The answer to "what binding"

DHogg

DHogg

Active member
Ok, so lately I’ve been noticing a ton of threads asking what bindings would suit them the best and as winter gets closer there’s gonna be a ton more, so I thought it’d be a good idea to have a thread which includes some info to your questions when considering binding choices.



Main things to consider when selecting bindings are skier weight, skier ability, binding price, and type of skiing you will be using it for.



There’s a lot of bindings around so I’m going to stick to the more popular ones and the ones i’ve had experience with.



First off, i’m assuming ability rating of II and III here:



10 Din and below bindings: I would recommend a 10 din and under binding for light weight skiers. Even for a skier who is rates themselves as level III ability, if they are under about 120lbs a 10 din might even be a bit much depending on the min setting of the binding. For reference, a din chart estimates a din of 6 (varies slightly depending on a few factors) for a level III skier between 108-125lbs.



12 Din Bindings: I would usually recommend a 12 din binding for people between 145lbs and 170/175lbs or so depending on ability. For most people on here, a 12 din binding would be perfect. If you’re a more cautious skier and don’t go fast, take impact ect you should really go down to a 10 din or below binder. Likewise if your aggressive skier you can go up, but be realistic. Don’t get an 18 din binding because if makes you look cool. You won’t be thinking its cool when you’re getting knee surgery and can’t ski half the winter.



14/15 Din Bindings: I would recommend a 14/15 din binding generally only for people who are 175lbs+ as well as being a pretty aggressive skier. Basically, if you’re not rating yourself as a level III skier and doing big jumps, cliff hucks, and skiing fast ect, you don’t need it and your better off saving your money.



18 + Din bindings: I would only recommend an 18+ din binding for people who are skiing very aggressively and are reasonably heavy. I would normally only recommend something like this for big mtn skiers where you only want your skis to come off in pretty gnarly bails.



All of these recommendations give you some “leeway” of the max din of the binding for the particular weight at a level lll skier. You don’t really want to be within 2 dins of the max. So for a 10 Din binding, you don’t really want to be setting it above about 8, likewise if it starts at 5 you don’t really want to se it too far below 7. So yeah..check the din range first.



10/11 Din er’s:

-Tyrolia Peak 11 (3-11)

-Rossignol freeski 100

-Look PX 10

-Look P10

-Rossi SAS 100

-head Mojo 11

-Rossi SAS2 110



12 Din er’s:

-Marker Griffon

-Look PX 12/Dynastar PX12/ PX12 jib

-Look P12

-Rossignol FKS 120

-Head Mojo/ Tyrolia Peak/ Amplid (all the same)

-Rossignol Axial 120

-Rossignol Axial worldcup 120

-Salomon STH 12

-Rossi SAS 120

-Rossi Axial2 120

-Rossi scratch 120

-Tyrolia freeflex 12

-4frnt deadbolt 12

-Rossi SAS 110



14/15/16s :

-Rossignol FKS 155

-Rossignol freeski 140

-Rossignol freeski 150

-Rossignol Axial 140

-Marker Jester

-Head Mojo 15/Tyrolia Peak 15

-Look PX14/PX15

-Salomon STH 16

-Salomon STH 14

-Salomon S914 Lab

-Tyrolia Freeflex 15

-Rossi SAS2 140

-Rossi SAS2 140 Ti

-4frnt deadbolt 14



18+ :

-Look P18

-Rossignol FKS 185

-Rossignol freeski 180

-Tyrolia Freeflex 18

-Salomon s920

-Salomon S916 (only goes to 16, but I’d put it up there with p18’s ect)

-rossi Freeski 200

-Rossi freeski2 180

-Rossi SAS2 200



Remember, this is a general GUDIELINE ONLY. There are a huge number of factors to consider. I know people who weigh nothing but are hucking off 60 foot cliffs, so they need a high din binding to keep them in. I know just as many people who like to ski on groomers and take it easy so don’t need a high din binding even though they are heavy. Ask yourself how heavy you are, how hard you ski. Where you ski, what you ski, and what ski your putting it on when choosing a binding.





