Ski too soft
A ski feels too soft when it bends more than your weight and speed can stand, so it chatters and feels nervous. The model ranks that first for chatter, with a stance too far forward second. A longer or stiffer ski is the usual fix.
glutes working · lower back working
Muscle load
Low, can hold all dayMidHighPeakTick: average through the turn
Tail at the finish
5%
The fix: 8%
Tip at the finish
12%
The fix: 16%
Showing: Your stance. your setup as it is.
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.
A ski has a flex. Under your weight it bends, and a good match bends the right amount. If it is too soft for you, it bends too far and too easily, and the edge loses its grip.
This is a heavier skier's complaint most of the time. A light ski that suits a lighter friend flexes much further under 100 kg, and the same ski can feel fine at 70 kg. It is also true of a skier who skis fast. Speed adds load, and a ski that is fine at a cruise can be soft when you push.
A ski that feels soft can be a ski that is too short, a ski with a worn tune, or you standing too far forward. The model checks the stance case as well. Check these before you replace the ski.
The figure compares your ski with a stiffer one under the same skier. The difference in the bars is small, since the model is showing load and not shake, but it shows which way the load moves.
If you are buying, use your weight and the snow you ski most. A ski that is good for a 70 kg skier is not good for a 100 kg skier of the same ability. Use the ski pages on this site, where the model shows how each ski flexes at your weight.
Most skiers will tell you a ski is too soft before they have checked their stance. If you are sitting back, the tail is loaded, and a good ski will feel soft too. Film a run first.
The model’s first match for this symptom is the ski is underpowered for you (46% of the evidence). Here is what else it ranks, and how to tell each one apart.
Too much weight on the shovels. The tips grab and the tails go light.
How to tell: The tips grab and the tail feels light. Your calves burn. A soft ski feels nervous whatever your stance.
Model check: In the model, that stance leaves just 1% of the load on the tail at the finish, so the tail has little to hold with.
The ski, its tune, or the snow can't hold the angle you're asking for.
How to tell: It only happens on hard or icy snow. On soft snow the same ski feels fine.
Model check: On ice at 40°, 2 of 3 edge zones on the K2 Mindbender 89 Ti slide in the model.
If your stance is good and the tune is fresh, the ski is the limit. Compare a stiffer or longer ski against yours.
Compare skisA ski that is too soft makes you work harder to hold an edge. If you get lasting pain, 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