Before you get your skis mounted READ THIS

NoTeefa

Active member
okay, this is the retarded shop tech proof method of getting your skis mounted where you want them.

First, Measure that shit out yourself, don't ask some retard to measure your two cm. back from true center, cause they are going to fuck it up.

Second, Take a big fat paint pen and draw a line across the ski where you want your midsole to be.

Last, tell the tech that the big fucking paint line across your ski is where you want your midsole to be.

Most likely they will be able to accomplish this task, and if they still fuck it up you are in a much better position to demand that they replace your skis.
 
Let's go logic! It's good to see someone else here realizes sometimes it takes initiative and action on your own part to get things done. Granted it wouldn't be this way in a perfect world, but as we all know we don't live in that utopia. It takes two minutes to mark your skis, and if you do that you'll be sure to get them mounted where you want. Not to mention it makes the tech's job a lot easier because they usually have a ton of skis to mount and you can hardly blame them for not remembering everyone's instructions. Anyways, this is a lot easier to do than complain and get a remount, so I highly recommend marking your own skis.
 
hahaha the skis i had had a black top sheet and i put a big burly white stripe with white out where i wanted mounted (true center). worked fine, dont know how people who have read all the stories dont think about that old quote that everyone knows "if you want somthing done right, then do it yourself"
 
nah I'm not mounting shit right now, probably gonna do some work at the ole ski shop weekends through the holidays though, so I can get my pass for cheap. Otherwise I probably won't be able to ski this winter cause I'm fucking broke.

Yea can we get a sticky on this for a couple weeks, so most people can see it.
 
If you have the time and the shop isn't busy, ask if you can stick around and observe while they mount the skis. That way you can make sure the bindings end up where you want them and you will learn how to mount bindings.
 
That is a fantastic idea!

Now this is gonna sound like a huge JONG question, but i have always had a hard time measuring out true center. I never have anything long enough to measure out true canter. What is the bast way to go about doing this?
 
Better yet, mount the shit yourself.

I'm so sick of the bitching about botched mounts or shops who "refuse" to mount some fucked up duck-footed +15cm configuration. A little time and a few tools and you'll save yourself a lifetime of headaches and wasted money.
 
i just cut a peuc of string that was the same length of the running surface and then folded it in half. worked out really well
 
When I measure my skis I lay them down on a flat suface and put something heavy on them so they have no camber. Then measure from where the tail starts to leave the ground from where the tip leaves the ground. Then devide this number by 2 and you have true center.
 
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I really don't recomend anybody do this, because if a shop fucks up they will most likely replace your shit. If you fuck up you have no recourse and are just plain screwed
 
^^ your way of measuring out true center is no good, first of all especially on rockered skis. they have like 60-100 cm of running edge. secondly, just measure the topsheet from tip to tail and divide by two its exactly the same thing.
 
thats good advice if you already know what you are doing, but I would def recommend the average person NOT just eyeball it, they'll end up with a more fucked up setup than anyone mouting with a jig.
 
I didn't say eyeball it, I said time and tools. Eyeballing is probably better left to the seasoned tech, but there are other ways to mount.

Paper templates?

reusable plastic/plexi/lexan templates drilled to your BSL?

buy an old jig from a shop, ebay, craigslist, local race team, etc? They're out there, you just have to seek them.

make friends with your local shop guy and bring him a sixer once in a while, rather than just flaming him and ragging his ass....
 
Nah his method will work just fine, you will end up a little bit back from true center on most skis, and by a little bit I mean like 1-2 cm. The only time this would be a problem is on a ski like the JP vs Julien because the tail was bigger then the tip, so if you used his method you would end up in front of true center.

What I've always done is just taken a tape measure and had somebody help me hold it flush against the ski to measure how long the ski is. A lot of times this ski is exactly how long they say it is, i.e. a 179 ski might actually measure out to 179 cm this way, so if thats the case you just cut that in half (89.5 cm) then measure from the tail 89.5 cm and make your mark. Then take something that is a 90 degree angle and hold it against the ski to make a straight line across the ski. Then you're finished.
 
I just measured it out myself, had the ski on a flat surface and measured where the tip touches and tail touches, divided in half.

Went to the shop, mentioned twice that I want true center and mentioned exactly where I thought it was, but asked to have it remeasured just incase if it's possible, if not just do it where i thought it was. Worked out fine, they remeasured too. (Same shop that messed up my last pair), just gotta make sure you say "true center."

MOST OF ALL: Call in before, ask if a tech is in, (shops like a ski-market or something will often have some desk person taking in your mount), come in and ask to speak to the tech DIRECTLY, and tell him/her you want true center, they know what that means.
 
Paper templates are actually really difficult to use correctly. Also you have to know which drill bit to use because it varies from ski to ski. You have to posess the correct drill bit as well, they don't sell drill bits for mounting skis in a hardware store ya know. Also you have to know to not over torque the screws when you're screwing them in so you don't strip out the holes and have your bindings rip out while you're skiing on them. And you have to know how to tap the holes without fucking them up.

I really don't reccomend any of you try to mount your own skis if you're not experienced at mounting. Again, if you fuck it up, you're horsefucked and you just wasted a bunch of money on new skis.
 
werd to this. while it's really annoying when they mount you skis wrong and put holes in them that you didn't want I feel bad blaming them and making them give me new skis for an innocent mistake, it only happened to me once and I just had them redo it cause in the grand scheme of things a lot of techs snowboard or dont ride park so stuff like true and core center are easy to confuse. If you do this and mark it yourself it's extremely likely that everyone will be happy, your skis will be mounted correctly and the techs job will be even easier.