DISCLAIMER: If you don’t know what you’re doing, do everyone a favour and don’t fuck with your dins. Any adjustments you make are at your own risk. Most shops will check your bindings and set dins for nothing, yes for FREE. So let them do it. Why put yourself in risk you don’t need to.



Why are my skis still pre-releasing? There set at like 16 and I weigh 150lbs !!!??????

A lot of people crank up their dins because there skis keep coming off when in reality, there forward pressures set wrong which just increases knee injury as you need so much force to get the ski off in slower crashes. Bottom line: Go to a store to have it checked out.



I know i haven't covered everything or listed all the binding so feel free to ad. We could maybe make it some kind of binding database.

-Dave
 
Oh and binding weights courtesy to "kpudgar" and "TwigSki"

Look P12/Rossi FKS120............ - 1050 g (2.32 lbs)

Look P18/Rossi FKS185............ - 1235 g (2.72 lbs)

Look PX12 Ti/Rossi Scratch 120... - 1190 g (2.62 lbs)

Look PX14 Ti/Rossi Scratch 140... - 1210 g (2.67 lbs)

Look PX12 Lifter................. - 1260 g (2.78 lbs)

Look PX12 Ti Lifter.............. - 1275 g (2.81 lbs)

Look PX12 Jib.................... - 1280 g (2.82 lbs)

Look PX12 Ti Lifter Wide......... - 1290 g (2.84 lbs)

Look PX12 Ti Jib Wide............ - 1300 g (2.87 lbs)

Look PX14 Ti Lifter.............. - 1300 g (2.87 lbs)

Salomon z12 Ti/Atomic FFG12...... - 846 g (1.87 lbs)

Salomon s912 Ti.................. - 998 g (2.20 lbs)

Atomic FFG14..................... - 1085 g (2.39 lbs)

Salomon s914..................... - 1175 g (2.59 lbs)

Salomon s916..................... - 1460 g (3.22 lbs)

Salomon Sth 12....................- 1015 g (2.24 lbs)

Salomon Sth 14....................- 1025 g (2.26 lbs)

Salomon Sth 14 Driver............ - 1060g (2.34 lbs)

Salomon Sth 16.................- 1161 g (2.56 lbs)

4frnt Deadbolt 412............... - 1200 g (2.65 lbs)

4frnt Deadbolt 614............... - 1225 g (2.70 lbs)

Tyrolia MOJO 15.................. - 1185 g (2.61 lbs)

Marker Griffon.............. - 950 g (2.09 lbs)

Marker Jester................ - 1000 g (2.20 lbs)
 
should be. enough people make threads asking "which bindings?" so maybe if this is on the front page it will cut down the clutter. +k for sure
 
Ok so i weigh 145 and when i get my skis mounted i put level III+ and the highest the shop will put them is at like 6 or 7. i usually turn them up to 10 should i do that or not?
 
Depending on your BSL, the din chart i've got would put you at an 8.5 for type III+ (7 for type III) which i would say should be ok. Try that for a start, if your still coming out and your forward pressures correct ask them to put it up a bit, but i don't think you should need to granted your forward pressure is correct. 8.5 is high for someone whos 145lbs
 
And when i say this i mean take it to a shop, don't do it yourself. You shouldn't need a 10 din.

^ I don't really see it as a liability as i haven't said anything about dins (for that very reason), i've merely suggested some good bindings for different skiers, and if you need high din bindings.
 
Great thread! I think it's ridiculous to see every other average skier out there spending hundreds of dollars on 16 DIN bindings when a 12 would be plenty sufficient. Also think it's funny when people make such a big deal on the weight of the bindings. A third of a pound is BABY SHIT. If you can notice that, then you must be able to feel a bee fart too. Don't kid yourself.
 
Good thread, and I don't see it as a liability in any way personally. He is not setting the DINs himself, he is merely explaining things a bit and giving suggestions.
 
