BINDING
LOCATIONS
Mounting a nordic or alpine ski biding 2-3cm off can turn a good
ski into a dog. On alpine skis, use the manufacturers' guidlines.
AIR BLAST
I use a can of compressed air to clean off the small files in my bevel tool,
as well as blow shavings out of freshly-drilled binding holes.
- Noah Sachs
REMOUNTING BINDINGS
I’m remounting new bindings on a pair of my skis...they have the same hole
pattern as the original bindings. Will it be okay to simply install the
new bindings in the old holes, or should I fill the old holes and remount
a few centimeters back? I don’t want the screws coming loose since I’m 175
lbs and ski freestyle/terrain park.
- Lorne C.
Unless the original screw holes are stripped or damaged, we’d recommend
using them again. If one or two holes are damaged, and your ski has a core
(such as wood) that’s compatible with epoxy, you could always make up a
small mixture of steel wool and epoxy, put it in the damaged screw holes,
then install the bindings. Otherwise you could use helicoils or screw hole
inserts for these damaged holes.
We’d also recommend that you only redrill all new holes a few centimeters
back from the original holes as a last resort, since too many holes in the
topskin can ‘perforate’ and sometimes structurally weaken a ski...and moving
the binding location back could also change ski performance characteristics
somewhat, as well.
TAPPING BINDING SCREW HOLES
On my Volant (metal topskin) skis, I’ve had trouble getting binding screws
to hold well, and recently had a separation problem between the internal
mounting plate (near the ski core) and metal topskin. I’m not sure if this
was due to moisture getting into the screw hole, or internal pressure created
by the screw somehow pressing down against the internal mounting plate.
How can I avoid this?
- Lee Merkhofer
Always tap binding screw holes before mounting bindings on any skis with
a metal topskin or internal layers. Use a #12AB tap (our item #UBT-21916)
after drilling the holes with a 4.1 x 9.5mm drill bit (item #SPK-DB49).
This will insure that binding screws thread in smoothly through the metal
sheets and internal mounting plates, without creating unwanted downward
pressure or delaminations. Also, use a good vinyl-base binding screw glue
(item #HOL-20475) to guarantee that all screw seals are watertight...as
well as help lubricate screws during installation so they thread in smoothly
and snug as a bug.
BINDING
TORX WRENCH
I have some new Marker bindings on my Volkl skis. The bindings are attached
to the skis by a pair of bolts that pass through the ski rails and the bindings.
The bolts appear to require a star head-type allen wrench. Do you know what
size and type wrench this is, and where to get one?
- Gary Weatherly
The wrench that fits these (and some other ski/binding combos) is usually
a Torx wrench...size T20 (2.5mm)...and can be purchased in most hardware or
auto parts stores.
FIXING BASE DIMPLES
When
mounting my bindings, I accidentally drilled one binding screw hole a little
too deep. The drill bit didn’t go all the way through the p-tex base of the
ski, but did raise a pinhead-size protrusion (dimple) in my base. What should
I do to fix this?
-Robert Floro, Sydney, Australia
Well first off, Robert, rest easy...this is not an especially uncommon occurrence,
even in ski shops. As long as the surface of the p-tex base is unbroken, you
can simply push this dimple back in. Crude as it sounds, we just hold the
rounded head of a ball peen hammer against the dimple, then gently tap the
opposite end of this ball peen head with another hammer until the dimple is
pushed back in.
If you had drilled all the way through, you could repair it by injecting a
tiny bead of epoxy glue just inside the bottom of the hole, then top this
off with some metal-grip repair material. Afterwards, you can restructure
the base if appearances are important and you want everything to blend together...altho
the surface area affected by these mishaps is usually so small that restructuring
probably won’t affect performance.
CONCERNS
In the beginning there were simple under-binding lifters like Derbyflex. They
increased your leverage on a ski and made turning easier. Then came shaped
skis, and skiers found that lift plates made carving deep trenches on super-sidecuts
easier than ever. But too much height has also brought about some problems.
One is that stacking plates reduces the effectiveness of standard ski brakes,
which just aren't long enough to dig in the snow to stop a runaway ski. Make
sure you get longer brake arms if you're stacking these puppies high. Secondly,
although lifts make it easier to turn, they also amplify mistakes...catch
an outside edge accidentally and you increase your chances of rocketing into
another skier or off-slope into the trees. Yes, it's true that World Cup racers
can use lifts and plates to stack up to 55mm above the snow, but remember
that these are athletes in top physical condition who can respond with lightning
speed to correct mistakes that most of us mere mortals can't. Stack responsibly
and ski within your limits for everyone's safety.
