Adjusting your ski bindings is essential for safety and performance, ensuring your boot is securely and correctly positioned. A crucial first step involves setting the binding's length to match your ski boot's sole.
Properly fitting your ski boots to your bindings ensures they release when needed and stay on otherwise. While professional fitting is recommended, understanding the basic adjustments is helpful.
Setting Boot Sole Length (BSL)
One common method to adjust the fore and aft position of your binding to fit the boot involves using a simple guide like a piece of paper. This helps align the boot precisely on the binding track.
Here's how the process, as shown in the video reference, often works for setting the initial length adjustment:
- Prepare the Binding: Ensure the binding is mounted on the ski and the adjustable track is free to move.
- Position the Guide: Take a piece of paper or a thin shim.
- Place the Guide on the Plate: Put it on the plate. Here. Place the paper flat on the binding's track where the boot heel or toe will rest.
- Insert the Boot: Then you can just step in with your ski boot. Step into the binding as you normally would, allowing the binding mechanisms to engage with the boot. The paper is now between the boot sole and the binding plate.
- Remove the Guide: And then you can just simply pull the paper out. Once the boot is engaged, carefully pull the paper out from under the boot. This confirms the boot is correctly seated and helps set the proper forward pressure gap, or ensures the binding is positioned correctly relative to the boot length markings.
Note: The specific adjustment mechanism (e.g., lever, screw) for setting the binding length after this step varies by binding model.
Other Key Adjustments
Fitting bindings is more than just setting the length. Other critical adjustments include:
- Forward Pressure: This ensures consistent contact between the boot heel and the binding heel piece. It's a crucial safety setting.
- DIN Setting: This number determines how much force is required for your binding to release. It's based on factors like your weight, height, age, boot sole length, and skiing ability, and should always be set by a qualified technician.
- AFD (Anti-Friction Device): Located on the toe piece, this plate helps the boot slide out smoothly during a release. Its height may need minor adjustment depending on the boot.
While the paper method helps with initial length positioning as seen in the reference, completing the fitting process, especially setting forward pressure and DIN values, requires specific tools and expertise. Always have your bindings inspected and adjusted by a certified ski technician before skiing.
