You should never attempt to make any adjustments to your bindings unless you are a qualified binding technician.

By Paul Oberin

When selecting a new pair of bindings for your skis, be aware that bindings come in 2 main forms; either the priority is on release or the priority is on retention.

Priority on Release

Let me explain. Bindings that have release as the main priority are aimed at novices and intermediates and are not suitable for ski racers. Bindings like Tyrolia SL110, Marker M5.2, Salomon 711Ps, Rossignol axium and Look nova are good examples of this. They are designed to release in most circumstances preventing injury to the legs and knees.

Priority on Retention

Bindings such as the Salomon 914 series are great examples of retention priority bindings, these are preferred by advanced skiers and racers, (expert racers have special factory bindings that ski shops are not allowed to sell). The main difference is in the toe wings and the heavier springs. The Salomon 914 series have longer wings on the toes, which grip the boot higher where the radius is greater than the other bindings. This means that the boot has to travel much further laterally (sideways) before releasing – at speed on icy snow this is a real plus.

The Turntable Heel

Another great retention device is the turntable heel, (it also has great release features). The turntable heel is the best choice of bindings when safety is a concern. A turntable heel holds the boot down on the back boot lug, as well as laterally at the sides of the heel. By absorbing quite a lot of the lateral forces in the heel, the toes can be set lighter than in a step in heel system without pre releasing. The turntable heel also offers more vertical elasticity than step in heels.

Diagonal Release Heel

Tyrolia offers a diagonal release heel, but it will not release laterally at the heel as many believe. Before it moves laterally, it must first move vertical at least 10mm, which requires quite a bit of force. This force in other step in heels would be enough to release fully, so in my opinion the diagonal heel is of no advantage and should be scrapped as it introduces way to many moving parts to wear out.

Vertical Elasticity

These days all the bindings on the market have some sort of vertical elasticity in the toes. This has been a real improvement in safety, as a lot of falls for novices are a backward twisting fall. In the past this backward fall increased the release pressures to almost double on some bindings such as the early Look and Tyrolia’s.

Carrying the Boot Toe Out

All bindings either carry the boot toe out or rely on an anti friction device under the boot in a set position. Marker have a great system. It is the best I have seen, unlike all the others it carries the boot out, and it doesn’t matter how badly the boot sole is worn or damaged (by walking on bitumen and rocks), and the release pressure is consistently the same. Other bindings at some stage rely on the boot sole sliding laterally on a Teflon pad or a pad that moves under the boot. The Teflon pad eventually breaks and can’t be replaced.

Forward Pressure

All bindings require forward pressure to be applied to the toe by the heel, this pressure allows for a force called ‘Return to Center Force’. This returns the boot back to center after a minor lateral force is applied to the ski. ‘Return to Center Force’ is an important adjustment that is often over looked by the person who fits/adjusts their own bindings at home.

Most good professional shops will check and adjust bindings to boots free of charge, and as boot and bindings wear this is highly recommended – at least once a season.

You should never attempt to make any adjustments to your bindings unless you are a qualified binding technician, for this reason I have not discussed din settings.

There is a lot more to ski bindings than I have mentioned here so please feel free to email me and ask for more detail.

Visit Paul's Web site www.paulski.com.au