STUBBORN SCREW REMOVAL
If you encounter a stubborn screw while removing ski or snowboard bindings,
and suspect that glue or epoxy was used when the screw was installed, try
using a little heat to help "unstick" it. One way is to heat the screw for
a few moments using the tip of a soldering pencil or small base repair iron.
Another way is to take your trusty electric drill with a dull old drill bit
(that's small enough to fit inside the pozidrive flutes in the screw head)
and use it with light pressure (no metal shavings should appear) to lightly
"drill" the center of the screw head until it warms up (maybe 15 seconds?).
At this point, the glue or epoxy should soften enough to let you remove the
screw easily with a screwdriver.
-Robert Hills, Hudson, NY
SWISS CHEESE SKIS
Q. How many times can I plug old holes and drill new ones in order to mount new
ski
bindings?
-Dan Servetas, Loudonville, NY
A.Ah, the famous perforation (or swiss cheese) question! Well, as you no
doubt can
appreciate, the more holes you drill in a ski, the more you perforate and
therefore weaken
it. This means the ski may break more easily in these drilled-out areas...especially
if you’re
skiing hard, pounding through moguls or landing lotsa big air hucks.
We recommend that you plug old holes with plastic hole plugs. This will help
keep out
water and lend some structural strength, but not as much as the ski material
you originally
drilled out.
So the answer really is this...there’s no way to say how many holes
your ski can handle,
but the less holes, the better.
BINDING COVERS
Makeshift binding covers (to protect bindings during transport on
cartop racks) can be made from the sleeves of an old nylon warm-up jacket.
Just cut off each sleeve, slide one over each ski binding, and secure the
loose ends with a shoe lace or strong rubber band.
-John Yozallinas, Hatboro, PA
Telemark Ski Bindings
MOUNTING TELEMARK
BINDINGS
Telemark skis are looking more and more like alpine skis these days
in terms of width and sidecut. When mounting freeheel pin and/or cable bindings,
use a 3.5mm drill bit for most skis, or a 4.1mm bit (followed by tapping)
if the ski has a hidden top metal sheet. Use glue in binding holes to prevent
any potential damage to ski core materials. Add a 5/16" (8mm) or thicker lift
plate under the binding and heel pad to give your boot more clearance above
the snow and help prevent losing an edge ("boot-out") on steep slopes... but
make sure all mounting screws are long enough to handle this extra height.
In a telemark turn, the trailing ski sits against the slope at a greater angle,
increasing the chance of losing an edge...hence the advantage of using binding
lifts.
MACHINE THREADED SKI BINDING INSERTS
In a departure from using tradional wood-thread
screws, K2 is putting snowboard-style (machine-thread) inserts in their telemark
skis as of 2003. Bindings are mounted using a 3mm hex wrench (available at
most hardware or auto parts stondings res) for the special (M5 x .8 x 16)
countersunk screws. The mounting plate has a 4-hole pattern for BD and G3
Targa bindings...plus K2 is offering a shim that adapts to handle nordic 3-hole
patterns for Voile, Riva and Rottefella bindings. This shim also has a slot
in the rear that accommodates Dynafit ski crampons.
Line is doing the same on their alpine skis, but use screws with a pozidrive
head instead.
STUCK SCREWS
Some binding screws really resist being unscrewed from skis...especially if
they were installed using epoxy glue. To make this job easier, use your base
repair iron to heat the head of the screw just a bit...this will often suffice
to slightly melt the old epoxy and let you remove the screw.
-Suren Holbeck, Hayfork, CA
TELEMARK
GEAR TIPS
Telemark ski bindings frequently ice up under the ball of your foot. To help
prevent this, apply clear or brown plastic packaging tape to the binding and/or
any other surface underfoot. The tape is slick enough to prevent snow from
adhering, and will last 20 or more days.
-Marcus Shell, Whistler, B.C., Canada
TELE SKI SWEET SPOT
Rottefella offers an underbinding plate called the Tele-Spacer, which allows
telemark skiers to adjust the position of their bindings in order to better
locate the ‘sweet spot’ on the ski. A track lets you move the binding about
25mm back and forth, offering multiple binding locations without having to
drill extra mounting holes.
As a general rule...moving bindings forward usually makes turn initiation
easier, but can affect soft snow flotation. Moving bindings back usually makes
turn initiation harder, but can allow a more effective carve.
FIXING
BASE DIMPLES
When
mounting my bindings, I accidentally drilled one binding screw hole a little
too deep. The drill bit didn’t go all the way through the p-tex base of the
ski, but did raise a pinhead-size protrusion (dimple) in my base. What should
I do to fix this?
