Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Hi,

I'm a long time lurker, first time poster. (By lurk I mean looking at the website, not skiing with a single long pole, but I digress.)

Alpine bindings are all pretty much the same. They might have different mechanisms by which they release, but in terms of how they ski there really is no difference. I doubt there is a skier out there would could tell without looking what type of alpine binding they were using. Tele bindings however make a huge difference. Sadly, there isn't much opportunity to demo bindings, you kinda need to plunk down your money and take your chances.

Out of curiousity I want to run an experiment to compare different bindings while holding other variables constant. I want to use the same skis, and the same boots. When I say the same skis, I mean the exact same pair of skis. I don't feel like buying half a dozen pairs of the same ski, so I plan to drill enough holes in a pair of skis to make it look like a slice of swiss cheese, then install a bunch of inserts such that I can attach different bindings to that same ski.

Here is the problem I face: 2 of the bindings in the pile of stuff I plan to use have mounting patterns that overlap (Meidjos and Outlaw X). An ideal test would have all bindings mounted with the same boot center to ski center orientation, but that's just not going to be possible. So to solve that problem I have 2 potential solutions:

(1) I could mount the Outlaw X's relatively a little more forward than all the others. If I mount the 4 rear holes of the Outlaws into the 4 forward holes of the Bishop BMF pattern, then I can add 2 more holes to the front (which do not interfere with the Meidjo holes). The result would be an Outlaw X mounting position that is about 1/3 of an inch more forward than all the other bindings.

(2) I could mount the Outlax X's using a 1/4" thick aluminum mounting plate which is attached to the ski using one of the bolt patterns from a different binding. The result would be the Outlaw X would have a stack height 1/4" greater than all the other bindings.

So the question is this: Which is more likely noticable in how a binding performs, being slightly more forward, or slightly higher? Or does it not matter because such small amounts will not be noticable.

Anybody have any strong feelings about which would be the more "fair" way to mount the Outlaw Xs to compare them to the other bindings?

aTdHvAaNnKcSe,

TJ

teletj wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 05, 2024 11:44 pm

So the question is this: Which is more likely noticable in how a binding performs, being slightly more forward, or slightly higher? Or does it not matter because such small amounts will not be noticable.

Anybody have any strong feelings about which would be the more "fair" way to mount the Outlaw Xs to compare them to the other bindings?

aTdHvAaNnKcSe,

TJ

I have a pair of M Cross 88's at 168cm. Originally, I mounted them with the Outlaw X on the recommended line and decided to try them forward one screw hole length. That's about 1.5 inch, or 33mm. That has worked out better for me, but I was mostly struck by how subtle the difference is. Also, the OX sits higher than the Meidjo naturally.

Years ago, I had a pair of 185 Armada JJ's and found that the difference between mounting as recommended and mounting aft by a little less than an inch was much more noticeable, so different skis and lengths (and running length) can make a difference in how critical binding position can be.

Depending on the ski and the ski's length, I'd guess the small length of the displacement you're talking about would make very little difference. I'd guess the same for added stack height from a plate.

If you want to just check differences in the feel of dropping the knee on different bindings, I'd start out by mounting them on 2x4's or 2x6's. That could save some time and effort.

If you can eliminate a binding based on feel, it's fewer holes in skis. It takes a run or two between bindings to get used to the differences in the way they ski, so I'd try to get half a day or so on each configuration, at least.

I personally don’t think .333 of an inch, which would be less than a centimeter is anything I would notice. Your results could be different.

There is a way to mount almost every telemark binding onto one pair of skis:
https://telebuddy.ch/

Mattafix wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 06, 2024 3:19 pm

There is a way to mount almost every telemark binding onto one pair of skis:
https://telebuddy.ch/

This looks brilliant. Wish it had an option for the Xplore binding.

Guschti, the guy who designed the plates, had bindings for steeper skiing and resort skiing in mind. At the time he designed them, the Xplore wasn’t existing yet. It would be a good thing to have a plate for lower angle skiing bindings. On the other hand, they add a little weight to your lightweight equipment.