Bindings 101: What Are Your Questions?

[Doug Briggs]

I don't intend to put a plate on that ski....I would have bought something different if I had the type of skiing in mind where I would want/need it. Just wondering if the free-flex by itself was a viable choice for a narrower groomer ski. Not a lot of choices available when you're looking for a brake narrower than 90mm

The FreeFlex has racing heritage so it started with narrow brakes with wide ones for it being harder to come by.

 

[Noodler]

And thank you Tyrolia for making the Free Flex holes the same, too. I have Attack 13 ATs on my Fischer FIS SLs so I don't have to wear my race boots to rip in the mornings. And yes, the Hawx XTD 130s are up to the task.

Even the heel pattern on the first generation Attack demo bindings is the same as the rest, so it saved me some drilling when I replaced the demos with Attack2 13 GW bindings.

 

[Noodler]

You don't need the plate on a 76. It really depends how your going to use the ski. Mega carver? Plate. Relaxed groomer ski? meh.

What often goes unsaid is that if you are going to maximize performance by adding a plate on a ski for carving, you need good strength and technique to get that max performance.

Absolutely agreed. As noted, I said that "I" would put a plate on them, not the everyone else should. I'm a bit of a stack height junkie...

 

[Doug Briggs]

Even the heel pattern on the first generation Attack demo bindings is the same as the rest, so it saved me some drilling when I replaced the demos with Attack2 13 GW bindings.

At the shop, I live by the 92W jig.

 

[johnnyvw]

Even the heel pattern on the first generation Attack demo bindings is the same as the rest, so it saved me some drilling when I replaced the demos with Attack2 13 GW bindings.

That's good to know, since I have a pair of skis with those bindings on them. Definitely will go GW on my next boots.

 

[johnnyvw]

It seems a lot of people mount their own bindings. Do they normally come with templates you can use to layout the hole pattern? I'm having a difficult time finding a local shop that has bindings with narrower brakes, figured maybe it was time to give this a shot myself.

 

[Noodler]

It seems a lot of people mount their own bindings. Do they normally come with templates you can use to layout the hole pattern? I'm having a difficult time finding a local shop that has bindings with narrower brakes, figured maybe it was time to give this a shot myself.

PSA: Mount your own fucking skis.

That is all.

www.tetongravity.com

Lots of templates out there to use or you might stumble upon an old mounting jig (there's also the Jigarex). The hardest skill to learn is how to reliably find the true center of the ski to make sure the binding isn't mounted cockeyed.

 

[Philpug]

Any general rule of thumb for the lifespan of bindings?

If you ask the manufacturer, it is about 10 years that they indemnify a binding. There are 30 year old bindings that I would have no qualm skiing today.

 

[Delicious]

Do they normally come with templates you can use to layout the hole pattern?

I WISH! Truth is, even with a factory provided template, freehand mounting isn't for everyone. I give myself a "rule" to mount AT LEAST 2 practice runs on scrap lumber before touching skis. The printable templates available online are not 100% correct (in my experience), and will require modification. Finding the ski centerline IS very important. More important is having a 1000% understanding of EVERYTHING that is going on. -Knowing exactly what the finished product needs to be, and having a plan to get there.

 

[Tom K.]

I have Attack 13 ATs on my Fischer FIS SLs so I don't have to wear my race boots to rip in the mornings. And yes, the Hawx XTD 130s are up to the task.

Right?! I've been cheerfully surprised by how much alpine performance this boot has. Bonus!

 

[anders_nor]

2 days of hard groomers shredding on my hawk prime xtd 130s , they are very good, but they are no cochise dyn 130, nor a regular atomic prime 130

but for a that light boot, wtf amazing

 

[johnnyvw]

Well, I found chasing brake widths to be pretty fruitless unless I wanted to mount them myself. Found a local-ish shop I felt good about and got a pair of Marker Griffons. The X-comp 12s would have only gained me 5 mm, not enough of a difference to offset a higher weight, plus the Griffon height is a few mm taller. Thanks for everyone's input, that's what I love about this forum

 

[snoroqc]

Please educate me....Bought a attack 13 bindings for cheap. Why this is not GW compatible ? You can raise /lower the anti friction plate....

 

[Doug Briggs]

I'm going from memory on this and my memory isn't all I'd like it to be.

GripWalk bindings have a distinctly different AFD pad. Most notably, they are flat towards the front but angle down towards the back. These aren't the AT version of the Attack and have a different/less range of adjustment than the AT version.

My binding is the AT and you'll note the AFD is not perfectly flat like yours.



Also not all GW soles are created the same. It is an industry pseudo-standard, not an ISO standard.

 

[Philpug]

Also not all GW soles are created the same. It is an industry pseudo-standard, not an ISO standard.

We will see an ISO standard coming, ISO 23223

 

[Philpug]

Please educate me....Bought a attack 13 bindings for cheap. Why this is not GW compatible ? You can raise /lower the anti friction plate....

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Because even thought it has a height adjustment, it is fore/aft and does not match up with the smoth part of the boot sole so you will not get a proper release.

 

[Mike Thomas]

Because even thought it has a height adjustment, it is fore/aft and does not match up with the smoth part of the boot sole so you will not get a proper release.

Oh, you'll get a 'proper release' just way more often than you want.

 

[Dwight]

If you ask the manufacturer, it is about 10 years that they indemnify a binding. There are 30 year old bindings that I would have no qualm skiing today.

And there are some bindings that I wouldn't use once.

 

[anders_nor]

How do you ACTUAL pros feel the pivot 15 vs a jester is for power transfer and dampeing?

 

[Wilhelmson]

Please educate me....Bought a attack 13 bindings for cheap. Why this is not GW compatible ? You can raise /lower the anti friction plate....

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The rockered toe on gripwalk is a weird interface to begin with. You could precisely set the afd height but it still gets funky.