So... Salomon STH12 problems

T

traylortrash

Active member
So I've had good experiences with sth12s previously and decided to buy some for my new nordicas this year. First day at abay, literally second trick the toe my left ski randomly releases landing switch on this tiny culvert jib and screws my brake. I'm like wtf, so I bend the brake back and keep skiing... A little while later, toe randomly releases again. I took a look at it, and on my right ski I could actually pop right out of the toepiece just by twisting my foot. My din was set plenty high and forward pressure and all was set right, so I went down to the shop and asked for some help, they said that they'd seen it before and I had a defective toepiece and had to get it replaced. So this is no good, but then I was just messing around another rail, land switch, and my non-defective(?) toepiece (left ski) randomly releases again, screwing my brake over again. Bend that one back, day's over....
Spark notes: right toepiece is defective and releases just by twisting my foot, left toepiece (not defective?) releases really randomly on landings as well, messed up both my brakes first day....
So my question is this: has anyone had this problem with sth12s before, and what should I do? It's annoying to have to replace one toepiece, but both of them release ridiculously easily and randomly on landings, why is this happening? DIN and forward pressure is set right. (I'm assuming that the left toepiece isn't defective because I can't twist out of it just standing there...)Some of my friends just said get looks... haha
 
haha alright... does that mean I'd have to have a second set of holes right next to the first set since look probly has a different screw pattern? why do you think both salomon bindings were so sketchy, could they both be messed up, or do they just suck that much normally?
 
dont worry about the holes, they shouldnt be a problem, and with the width of skis nowadays, it really doesnt affect strength at all. ive had skis with like 7-8 mounts right next to each other with no probs. things looked like swiss cheese.

and it was probably an engineering/production problem with a early batch. thats one of the problems with new stuff. Obviously the shop didnt release check the bindings and just mounted them, or they woulda discovered this problem before you did, so they DEF owe you another/dif set, at no cost.
 
i have had the sth 12 and loved it only times i would pop out is when i would overflex the ski carving or landing hard the reason was that the foward lean was too tight and i re addusted and they weree fine
 
The low end STH series is total plasticy crap. STH 16s, 916s, and 920s are the only decently durable bindings they make, and the Z series toepiece (that the STH 12 and 14 both have) is probably the least durable freeski binding since the Reactor.

PX 14s or 12s are probably the safest bet durability wise on the market right now if you don't need a higher din binder.
 
i liked my STH14s until i started hitting big jumps with them. Their forward pressure always gets screwed up, giving you double ejects on like anything corked or inverted. and my brakes snapped off lol
 
on my skis they filled the holes with a black plug type thing so water doesnt get to the core. and i have never had good salomon bindings they always seem like somethings wrong with them. got the griffons last year and they are awesome. i still dont have problems with them. only complaint on cold powder days they squeek.
 
alright so this is absolute fucking bullshit: shop tested them, they tested out right, and they guy told my dad that it wasn't a bad thing that I could twist out of my bindings. Basically they don't believe me that somethings wrong... If theyre messed up could they still test right?
 
So if it isn't a bad thing to be able to twist out of your bindings and they tested right, do I just have to accept that I bought a shitty binding and buy looks? What worries me is that I've skied STH12s before and I definitely didn't have this problem at all... The landings where I blew my brakes weren't sketchy whatsoever, and they were off rails at slow speed, or in the case of the culvert jib ridiculously slow speed... It's hard to describe, but it's like the toe releases completely randomly, sometimes it won't, and sometimes it will with the slightest amount of pressure... Has anyone ever had this exact problem before?
 
sorry for the triple post, but would a good look binding be something like this?http://www.backcountryoutlet.com/outlet/DYN0233/Look-PX-12-Jib-WB-Ski-Binding.html?CMP_ID=SH_FRO002&CMP_SKU=DYN0233&mv_pc=r126
and if I continue to have problems with my Salomons and shop won't take them back, is that my best bet?
 
That really sucks if they won't replace them. Go up the chain of command. Get a manager, someone with power, on the phone from Salomon. Explain that you have owned a pair before and were pleased with the bindings so you bought another pair. This pair is totally different. They should take care of you. It is all about being persistent and talking to the right person.
 
that would be a possibility, except I got my boots last spring, so I don't really think they could be worn down that much... also, these are the 08-09s, random thing I noticed is that the screw to adjust the heel din looks different than other 08-09s I've seen, probably doesn't matter at all though. I'm gonna play around with the dins and such tomorrow and see if I can get to work at least decently well... It seems weird that I would have to raise the dins a lot to get them to perform right, although the skis I have now are longer than the other ones with the sths, which could maybe affect it? worst comes to worst, I can probably just switch out the toepiece from my old skis, since the toepiece clearly seems to be the problem. trying to avoid buying another pair of bindings...
 
Just so ya know the din charts are not designed for people who are sliding rails and going off of jumps. I would suggest that you increase your dins half a setting at a time until you find a point where you are not prereleasing. Salomon bindings are fine, you just need to find a din that suits your needs. Hope this helps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top