How much beating can bindings take

[koreshot]

At what point do you say, ok, I need new bindings cause I don't trust the ones I have any more.

I have a nice set of Rossi/Look Axiam 14 din race bindings - at least nice when I bought them back in 2002. Since then they have seen about 100 days on the snow, which with my skiing skill translates to about 300 double ejections. I ran them at about 10din and turned them down over to zero for 5 months out of the year during the summer.

They have surface scuffs, but other than this one time when the front toe piece completely rotated 90 degrees during a fall (had to twist for it to pop back in to the groove) they have been flawless. Next to no pre-releases and very strong hold even at 10din (I am over 200lbs).

I have a pair of new skis that i paid mucho dollars for that will last 60-80 days easy on the hill... do you think its worth mounting these bindings or should I just find new ones? I would rather not drill twice, just put something that will last 80 ski days on.

 

[Greg]

I ran them at about 10din and turned them down over to zero for 5 months out of the year during the summer.

I've never heard of doing this. Is this good practice?

 

[koreshot]

I've never heard of doing this. Is this good practice?

Not that I am a gear and binding expert but I am pretty sure this is good practice for keeping DIN settings accurate... helping the springs or whatever provides the binding tension uncompress and return closer to their natural shape, but what do i know

 

[SkiDog]

I ran them at about 10din and turned them down over to zero for 5 months out of the year during the summer.

I too have never heard of this..well thats not true..I have heard of "home tuners" doing this..but have never been told by the shop or tuner friends that own shops to do so in the "off season". In all my years of skiing and various bindings, I have never done this and have still not had a failure. Knock wood...

If this is "standard" practice what then say you of the european instructors that may ski "year round"?

Just wondering..im sure there will be a MULTITUDE of reason why and why not to do this...I have just never been informed of this by a "ski shop".

M

 

[koreshot]

Who knows. If it does make a difference, it is probably small. I don't think not turning them down would result in any kind of failure; if anything, its the accuracy of the DIN setting that might change where in order to get a true 10DIN you might have to go up to 10.5 or 11. Even this, I am not sure about.

Anyhow, the bigger question still remains - should I mount these bindings on the new pair of skis... are they expected to last another 80 ski days?

 

[SkiDog]

Who knows. If it does make a difference, it is probably small. I don't think not turning them down would result in any kind of failure; if anything, its the accuracy of the DIN setting that might change where in order to get a true 10DIN you might have to go up to 10.5 or 11. Even this, I am not sure about.

Anyhow, the bigger question still remains - should I mount these bindings on the new pair of skis... are they expected to last another 80 ski days?

If youre happy with the performance of the binding...then mount em..I have bindings that are 15+ years old and still go strong....will certianly save you a couple hundred bucks..

M

 

[JimG.]

I too have never heard of this..well thats not true..I have heard of "home tuners" doing this..but have never been told by the shop or tuner friends that own shops to do so in the "off season". In all my years of skiing and various bindings, I have never done this and have still not had a failure. Knock wood...

If this is "standard" practice what then say you of the european instructors that may ski "year round"?

Just wondering..im sure there will be a MULTITUDE of reason why and why not to do this...I have just never been informed of this by a "ski shop".

M

Silly Dog...of course the ski shop won't tell you that. They want to sell you new bindings EVERY year.

 

[salida]

I tune my bindings down during the off season (which this year just started last week) to save the springs and keep them at a predictable setting when I crank them back up...

 

[SkiDog]

Silly Dog...of course the ski shop won't tell you that. They want to sell you new bindings EVERY year.

Na I have close friends that own shops....never have they even said anything...and I dont buy anything until its broken..HA

;-)


Also ive never had a shop "push" new bindings based on "oh you dont turn those down at the end of the season? You BETTER replace those"...

M

 

[salida]

I would think a binding only 100 days old would still be good... however without seeing them its a hard judgement call.

 

[koreshot]

Thanks for the replies guys. I think I will go ahead and mount them on the skis. They are Rossi 140 comp race model so I will hope that there is a lot more life in them. I already have a ghetto brake setup for them that will work - the stock brakes don't clear anything over 80mm wide under foot - the skis I will be mounting are 100mm

 

[salida]

Koreshot what kind of skis did you get?