It is a pretty common thing that I've always believed to be true as well. Do you have any info that refutes this?
 
2 things1st it's sometimes good to have a binding that goes up higher than you need. (You can always turn them down) And having a ski come off at the wrong time is no fun.2ndIf you're an aggressive skier buy a higher din binding. There really should be a level IV after level III because the people who used too be "experts" have much different demands for their bindings than people do now. (just think about what your dad needs compared to you. Chances are, he's not hitting rails or doing taps or spinning off jumps.)
Oh and just fyi racers have bindings that go up to at least 21.
 
Yes. Every tech manual from any company says so. I dont really agree with it myself, i wouldnt get that close to the end with my stuff. It really was for the older stuff, when the springs werent as consistent under maximum load. Stuff now adays is 'supposed' to be fine, but ive tested certain things and they dont always release consistently and the max DIN or close to it.
 
There is a level 4, its called III+. Its the same adjustment range and one step about III, why they dont call it IV is beyond me.
 
Yeah well as i said in the OP, im assuming level II and III here. Anyone in III+ should go higher. My bands should put you somewhere in the middle of the din range. Quite a few bindings above 12 dins start pretty high so thats why i suggested getting a lower din one where you will be in the middle as opposed to on each end.
 
The only binding that goes past 20 was the marker m30.0. They dont make it anymore because its outrageous. Nowadays 18-20 would be the max, even for a race binding.
 
Testing bindings at or past the upper limit, using bindings at the upper limit.

At the ends of the scale the DIN indicator might be less accurate, that's all. So a 12 DIN set at 12 might actually release like 11.5 or 12.5. Your required DIN isn't an exact science anyway; if you're setting them that high then you're not reading from a chart, you're going by retention/release as you use them.
 
good guide
here's a picture on how to adjust forward pressure on turntables
it's a very loose indicator on turntables but try to get it as close as possible. by turning the wormscrews on either side of the dildo heelpiece you want to get it so that when you click the boot in, the back of the white tab (part that faces tail of the ski) lines up with the 2 black notches on the baseplate assembly (circled)
this picture shows what direction the tab needs to go so that it will be correctly adjusted
KEEP IN MIND when you adjust with the boot in, take it out and then click it in again to get the real setting, it will often change
IMG_3500.jpg

as he said, sometimes your binding will release with din at 30 if the forward pressure is set wrong, that's the #1 concern, if you don't know how to do it, take it to the shop
 
also, hopefully people will read this when asking about where to mount:
FIRST OFF- almost every single ski has a line on it that was drawn by the designers of that ski. the point is called recommended. there is a reason they put that on the ski...meaning that line is where the manufacturer feels the ski rides best and it's where they suggest you put your bindings. companies are starting to put 2 lines sometimes, one further back at a more traditional mount and one at a more progressive mount, this mainly occurs on park skis or those goofy curved up tip skis that kids ride these days....
now people often stray from that which is perfectly understandable and often the better move. there are way too many threads all asking the same thing with the same info, and the answers should normally be the same
first off, clarification: true center- when you simply measure the ski and cut it directly in half, that's all there is to itcore center- the point in a ski where the core is the thickest, so if you were to measure the sidewall height it would be the thickest pointrecommended- explained above*all suggested movements must be specified if they're relative to true center or recommended, but movements are always in centimeters*
Powder: if said ski is for 100% pow, going forwards the whole time, you're gonna want to mount at company recommended for a pow ski, which will be around -7ish from true center. this gives the best float by having more tip than there is tail
Powder jibbing: if you like buttering off pillows and playing around in pow, you might want to consider mounting at something like -3 from true center, or, if you're riding switch a lot, go directly at center. this will make them more fun going switch and in the air but they will float much worse. it's better to do this with skis like ep's or hellbents that have a ton of rocker to compensate for the more modern mount
All mtn: groomer riding, some trees, some bumps, no park, i'd suggest recommended as well for an all mtn ski
50/50: mix between park and all mtn, general consensus is -2.5cm from true center. this puts you far enough in the center for park and switch riding and also far enough back to have them perform decently on groomers and all mtn riding
Park: most people ride at true center, -1 from true, or sometimes even +1. a symmetrical ski will ride great at center but some skis are a bit funky when you mount them dead center, hence why some people go a bit forward and some a bit back
Touring: I would strongly recommend not mounting a ski with touring bindings close to center. dukes push you back a bit when you put them into touring mode so you can get away with a few cm's above recommended if you feel the need
now a there're tons of categories that fall in between those, so use them as guidelines
in the same way that there is not one ski to do it all perfectly, there isn't one mounting position that works perfectly for absolutely everything, so we make compromises. try to think about what would best suit what you need to use it for
the further back you go towards recommended, the better they will be in pow and on groomers but the worse in park and in the air and vice versa...there's a reason race skis aren't mounted at true center...
some skis have special exceptions, for instance i've heard bad things about JJ's being mounted in front of or behind recommended. with such a short sidecut it really throws off the dims if you move around the bindings. although, some people who just use them for jibbing have put them further up, so do your homework and read up before you make new threads. also symmetrical skis are meant to be mounted at true center
hope that helped a little, please fill in places where i fucked up
 
