Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

I replaced a Hammerhead heel throw last winter with what I believe to have been a 'repaired' heel throw that I bought for a few bucks from some place online. With a fairly tight tension, I released out of the ski with the new heel throw several times? Not sure if there's a connection, but any ideas what would cause the release? Do I need a new spring for the Hammerhead? Needless to say, my confidence took a hit after a few falls after a release when making a normal turn at high speed. Thanks.

I haven't used HHs in a long time, but those high speed unexpected releases are hard to forget. When it happened to me I think the cause was my skis got too close together and either the one ski or probably the binding hit the heel throw that released and caused it to open. I don't remember anything about tightening the heel throws but I do remember thinking that if I used the HH leashes that hooked onto the heel throws and went around your ankle that they might prevent the problem.

Those unexpected releases have been among my worst crashes and they are confidence killers. If all else fails switch to some Voile 3-pin Hard Wires, even if the heel throw fails they still stay on.

Something's up because I've only had a HH release once in all the years I've skied them. Thank god it did or I'm sure I would have broke my leg. Check the throw against the old one, Mabey its fulcrum point is in a different spot?

Check the underfoot spreader bar. If it's not perpendicular, it tends to side-load the heel throw and makes it very easy for the heel throw to release off the side of the heel. If it's angled, get it back to straight across (but the spreader bar right up to the coating on the cables, and then you may have to walk the cable around the front of the spring housing to get it where you need it. Then double check your adjustments on the heel tube and make sure everything's centered up.

Thanks for the tip TomH. The underfoot spreader bar was about 1/8" off perpendicular on the ski that was releasing. Haven't been out yet, but I'm going to hit the hill confident the problem is fixed.

Update - Thanks again TomH.
After making the adjustment to the spreader bar, I had no releases for the entire season last year.

Kinda off subject, but I've found that my Vice's like to unsnap if I ski bumps in the most active pin setting. Not sure why, but after going to the second, mid pin setting the problem is gone. It is like in the most active setting they lever the duckbill out. Spring tension doesn't resolve it.