How do you check Ski Bindings?

In short I am really interested in knowing exactly what I should be looking for (apart from the number that you can see on the screw/dial) when a 'pro' in the ski shop adjusts the bindings on my rental skis. Can bindings seize / stick... become unknowingly inoperable and dangerous?

My accident (both Knees multiple ligaments) that I suffered almost certainly compounded by the fact the bindings did not release was probably just one of those things (it was a slow speed crash which I decided to fall relaxed... in fact like a rag doll... guess I should of really tensed up... but who knows).

Psychologically I will feel much better if I know what to look for and go through some sort of 'amateur' mental check list as I watch the bindings being adjusted. I am sure at some time in the past I remember seeing a ski fitter after adjusting things smacking the front of the boot and seeing the boot release. Maybe this was for a boot with a very low binding setting and it would be impossible to do this normally with a setting of say 6? Or maybe I have imagined it.

Can anyone advise on the things to mentally check for when the fitter sets bindings and in particular how can you tell that the bindings are properly functional? ... Besides falling!

Has anyone got a view on the ski binding setting I should go for given my details below? I am thinking of 5.5 or 6? As mentioned I intend to start the powder learning curve on my next trip. I will be skiing in custom hinged knee braces.

Info: Age 51, Weight, 90KG, Height 189cm, Boot length 335mm, Ability ?

Ability... Fine on pistes, can get down most things with pretty tight parallel form (know how to use my edges). Get too fast, get sloppy, but get down in one piece without much calamity. Need to really get to grips with Moguls as I am useless on thes... need a lesson. Also I have Zero powder skill which I will be getting to grips with on this year's skiing trip.

Really appreciate your feedback with the above. Thank you.

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. It might help your confidence to use Knee Bindings. They have an extra plane of release compared to other bindings.
http://kneebinding.com/KB-InformationCenter3.aspx?settyp=Play&vid=nukBdQ8F6KA

Welcome to J2ski :D

Sorry to hear that your knees got damaged when your bindings failed to release. I hope everything is back together now.

Settings bindings correctly is a little more technical than reading the numbers off a chart.

If you want to check your numbers, here is a good place to start:

http://www.dinsetting.com/

It's worth knowing your Boot sole length, height/weight/ability level to give to a fitter. As you've reached 50, a broad brush approach lowers your DIN, which may/or not be appropriate for you. Learn your numbers!

Forward and rear pressure on a binding is just as important as the numbers on the dial. If your boot is squeezed into the space between the toe and heel piece, it will be the same as raising the DIN because it takes up all the elasticity in the binding.

You should watch for:
Toe height adjustment (some are automatic-some not)
Sole length adjustment-(winding out the heel)
Asking for your weight/age/type of skier
Manual check of glide plate under the boot toe
Manual check for slop in the fit(is boot loose in the binding)

If you've been set up with too high a DIN, wind it down at toe and heel half a number at a time. Or go back to the fitter!

If you have damaged knees, give the Moguls a miss, they are for young knees ) Powder will be bliss 8)

I have mine checked on a binding testing machine.



The settings on the binding DIN scale and don't always tally with force required to get the binding to release.

Many thanks for this input it is really useful to me. On the subject of Knee-Bindings do you have any knowledge on these? Form the links I have just seen …… I want them, to not have them given what I have been through would just be pure stupidity as I can't afford the same again as there are no spare parts from me left to use and I would need to resort to bits from cadavers which I would like to stay well away from!
I am going to email the ski hire shop to see if they do Knee Bindings but does anyone know if:
Knee bindings are readily available in Europe?
How universal are the Knee bindings? Ie are they ski manufacturer specific?

Kneebindings aren't readily available in Europe. The only shop I know that stocks them is Edge & Wax in the UK http://www.edgeandwax.co.uk/448/kneebinding_ski_bindings.aspx You won't find them in any European ski hire shops as they don't make a rental version. I think they have to be mounted on flat skis; there is a list of compatible skis in their information centre.

Many 'Mature' 2 plank skiers who have dodgy knees due to accident or arthritus have resurected their skiing hobby by taking up Mono skiing.

The lateral forces are shared by both legs as one unit as both knees are together all the time.
Resorts with a minimum of Surface lifts such as Obergurgl or les Arcs are preferable as riding a poma tow with a monoski is awkward to say the least. Monoskis have come a long way in their design since the Pintails of the mid 1980's and are enjoying an emerging renaisance on the slopes.