Fischer Rs10 Binding Adjustment
Karoline Oum
A bond for life? Not quite when it comes to ski bindings! After all, you should adjust it regularly to always be on the safe side. Here you will learn how to adjust your ski bindings yourself, whether it makes sense to do this on your own and what the Z-value and its corresponding table are all about!
A correctly adjusted ski binding keeps your boot firmly on the ski and automatically triggers the release of the boot due to a certain force. The binding therefore is a safety factor that should not be underestimated. The Z-value tells you how to (let an expert) adjust it. This in turn depends on the ski boot, skiing ability, your body weight and other factors. But for now let's start from scratch!
The ski binding is a curious thing: Yes, you can adjust it yourself and, in addition to your Z-value, all you need is a fitting screwdriver. Caution: You should only dare to adjust the binding if you already got some skiing experience.
If you are an absolute beginner, it is better to have the ski binding adjusted by a dealer or specialist. For professional adjustment, a standardised testing device for ski bindings will be used for testing when the binding triggers. You will also receive a bfu ski vignette, which you can use as a proof to your insurance company after an accident happened.
Z indicates the force at which a ski binding automatically releases the boot. For example, if you fall and your ski detaches from the boot in time, the risk of injury by a twisted ski will decrease considerably. At the same time, of course, your boot must not be too loosely clamped, as this can cause you to lose your ski in a sharp turn - which poses the risk on the other end of the spectrum.
The bottom line is that a higher Z-value will need a higher force for the binding to release your boot. This value has to be exactly adjusted to your needs, based on the following factors:
In addition to the Z-value method, there is another technique: Particularly in used as an alternative in Germany, which is called the tibia method. This involves measuring how wide your tibial plateau is. This effort can be eliminated by simply using the Z-value.
It goes without saying, but for the sake of completeness it should be mentioned that with new ski boots the binding always has to be readjusted. This also applies if you have bought the same ski boot in a new design. A ski boot wears and tears over time, so that the old binding setting no longer works best. The binding is adjusted best if the boot does not slip and clipping the boot in does not turn into an act of ultimate force.
For new ski boots you need to adjust the ski binding, that much is clear. You have had your boots for a long time but you are sure that everything is still fine? Play it safe and let a professional check the binding once a year!
After all, it is possible that your weight has changed, your skiing abilities have improved considerably, etc. These factors can increase your Z-value - and thus making it time for a new adjustment. Speaking of the Z-value: How can you figure it out?
The good old Z-value table: It is the established tool for all who wish to adjust their bindings themselves. Maybe you've already found out that you can calculate this value - but don't worry, there are no long formulas to remember!
You can use various calculators on the Internet and perhaps end up with different values, causing you to trust none of those numbers. Or...you can simply use the Z-value table for orientation without having to calculate anything! The values here correspond to the DIN standard 11088 and were determined on the basis of empirical data from ski accidents.
Caution: Age also sometimes requires further corrections. For children under 10 years and adults above the age of 50, the value must be corrected upwards by one line. Therefore, if our driver from the example above is 52 years old and advanced, we would be back to the initial value of 3.50.
As you can see, adjusting a ski binding correctly is no rocket science, and the Z-value not a mysterious number that needs to be guessed. On the contrary - please DO NOT guess. After all, it's about your safety when skiing, and you only ensure that with a perfectly adjusted binding. Everything clear? Then have fun on the slopes!
Before you can go skiing, you first need skis. Those skis then need a binding. And very importantly: the binding needs to be adjusted correctly and individually. Do you have to see a professional about this every time? Can you adjust the ski binding yourself? How do you adjust a ski binding? What is a DIN setting and how is it calculated? Snow-Online has the answers to all of your questions.
Our Snow-Online DIN Setting Calculator helps you find the right DIN setting for your ski binding. Just fill in your bodyweight, boot sole length (in millimetres; usually engraved or printed on the outside of your boot's heel), skiing ability level, and age, and the calculator gives you the appropriate DIN setting:
First things first: you don't have to see a professional every time you want to adjust your ski binding. A little knowledge about the function of a ski binding provided, you can easily adjust it yourself. What you need to understand is how the binding works, which DIN setting you need, and how to calculate it.
A ski binding has two main functions: on the one hand, it needs to fix the ski boot (and hence the skier) to the ski. On the other, the binding needs to release under force or when you fall, and separate the boot from the ski in time to keep the skier from being injured.
Complex mechanics help to manage this balancing act. Not only do they have to function impeccably, they absolutely need to be adjusted correctly and individually. According to a skier's bodyweight, boot sole length, age, and skiing ability, the release force setting, or DIN setting, determines when a binding releases.
The DIN setting is the release force setting of a ski binding. It is the value that determines the amount of force effect needed for a binding to release in order to keep the skier from being injured. There are two officially approved methods to determine this DIN value:
The tibia method is mainly applied by professionals in Germany. With this method, the expert measures the width of the tibial plateau at you knee. Most frequently used all over the world, however, is the bodyweight method. It was developed in the USA and Switzerland, and is based on scientific analyses of skiing accidents.
According to bodyweight, boot sole length, skiing ability, and age, the weight method uses a table to determine the DIN setting. The higher the DIN setting, the later the binding releases, and the higher the risk of injury!
To find the right DIN setting for a person using the bodyweight method, you first need the weight, sole length, ability level, and age of the person whose ski binding you want to adjust. Then you have to read the table correctly. Follow these five steps:
Type 1: Beginners and cautious skiers who ski mainly on even to relatively even slopes with slow to medium speed.
Type 2: Intermediate skiers who ski mainly on relatively even to relatively steep slopes with higher speed.
Type 3: Very experienced skiers who ski mainly on relatively steep to steep slopes with high speed and pressure on the edges and in an aggressive manner.
The ski binding is an important safety device. Whenever you adjust your ski binding yourself, you should thus be sure of what you're doing, and aware of the possible consequences of a DIN setting too high or too low.
No responsibility is taken for DIN values calculated with the DIN Setting Calculator. No responsibility is taken for the DIN values in the DIN setting tables. TouriSpo GmbH & Co. KG as operator of Snow-Online assumes no liability.
I totally agree with Andrew, I've been a master ski tech for over 30 years and unless you have the Vermont testing equipment at home there's no way to test the releases for twist and forward lean. No mention of boot to binding compatibility, boot wear, forward pressure or toe height adjustment. Just enough info to get someone injured or killed!
The ALLRIDE binding allows for easy adjustment to the boot shell length. The ON-PISTE ROCKER helps you enter a turn easily while the DUAL RADIUS SYSTEM facilitates transitions between different types of turns.
This article was co-authored by Kent Bry. Kent Bry is a certified ski and snowboarding instructor and the director of Adventure Ski & Snowboard, a school based in the San Diego, California metro area. With over 50 years of skiing and snowboarding performance and instruction experience, Kent is certified by the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA). Adventure Ski & Snowboard is a member of the PSIA and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI). Kent holds a BS in Recreational Therapy from San Diego State University and is also a California-registered recreational therapist.
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Having correctly adjusted ski bindings increases the safety of a skier's trip down a mountain. Adjusting ski bindings isn't always a simple task. You have to consider several factors, the size of ski boot that'll be used, the terrain that's going to be ski-ed, the skill level of the skier etc. You can easily make smaller adjustments to make sure bindings are tight, but when making major adjustments, it's best to go to a professional ski technician at your ski shop. These steps will guide you through adjusting ski bindings. Get started at step one below.
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