Shims for Alpina Alaska 3-pin

[snow-mark]

I got a pair of Alpina Alaska 75mm 3-pin boots last winter. I use them with Voile 3-pin cable bindings and Voile mountaineer bindings.

As many people have found, the duckbill is a little thin, making for a loose connection in the binding. The pin holes were starting to suffer damage by the end of the season last year. I like the boots so I'm looking for a solution.

What options do I have other than changing the bindings? Is there way to shim the boot or the binding? Is there a way to do so permanently, i.e., something attached the boot or binding without having to worry about a loose shim falling out and getting lost?

Thanks.

[satsuma]

I am not sure I understand the problem, but you should look at "Smiley Plates." Akers ski (www.akers-ski.com) sells them.

[MikeK]

I get the problem, but I don't have a great solution for you.

I assume you have been making sure the binding is clipped down to the lowest detente?

How loose are they with it on the tightest setting? If it's only a mm or so, perhaps stacking some Anti-ice tape might be enough?

I know mine were just lightly clamped on the lowest detente, but I'm sure there is lots of variation.

[snow-mark]

Yeah, even at the lowest detente it's a little loose. Part of the problem might be that I didn't realize this at first and skied with them in the middle detente. I think that wore the pinholes a little.

I hear that Rottefella bindings work better because they have a lower clamp range but I'd prefer not to change bindings.

Do the smiley plates actually add thickness or do they end up sitting flush with the duck bill as is?

I wasn't familiar with the anti ice tape. That might do the job. I'm going to order some.

[fisheater]

There is no way that the smiley plates would not add thickness, unless you shaved the sole before attaching the plate. If the boot was still loose after the addition of the smiley plate. You could pull the plate, and place a shim underneath. You will need to drill the shim to allow the pins to penetrate. I can't think of a better solution than the smiley plates and maybe a shim, but I'll sit back and see if somebody does not have a better solution. I won't be surprised either way!

[MikeK]

You are supposed to sink the smiley plates in i.e. grind out the sole until they sit flush. You really want the whole bill in contact, not just that metal plate.

I wouldn't worry about the pin holes too much, they are reinforced with a steel plate, as I'm sure you read on here.

Apparently the old ones had a short plate and the sole cracked there, but we were informed that Alpina fixed that. And Johnny cracked his and Alpina replaced them, so don't worry if you have the old ones.

[snow-mark]

I'll ask at the local shop, which is a top notch place and it's where I got the boots. I may try the tape.

Does anybody know of a way to shim it on top of the bill? At the end of last season I shimmed it temporarily with a wad of duct tape, just rolled up and place between the bale and bill. That worked ok. Made me think there ought to be a way to add some rubber to the top.

[MikeK]

You could try shoe goo, build up the bill and see if that holds.

[connyro]

I don't think shoegoo would work but Sugru (https://sugru.com/) is a moldable, flexible plastic that I've found to work very well for this type of fix. I used it to repair the bellows of some plastic boots that I had chopped clean through with the edge of a ski years ago. The fix has held up to several years of skiing.

[StormyMonday]

At one point I couldn't find any smiley plates and my wife's pin holes were pretty beat so I did use shoe goo to rebuild that area of the boot. It actually worked well enough that I used it on a couple other pairs as well, dries up quite hard and certainly harder than the rubber. The only thing I don't like about it is it has that weird smell that never goes away. With a good straight edge and patience you probably could build up the top of the duckbill a bit, I like that better than messing with the boot/ski interface myself. Would be a good thing to try on an old beat up pair of boots, even xc shoes from Goodwill or something...