moves some of the work away from your shin. After that come a softer or better-shaped tongue, a liner swap, and a check that the shell is not squeezing your lower leg.
The figure above puts the same skier in a boot with 8 mm of play and in a snug boot. The difference is in how late and how hard the movement arrives. The model does not measure bruising. It shows the timing, which is what a fitter wants to know.
Work from the boot up. Ask your fitter to look at the footbed and the tongue first. Then check that the buckles are not pulling the cuff hard onto your shin. Wear thin, smooth socks, and do not tuck the sock into a ridge.
Many skiers get this early in a season or in the first week in new boots. The liner is still firm and your shin is not used to it. Many skiers find new boots settle in a few days. If they don't, see a fitter.
The model’s first match for this symptom is your boots are letting you move (56% of the evidence). Here is what else it ranks, and how to tell each one apart.
Your centre of mass is behind the middle of your foot, so the tails do most of the work.
How to tell: You feel it mostly on steeper runs and your quads burn too. If the bruise is on the lower shin rather than the upper, look at the boot first.
Model check: In the model, sitting back puts 14% of the load on the tail at the finish and quads average 50% through the turn.
Shin bang is mostly a fit question. Go to the fitter with this page, say what you feel and where, and ask for the footbed first.
Compare skisBruising, tenderness and aching are things to tell a fitter. Sharp pain, swelling, or pain that continues away from skiing is not something a ski model can judge. See a physio.
Pain or injury? This tool is for how skiing feels, not medical advice. See a physio.
Not medical advice. Edge Lab describes how skiing feels and why.
The model above uses a default skier. Add your weight, skis and boots and see your own numbers.
Check your own setup