 
Let me guess, you work in a shop? Mounting skis is not some ancient Chinese secret or lost art or something. And paper templates are only difficult to decipher if you're rushed, or if you have trouble reading letter and numbers in English. If the average shop monkey can figure it out, so can anybody here.

Yeah, you might have to do a little reading up. Might have to ask someone more knowledgeable than you a few questions. Might have to order a drill bit or two. What are they, ten bucks each? You drill eight holes at a time with them. They're not likely to "wear out" anytime soon. Might have to send Salomon tech support an email asking what bit they recommend for your specific ski. Or better yet, download their shop practices manual in .pdf that comes out every year. Might have to buy a millimeter ruler, a center punch, a bottle of glue. Yeah, you might need to educate yourself a little. Might have to practice on a beater set of thrift store skis before you're comfortable.

But then again I guess it's just easier to make excuses and blame shit on someone else.
 
Voila!

from the stories I've heard here it isn't to bad to do some trial and error, it's not that difficult and once you get it it takes you like +-10min to mount a pair.
 
Mounting your skis yourself is a terrible idea, you need more than just a jig because after every mounting your shop will torque test your bindings to make sure they work properly. For an un-certified person to torque test their own ski is just stupid, you risk serious injury because you don't know what you're doing. Also by the time you've gone ahead and bought a jig and a torque test kit you've already spent way more than it would be to have ashop mount them. DO NOT MOUNT YOUR SKIS YOURSELF.
 
I did work in a shop, I came in thinking I knew a lot only to find out that I really didn't know shit. I guess you haven't figured that out yet.

As for the rest of your post, that's all good advice if you do decide to mount your own skis. My main concern for people trying to mount their own shit is that if they do screw it up, which is likely. They're simply horsefucked, its not like you can warranty your skis because you fucked up mounting them.

I mounted skis for two years and even with my experience I would not mount my skis without the proper equipment because its really not worth the trouble.
 
K2snowman has a genius idea.

If you want to get your stuff mounted true center buy a ski that is symmetrical....mmm good idea eh? There are lots of choices out there on symmetrical skis anyway. Ya I know I'm a smart ass.
 
I've done a few myself by now, never had trouble. You're right about the jig, I mount mine at my shop myself and just get all the equipment I need, in return I stay a loyal custumer and help out if by any chance it's busy while I'm there.

Come on, it's just drilling a few holes at the right places and screwing a screw in it (which I always do by hand). Torque test every binding...???
 
i agree with this...ive mounted my own skis in my shop, and also in my basement, and never had any issues.
 
both of you Gentlemen have experience

do you really think its a good idea for somebody that's never done it before to try and do it without supervision or the correct tools for the job?
 
oh hellno

let me rephrase, thanks chris.

only mount on your own if you have DONE IT PROFESSIONALLY IN A SHOP AND KNOW WHAT YOURE DOING, and HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS.

thank you.
 
Thank you sir.

I just really don't want some young kid that read this thread to think that mounting his own skis is a piece of cake.
 
its definately not easy...one little mistake and youre completely fucked. another rule to go by when mounting...always measure twice, drill once.
 
I dont use a paint pen, it leave a gross mark on your skis.

I take some blue or green painters tape, cut it so its thin, and tape it across where i want them mounted. Next, I take some clear scotch tape, and put it over the painters tape so it doesnt move.

When the mount is done, I just peel it off.
 
Yes while it's a pain in the ass it's extremely important to make sure that the binding releases properly because if it doesn't you're more fucked than if you'd mounted them wrong. Thats why shops need your boots for mounting skis more than anything is for the torque test.
 
so you're saying the average tech is as smart as the average ns'er? I reallllly hope that's not true.
 
No.

I do think that it's a fine idea with minimal/no supervision and the proper amount of experience and the right tools. How much experience is necessary? Depends on the person, the ski, the binding, and who taught them. In other words, it's a learned skill and differs for every person and every instance.

Is mounting simple? Not necessarily, or shops would just do it for free for you. My point is - it's far from rocket science. And if you buy and play around with more skis and mounting configurations than the average recreational skier does, then it's probably worth your time to invest in some tools and spend some time educating yourself. You will save a lot of headaches and money in the long run. That's all.
 
NoTeefa:

"I just really don't want some young kid that read this thread to think that mounting his own skis is a piece of cake."

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Well yeah you're right about that, wasn't thinking about the public I was posting to. So kids, if you want to mount your own bindings for the first times do it together with someone who knows his shit and can help you.

Don't want to be responsible for multiple fractures or fucked up skis ;-)
 
the best advice ever. free ski servicing can be attained this way too. well not free, but a six pack aint that expensive...
 
alrighty so over the summer i got a pair of lizzies and went to get them mounted. i was just mounting them at reccomended. they ended up mounted backward. then took them back in got the mounted the right way, but this time they couldnt even mount at the reccommended line in the ski and mounted 2 or 3 cm back.

it seems that even if there is already a line on the ski you need to mark it yourself even more visibly, and maybe even mark tip and tail. IM STILL FUCKING HEATED ABOUT IT
 
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