DIY tech for kids alpine bindings

As a life long tele skier I don't have lots of alpine binding experience other than knowing everyone always saying you need a ski tech to adjust them.

I've been buying used alpine gear for my kids (8, 6 and 2) - some used rentals from ski shops and some from craigslist. I've been adjusting the bindings for length as they grow and I manually test them to ensure they release. I test toe release in both directions and vertically and do the same with the heel. I also try to get the kids to cause them to release which is sometimes easier said than done. So far so good. To be clear my kids are not budding olympic stars bashing gates or hitting big jumps - we just ski and have fun.

I do have a friend that adjusted his daughter's ski bindings and she did break her leg so things can go badly wrong if the binding is not adjusted correctly.

So, is doing this yourself really stupid? I assume the test equipment in a ski shop ensures that the binding releases at the right din. These bindings are set to din of 1.5 or less.

Are there current or ex-ski techs out there that can give an informed answer? I'm willing to pay if it doing it yourself just is not safe. But I'd like to understand what I'm paying for and if there's a way for me to do this myself safely.

Thanks
Richard

I'll probably get blasted for this, but I've been adjusted my own for years.  You sound like you're on the right track in that you're testing them, not just setting them and forgetting about it, but any advice has to be caveated with a mistake could cause serious injury -- if you're not willing to risk that, pay someone to do it right.

My motivation for adjusting my own bindings comes from my personal belief that the standard DIN settings used in this country are too high.  Unless you're skiing in a no-fall zone, chances are the consequences of a pre-release are less severe than the consequences of  the ski staying on once potentially dangerous forces are reached.  Personally, I like to err on the side of caution.

There are a number of alternative rules for setting bindings that no insurance company will support.  One commonly used one is have a partner hold the ski while you step into it, then set the bindings as high as you can while still being able to remove the ski by yanking your boot out.  While that ensures your binding must release before your leg breaks, if you have a weak leg that will likely result in a binding that releases too early.

I started with that strategy, then slowly raised the DIN only in response to pre-releases.  The interesting result was that not all my skis are set to the same DIN settings.  I teach skiing part time (hold the heckling please) and my teaching skis are set MUCH lower than my park skis.  I can take off teaching skis with a quick twist of the leg, but that is actually a major advantage in teaching beginners.

I remember seeing once that Bode Miller sets his bindings somewhere obscene, like 23.  For a test, they once put pressure sensors on his bindings to determine how much force the bindings took on a run.  He raced a course at full speed, and the sensors measured enough force that the bindings would not have released unless they were set at 4 (or some similarly low number).  Americans use really high binding settings because, well, it's macho.

YMMV, IANAL, CYA.

Richard,

To be on the safe side (preventing your kids from breaking legs as a results of high DIN), take your kid's skis and boots to your local ski shop for setting.

They should have a DIN chart for your kid's binding. Each binding manufacturer has their release setting determined by the Deutsches Institute Fur Normung (DIN). The shop will need your kid's height and weight as well as skiing ability.

It can be done in two or three minutes. If they charge you...I would be really schocked.

If you don't want broken legs....just take'em to a good ski shop that is certified to work on alpine bindings. They'll set the release to the manufacturers settings as dictated by the Deutsches Institute Fur Normung.

Tom

Unfortunately, they often do charge. I think the going rate was $40 when I confronted this issue two years ago. Having been a tech (a looooong time ago) I sought out a DIN chart online (the training manuals are out there as well) and did the work myself.

When I bought longer skis for my kid last year, the shop did the work for close to free and I was happy to pay. I also was lucky to have a great tech do the work in front of me. That was reassuring.

By doing the work myself, I lost the benefit of getting the binding tested using the shop's calibration machine. That may be worth paying for, particularly with older used gear. But we stayed conservative and things worked out. Plus I felt better knowing who did the work. Even if I had paid to have the work done, I bet I would have double checked the settings. Hey, its for my kid right?

Also, low speeds and heavy snow (common for kids learning to ski in the PNW) can defeat a binding's best efforts to release on time. Significant injuries happen pretty regularly this way, even with the DIN setting dead-on. Let's not forget that.

I have always adjusted my own bindings and I've been adjusting my son's bindings as well. I consult a DIN setting chart (like this calculator for example), err on the low side, and tighten the bindings gradually if there is a pre-release problem. So far, so good. A agree with lordhedgie that too-high DIN settings are endemic.

I've never worked in a ski shop, but my brothers have. One thing my brother Carl emphasized was that when you check bindings in a DIN tester, the first release is usually abnormally high. His theory was that bindings get "sticky" and you need to release them frequently to keep them releasing to specifications. (This was years ago, so perhaps bindings have gotten better.)

Most heel pieces are moved through their release motion when you step into them, so this happens automatically when you put your skis on. But toe pieces are not. Carl recommended kicking out of your toe pieces deliberately at the start of every ski day. I try to remember to do this.

Not that I've actually done this, but if you have a torque wrench, it is pretty easy to test the release values of the binding with a little handiwork. Basically you need to cut a hard piece of wood or plastic (cutting board should work) to the shape of the boot sole and anchor a bolt in it where the base of the tibia would be. The max torque values for each DIN setting/ boot sole length combo are published here:
ski.terrymorse.com/imgs/dinbig.jpg