 

[Hawkshot99]

Thanks for the replies guys. I think I will go ahead and mount them on the skis. They are Rossi 140 comp race model so I will hope that there is a lot more life in them. I already have a ghetto brake setup for them that will work - the stock brakes don't clear anything over 80mm wide under foot - the skis I will be mounting are 100mm

You can get a wide brake setup real cheap.

I have the 120's wide brake on my Public Enemys and they clean by a whole lot.

 

[koreshot]

Koreshot what kind of skis did you get?

Bro Model, 188 Soft. If you hang out on TGR forums at all, I probably don't have to any further explaining what these are

I think even in Soft form they might be a bit over my skill level but I felt like it was important to support Pat and team and it also makes meeting fellow TGR maggots more likely on the hill.

 

[roark]

Bro Model, 188 Soft. If you hang out on TGR forums at all, I probably don't have to any further explaining what these are

I think even in Soft form they might be a bit over my skill level but I felt like it was important to support Pat and team and it also makes meeting fellow TGR maggots more likely on the hill.

I'm definitely intrugued by the Bros but can't see using them for east coast lift serviced skiing. On my radar I were going for an AT setup...

Definately cool to see a company like PMGear getting the attention they are getting.

 

[koreshot]

I'm definitely intrugued by the Bros but can't see using them for east coast lift serviced skiing. On my radar I were going for an AT setup...

Definately cool to see a company like PMGear getting the attention they are getting.

Thats what I always thought, but then I spent a few days at Jay skiing with someone on Stiff Bros. Granted he is a very good skier, he was killing it all over the mountain. And when we fould some pow stashes he floated the entire way while i was scraping the bottom. He recommended them saying that they really force you to become a better skier because they do punish you for making lazy turns.

I bought these skis as an east coast powder ski (that one day a year i get to ski powder on the east coast) and an every day west coast ski. I usually get a week or two in out west and from what I have heard, the Bros are a perfect west resort ski. They do everything well.

 

[SkiDog]

from what I have heard, the Bros are a perfect west resort ski. They do everything well.

Totally not knocking these skis at all...I just find that EVERY company is saying the same thing...

"this ski does it all"

"great in the pow..and equally as good on the hardpack"....

"true all mountain ski"...

I like what I ride now...so im not changing...I dont get out west more than a couple weeks a year myself, so the GUNS are more than plenty...

I need to work on a new BC setup though...this year..promise.. ;-)

M

 

[awf170]

Thats what I always thought, but then I spent a few days at Jay skiing with someone on Stiff Bros. Granted he is a very good skier, he was killing it all over the mountain. And when we fould some pow stashes he floated the entire way while i was scraping the bottom. He recommended them saying that they really force you to become a better skier because they do punish you for making lazy turns.

I bought these skis as an east coast powder ski (that one day a year i get to ski powder on the east coast) and an every day west coast ski. I usually get a week or two in out west and from what I have heard, the Bros are a perfect west resort ski. They do everything well.

Are you Vano? What happened, forgot your password?

 

[koreshot]

Are you Vano? What happened, forgot your password?

yeah, thats me. vano is dead to me. though i go by vano on TGR - thats what i get for mix and matching my passwords i guess.

 

[koreshot]

Totally not knocking these skis at all...I just find that EVERY company is saying the same thing...

And thats where the difference is I guess. Its not the company saying that the Bros are good everywhere. Its some of the best skiers in the world who are not sponsored or paid by PM Gear taking these skis out on the hill and loving them and reporting back.

The Bros are not made in china is a plus. The wood core is not only very strong, it also doesn't lose its properties as quickly as a foam ski would. Bros are extremely light so many use them as an AT setup. Not knocking the Guns or any other more mainstream ski - I am not one of those custom skis only snobs - but there is something extra that the Bros have over the standard high perf ski, even if it is completely subjective.

I bought these skis primarily to support the little guys, not because I felt like the ski industry couldn't offer a ski that was good enough for me or because the Bros were the best choice for east coast skiing. I am sure a good skier on K-Mart snowschool rental gear would wipe the slopes with my ass whether im on the Bros or not.