-Robert Floro, Sydney, Australia
Well first off, Robert, rest easy...this is not an especially uncommon occurrence,
even in ski shops. As long as the surface of the p-tex base is unbroken, you
can simply push this dimple back in. Crude as it sounds, we just hold the
rounded head of a ball peen hammer against the dimple, then gently tap the
opposite end of this ball peen head with another hammer until the dimple is
pushed back in.
If you had drilled all the way through, you could repair it by injecting a
tiny bead of epoxy glue just inside the bottom of the hole, then top this
off with some metal-grip repair material. Afterwards, you can restructure
the base if appearances are important and you want everything to blend together...altho
the surface area affected by these mishaps is usually so small that restructuring
probably won’t affect performance.
Snowboard Bindings
LOOSE SCREWS
If you have snowboard binding screws that keep coming loose, put a touch of
fingernail polish on their threads to create a better bond.
- Philip Engel, email submission
GETTIN'
WIRED
When snowboarding, there are just so many nuts and bolts that love to break
loose on your bindings at critical moments. For a good sturdy quick fix, keep
some lift ticket wire wickets in your pocket...they bend into any shape to
fix and hold together those bindings.
SHOP
SURGERY
To help prevent T-nuts from spinning during installation, cut a cross-hatch
pattern on the bottom of the T-nut with the tang end of a file. This will
help epoxy stick and hold it securely for stronger spin resistance. Or file
off two sides of the round insert to create epoxy reservoirs on either side...this
can also help. When repairing a blown-out edge section on your ski or snowboard,
set the replacement or repaired edge in place using super glue before putting
in edge screws. This will bond it securely in place in a fraction of the time
it takes epoxy to set up, and let you put in screws without a fight. You'll
also find that super glue will make short work of installing p-tex base patches
as well.
-Chris Walsh, Boise, ID
SNOWBOARD
DRILL MARKS
If your snowboard isn't correctly pre-drilled for the bindings you want to
use, clamp the binding with spring or c-clamps temporarily on the board exactly
where you want to mount it. Then take a transfer punch that matches the binding
hole diameter (available at a machine supply house) and mark where each hole
should be drilled. Remove bindings, drill holes, and then install bindings...the
holes should all be perfectly aligned.
-P C Chapman, Rochester, NY
TAPE TIP
To help keep snowboard binding screws from loosening, stick some double-sided
tape to the bottom of the bindings before screwing them to your board...the
extra adhesive can help keep the binding from shifting around and loosening
screws prematurely.
-Harold Fantel, McCloud, CA
ELBOW RELIEF
Most riders carry their snowboards by tucking their elbow inside their
front binding. To eliminate pressure on your elbow from this, secure a piece
of soft foam to where your arm meets the binding...this is especially helpful
if you're lugging your board up the halfpipe time and again.
-Dan Drazen, Portland, OR
BINDING & BOOT WEAR
To help prevent binding straps from rubbing and causing wear on soft snowboard
boots, I take old mountain-bike inner tubes, cut them into 5-6" long pieces,
and split these down the middle. Then I glue and sew them on the outside of
the boots all the way around the heels, and near the big and little toe. These
rubber patches don't wear quickly and are waterproof, too.
-Greg Olson, Olympia Fields, IL
T-NUT TIP
Loose and spinning t-nuts in snowboards are only slightly more annoying than
trying to find those 6mm screws to fit them. For an American fix, visit your
local hardware store for 1/4" t-nuts (20 thread) and a variety of the same
thread size stainless steel cap screws. Use a 3/4" wood bore drill bit and
carefully drill just far enough into the base so the t-nut face sits flush
with the snowboard base when installed, or a little farther if you'll be covering
the nut face with a p-tex plug or graphite/epoxy mix later. If your board
has a metal plate inside, you may need to shorten the sharp prongs on the
T-nut plate with snips or a file so they don't hit it, but keep 'em sharp
enough to penetrate into the core as much as possible. Epoxy and tap the t-nut
into place with a rubber mallet or similar so the prongs sink in. Once the
epoxy has set up, install the bindings and crank down the screws...no spinning,
no stripped threads, and parts are only as far away as your hardware store.
And if you need to shorten a screw...first thread on a regular nut before
cutting, then cut the screw to length. File off any resulting sharp edges,
then work the nut off and on a few times to chase the threads clean.
-Jay Allan, Kodiak, AK
LOOSE SCREWS
Have you ever had a bolt or nut fall off your snowboard binding on the slope?
The perfect place to carry spares is in any unused holes on the binding straps.
You can't fall on them there and hurt yourself and you know they will be there
when you need them.
-Steven Thair, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
denotes a good basic starter tool