The problems with the JJs for years was the fact that 90% of the lines on the skis were marked incorrectly or differed from left to right ski. I know mine were off by quite a bit and were 1cm different between skis.
 
im talking about the 09 JJ's, the lines are at -5 from true center
but he brings up a good point, it's always good to find true center or find a measurement from the tail just to make sure the lines are right
i had a pair of bluehouses and the lines were 5cm's apart between the 2 skis
also always draw a nice sharpie line on your skis to avoid confusion on mounting point. bottom line, if the tech mounts your skis in the wrong place and you didn't draw the line, it's YOUR FAULT
 
marker jesters are the best binding iv ever skied! every time i pop um on they rock my socks. also for a din of 16 they are pretty light even in comparison to the smaller griffon.
 
this thread is a bad idea period. pretty much in the same class as the "what should i set my din at?" questions.

take it down

 
Good info, but everyone should know that binding choice isn't an exact science so take everything here with a grain of salt..

If you ACTUALLY need something over a 12 DIN then you shouldn't even need this thread as a reference.

 
i have look p18.

it is said that if you buy a smaller boot you can adjust them anywhere between 1cm.

is that true and if so how do you do that?
 
1cm total adjustment range. So 5mm bigger or smaller. If you change your boot's shell size you need to remount.
 
not really relevant ^ a good bindings is good on any ski. hence why some many people use race bindings on 130mm waisted skis
 
i just bought a pair of marker 11.0 free bindings and then read all the horror stories on here about these bindings releasing early or even when u dont fall and im wondering if there is a way i can keep them from doing this when i get them mounted besides cranking up the din because i ski 50/50 park/ allmountain and i like my knees. thanks

 
no one really knows. I'm guessing cost. The new ones look like they would be cheaper to make as all parts interchangeable ect.

Coming back in limited #'s this year though
 
ya thats a good point actually.
i dont think this thread is a major problem other than it making people feel like they know what they need/are talking about.
working on your own bindings isnt a bad idea. IF (and this is a HUGE if) you are competent and know what you are doing. you can get certified but these days the tests are a joke at best. the best thing to do is take it into a competent shop that knows their shit and get them to do all the dirty work for ya.

and embraced thats crazy that the majority is all off. good to know.
 
I heard rossi quit when too many people were early ejecting. That may have been a rumor though since a lot of people really liked the pivot. The ones I had should have been recalled. A lot of the times when I was stepping in, it would turn slightly with out me realizing it and it would bend the plastic down. I Had to get them repaired 3 times over the course of a season. So annoying.

I had someone offer to buy them off me though even after being 5 seasons old after they quit making them.
 
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