Can bindings make skiing feel different?

[green26]

I recently exchanged the demo bindings that came with the skis - Bonafides with Marker Jester demos to Look Pivots. I don’t know if it was the hero spring snow at Mammoth last weekend or the new Look Pivots, but things felt different, in a very good way. Also, in the back of my mind with the old Markers, I was always worried about them releasing in a bad situation (happened many times) so in the past was compensating for that in my skiing. For one example among many, I was skiing the Paranoid#? directly above and into Philippes last weekend with the Looks, and something just felt different. More control and sense of the snow, less worry about a false release on hard jump turns in very dodgy places. Stuff like that. More fun, more confidence. More connected to the mountain. What’s that about? I’m surprised and wonder if I’m just making it up. Is it the extra distance from the skis with demos? I also notice that when putting my boots into the Looks, there isn’t really a “click” - it’s more of an “embrace”. Maybe it’s like closing the door of a really good car vs. a tin can. I dunno.

 

[Mickey]

Trust in your equipment lets you focus on what your doing. Don't think about why, just enjoy it.

 

[Philpug]

Absolutely they can make a difference. A binding can and will make a more solid interface.

 

[Mike King]

The delta (difference in height between the toe and heel) can make a huge difference. Pivots are relatively flat...

 

[Eric Edelstein]

Yes, yes, yes....bindings and their mounting system (plate platform or independent toe-heel, along with height, width and influence over flex) make a huge difference. Sometimes you want a heavy-handed isolation of your feet from the ski with a damp, beefy plate (think skiing boilerplate at high speed), other times you want a supple feedback and influence over the ski with a binding like the Look Pivot design. Stand height influences leverage on the ski as well as the ski's feedback on your body parts...so bindings definitely make a difference. Some skiers are almost religious about the binding choice they prefer for different skis in different conditions...while others have no idea how much a different binding can change the way their ski feels and behaves underfoot.

Welcome to the club swapping your bindings and feeling the difference...now you'll be binding geek forever....different toys are soooo much fun!

 

[TexasStout]

Yes, yes, yes....bindings and their mounting system (plate platform or independent toe-heel, along with height, width and influence over flex) make a huge difference. Sometimes you want a heavy-handed isolation of your feet from the ski with a damp, beefy plate (think skiing boilerplate at high speed), other times you want a supple feedback and influence over the ski with a binding like the Look Pivot design. Stand height influences leverage on the ski as well as the ski's feedback on your body parts...so bindings definitely make a difference.

Some skiers are almost religious about the binding choice they prefer for different skis in different conditions...while others have no idea how much a different binding can change the way their ski feels and behaves underfoot.

I would be one of those in the latter.

This is a topic of interest to me as well. I'm looking to pull the trigger on some powder skis and have no idea what criteria to use in picking bindings.

 

[Eric Edelstein]

Personally, I like a powder binding to hold my soles close to the ski (lowest stand height possible), and let the ski flex as naturally as possible (like a Look Pivot does). I lose the feel in powder if the ski is mounted with a tall or heavily plated binding. ...BUT....if I'm in a higher-speed powder situation in big mountains with lots of chop and wind scour sluff, a bit of a plate is nice to give a solid-feeling platform underfoot......but it depends how stiff the ski is to begin with....but then again...(oh LOOK - Squirrel !).....

 

[crgildart]

I have one pair of skis with the toe pieces both mounted about 1/8th inch off center. It has zero noticeable impact on my skiing. But the skis are 192 cms and 87 mm wide so there a lot of surface area in comparison to the small, but visibly detectable poor mounting job.

I do believe that mounting point fore/aft makes a detectable difference beyond 1 cm as does stack height and ramp angle. But, in the end it is 95% the Indian and only 5% the arrow as long as nothing major is horribly wrong with those arrows.

 

[pais alto]

Tele bindings will make skiing feel way different.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I prefer bindings with infinitely adjustable height toes. Ones that can't be adjusted up and down don't allow for the variations found in boot soles. I know all boots have are designed to DIN specifications but there are differences in thickness as soon as you start walking around in them out of the shop. I definitely notice toe play up and down when it is present. I do not like that one bit.

 

[Mike King]

I prefer bindings with infinitely adjustable height toes. Ones that can't be adjusted up and down don't allow for the variations found in boot soles. I know all boots have are designed to DIN specifications but there are differences in thickness as soon as you start walking around in them out of the shop. I definitely notice toe play up and down when it is present. I do not like that one bit.

Doug, you could try Cat Trax or one of the other sole preservation products...

 

[Philpug]

Doug, you could try Cat Trax or one of the other sole preservation products...

Actually he uses some.

 

[green26]

Thanks for the confirmation, all. So begins my education. Aside from the greater connection to the snow, not worrying that my ski is gonna pop off unnecessarily in a crappy situation is Yuge. As is knowing I'm not dreaming. Generally I'm the type that thinks I should be able to ski anything with any equipment - and find it interesting, if perhaps less fun. In other words I don't blame my equipment or the snow. However, the binding change did make a significant difference.

 

[markojp]

Tele bindings will make skiing feel way different.

And that's why CO and WA legalized pot... so people would teley more.