Jr. Racing Equipment

Question
My 11 year old racer is 5' and about 95 lbs.  We recently purchased her a new pair of (older model) volkl p50 136 SL skis that came with Marker m700 bindings.

The skis came without any race plate.  Her GS skis do have a race plate and the bindings sit higher than appears on these volkl slalom skis.  The guy at the store said that the marker binding has enough lift (although it's not advertised as a "lifter" binding), and because you don't need quite as much lift on the slalom (because of the quicker turns) we shouldn't bother with a race plate.  Do you think this is the right advice?

Thanks.

Answer
Dear Helen -

Without seeing the ski/binding combination, I cannot guarantee that the advice you got is correct.  However, everything you were told is true.  Marker binding platforms stand higher than the average non-race plate binding.  Further, because of how a slalom race is skied, the race plate is not as critical.  

I would recommend, if the bindings are already mounted on the skis, and fit your racer's boots, that you leave the system as it is and let her ski the skis.  If she is comfortable with them as configured, let her race them, in some open fun races.  If she continues to feel comfortable, and is not late initiating her turns, then you have a good system.  

Your daughter needs to be an aggressive skier for her size to ski those Volkls.  I am not trying to discourage you, as I am a small skier, and love Volkls.  They are not a ski that allows you to be a lazy skier though.  So your daughter must be on top of her game, with the equipment she now has.

Best of luck to both of you.  I hope you have a great race season!