Mounting Marker M12 Bindings

All true Swingbeep. I guess it is a fact of life that as soon as you start walking down the street in your new boots, the toe plate is already being degraded.

Wow, I did not think I would raise such a stir about DIN settings. I'm sorry that I brought it up.

Getting back to my original question about positioning the toe and heel bindings on My Marker M12 bindings. As it turns out, the marking on the toe binding (M12) lead me in the wrong direction. I should have been more concerned with the intermediate plate with the word MOTION on it. Once I googled that information I found my answer.

That plate has a quarter turn bolt on the side. Even thought I already rotated that bolt, the plate still would not release from the rails on the ski. Then I tried removing the bolt. That did the trick. With it removed the intermediate plate slid off very nicely. From there I was able to re-set the toe and heel bindings to allow my boots to fit. I didn't even have to remove the toe, heel binding or the brake. Those Germans are pretty slick.

I will still use my method to set the tension on my bindings. I may have a premature release, but I think that is much better than a torn-up knee or worse.

Excellent feedback, Dave, Swingbeep and Wildbill. Thanks.

Dave Mac wrote:I guess it is a fact of life that as soon as you start walking down the street in your new boots, the toe plate is already being degraded.

That's true, but many modern boots are fitted with replaceable sole plates and those that aren't can be fitted with aftermarket sole plates providing they have solid soles. I use sole protectors (Cat Tracks) they're a bit of a pain to put on, but they make walking much easier and safer. So if you want to keep a pair boots for a long time it's not really that difficult to keep the soles in good shape.

WildBill wrote:I will still use my method to set the tension on my bindings. I may have a premature release, but I think that is much better than a torn-up knee or worse.

The release and retention mechanisms in all current ski bindings were designed in the 1960s and 70s when the primary design objectives were to protect the skier from tibia and ankle fractures. They are very good at doing this; to date the risk of injury below the knee has been lowered by almost 90%.

Unfortunately they do not protect the knee from injury. The incidence of serious knee injuries usually involving the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) has risen dramatically since the late 1970s. Knee injuries now account for just over 33% of all skiing injuries and women are twice as likely to sustain one as men.

A common but mistaken belief is that the risk of serious knee injuries can be reduced by lowering the toe piece release values, but as the injury mechanism for ACL injuries is not related to binding function any reduction in the binding release values will not reduce the risk of a knee injury.

All you are doing by lowering the toe piece release values is increasing the risk of sustaining an injury caused by pre-release.

I would definitely not go setting them so low as to keep releasing because of a ski technique flaw. This sounds like a recipe for losing all confidence in your skiing. Apart from pure carving which is not practical on steeper slopes; there has to be an element of pivot in your turning vs just setting on an edge so did not fully agree with the logic anyway.

My advice for avoiding knee injuries would be.
1) No jumping.
2) No messing about, trying to do last minute stop and spray friends etc
3) Plan your route and ski properly until you have come to stop.
4) Play some form of sport because lack of body awareness/control is in reality the culprit for all ACL injuries.
5) Do specific ski exercises minimum 3 months before start of season.

Number 3 and 4 were my downfall, it hurt (physical and pride) and takes an age to recover from. The upside is you can spend a lot of time going uphill (highly underrated) and après ski can begin early.

A warning to all !

In regards to "adjusting" a Marker,,,,or any other ski bindings There are two parameters to consider.
Yes as far as DIN setting you all can find a chart on net. You all can estimate what your DIN value will be. That is the first factor.

The second factor that few skiers know is the rear unit tension adjustment. That is the forward pressure made my the rear unit once the boot is IN the binding.
The second factor is critical . If not done correctly that DIN value is NON FUNCTIONAL!

You can not go on You Tube or an any site to get the correct information.

Each company ( and often each binding within a company's bindings ) as a different procedure to determine the correct pressure level.

Be careful. See a qualified person about such matters.
Your legs and especially your knees depend on a correct setting.

I hope this helps some of you to avoid "accidents".

One small note also on that DIN chart . Please do not use it blindly.

If I used it "blindly",,,,my DIN value would be 2 settings lower. I happen not to fit the "normal" profile of a typical skier my age and competence level.

Also a new chart is coming out soon since the actual DIN chart was based on 1960's data.

A warning to all !

In regards to "adjusting" a Marker,,,,or any other ski bindings There are two parameters to consider.
Yes as far as DIN setting you all can find a chart on net. You all can estimate what your DIN value will be. That is the first factor.

The second factor that few skiers know is the rear unit tension adjustment. That is the forward pressure made my the rear unit once the boot is IN the binding.
The second factor is critical . If not done correctly that DIN value is NON FUNCTIONAL!

You can not go on You Tube or an any site to get the correct information.

Each company ( and often each binding within a company's bindings ) as a different procedure to determine the correct pressure level.

Be careful. See a qualified person about such matters.
Your legs and especially your knees depend on a correct setting.

I hope this helps some of you to avoid "accidents".

One small note also on that DIN chart . Please do not use it blindly.

If I used it "blindly",,,,my DIN value would be 2 settings lower. I happen not to fit the "normal" profile of a typical skier my age and competence level.

Also a new chart is coming out soon since the actual DIN chart was based on 1960's data.