Binding Inserts

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MSU Alum
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Re: Binding Inserts

Post by MSU Alum » Mon Feb 17, 2020 2:53 pm

freeheelbillie wrote:
Mon Feb 17, 2020 1:14 pm
Great shot, where was that taken?
I agree...and there's no good time or place to pull a binding. I figure for less than 100 bucks I can bombproof my set up. In the grand scheme of things that's less than 10% added cost...or lunch at Vail. :lol:
True.
The picture is of the Harding Ice Field in Alaska.

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freeheelbillie
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Re: Binding Inserts

Post by freeheelbillie » Mon Feb 17, 2020 4:27 pm

MSU Alum wrote:
Mon Feb 17, 2020 2:53 pm
freeheelbillie wrote:
Mon Feb 17, 2020 1:14 pm
Great shot, where was that taken?
I agree...and there's no good time or place to pull a binding. I figure for less than 100 bucks I can bombproof my set up. In the grand scheme of things that's less than 10% added cost...or lunch at Vail. :lol:
True.
The picture is of the Harding Ice Field in Alaska.
Nice! I lived and worked as a guide in Haines for a bit in the late 90s / early 2000's
You can't buy experience but you do pay for it.



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Andy M
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Re: Binding Inserts

Post by Andy M » Mon Feb 17, 2020 10:55 pm

freeheelbillie wrote:
Mon Feb 17, 2020 4:27 pm
Nice! I lived and worked as a guide in Haines for a bit in the late 90s / early 2000's
Cool, what kind of guiding did you do?



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freeheelbillie
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Re: Binding Inserts

Post by freeheelbillie » Tue Feb 18, 2020 5:48 am

I guided for Alaska Mountain Guides and Climbing School doing mountaineering instruction, ski touring, helicopter and fixed-wing skiing. Mostly moderate to high altitude mountain guiding. Also, guided day river trips for Chilkat Guides if things were slow in the mountains. Seems like yesterday...not 20 years ago :roll:
You can't buy experience but you do pay for it.



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Re: Binding Inserts

Post by MSU Alum » Tue Feb 18, 2020 8:09 am

freeheelbillie wrote:
Tue Feb 18, 2020 5:48 am
I guided for Alaska Mountain Guides and Climbing School doing mountaineering instruction, ski touring, helicopter and fixed-wing skiing. Mostly moderate to high altitude mountain guiding. Also, guided day river trips for Chilkat Guides if things were slow in the mountains. Seems like yesterday...not 20 years ago :roll:
Did you make it out to the Tordrillo Range?
At any rate, this should bring back memories.
Arrival at glacier.jpg
Base camp and airplane tracks in the lower right.
big country.jpg
almost there.jpg
In the realm of "safety overkill", I got these gadgets for my sons as well. They're ski finders - tested to ensure noninterference with avalanche transceivers. I didn't like the idea that they could get in a small slide and not be able to find their ski(s). A company in England.

I don't need them for "manly skiing", but I'm beginning to think they could come in handy as I age and forget where on the ski rack outside the lodge I've left my skis!
:D
20191120_125646[1].jpg



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freeheelbillie
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Re: Binding Inserts

Post by freeheelbillie » Tue Feb 18, 2020 1:09 pm

MSU Alum wrote:
Tue Feb 18, 2020 8:09 am
freeheelbillie wrote:
Tue Feb 18, 2020 5:48 am
I guided for Alaska Mountain Guides and Climbing School doing mountaineering instruction, ski touring, helicopter and fixed-wing skiing. Mostly moderate to high altitude mountain guiding. Also, guided day river trips for Chilkat Guides if things were slow in the mountains. Seems like yesterday...not 20 years ago :roll:
Did you make it out to the Tordrillo Range?
At any rate, this should bring back memories.

Arrival at glacier.jpg

Base camp and airplane tracks in the lower right.
big country.jpg

almost there.jpg

In the realm of "safety overkill", I got these gadgets for my sons as well. They're ski finders - tested to ensure noninterference with avalanche transceivers. I didn't like the idea that they could get in a small slide and not be able to find their ski(s). A company in England.

I don't need them for "manly skiing", but I'm beginning to think they could come in handy as I age and forget where on the ski rack outside the lodge I've left my skis!
:D
20191120_125646[1].jpg
I don't think so but it is good to see a De Havilland Beaver on skis though!

I flew with Paul Claus and his dad up to the base of Mt Churchill/Bona and spent almost a month climbing and skiing. Summited Churchill, Bona and University Peak on that trip.

Most of my time was spent in the hills around Haines, Mt. Fairweather, and Glacier Bay.
Flew with Drake
You can't buy experience but you do pay for it.



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Re: Binding Inserts

Post by FourthCoast » Wed Mar 11, 2020 4:28 pm

I thought I would throw in my short experience with binding inserts.

I installed inserts two different ways. The first was doing what I could buying stuff from the local hardware store and the other was using the Binding Freedom 'Comp Plus Kit'.

There is nothing good about the brass threaded inserts at the hardware store. I expected the one good thing would be that they are available locally and immediately. Turns out not even that is true. I needed one more than they had in stock. No one in the store could even guess at when they would have more available. I ended up driving 30 miles to the next big box home improvement store to find one. In the end it was successful. I have a functional 3 hole mount that lets me take bindings on and off my $2 thrift store skis -- so it is possible.

The 'Comp Plus Kit' is really sweet. If I can drill and tap straight holes with this kit then anyone can do it. I definitely recommend it. Worth every penny. My only advice is to use the 'deburring tool' by hand and DO NOT chuck it up in a drill. It is very aggressive.



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Re: Binding Inserts

Post by Baaahb » Wed Dec 30, 2020 2:10 pm

Resurrecting this thread to post a question.

I understand the use of inserts to create a more secure binding attachment. That's not for me; I've never pulled out a binding and am not destined to cross any major ice fields in the near future.

They're also used for binding interchangeability and this interests me. But, does this only work for bindings that have the same hole pattern (not too common with tele in my experience)? Or do people put multiple sets of inserts in the same ski, and how then covering up the set not used? Doesn't sound too good.

And I'm also wondering if freeheelbillie is the same as the infamous freeheelwilly. (it does not seem so)



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Re: Binding Inserts

Post by Montana St Alum » Wed Dec 30, 2020 4:22 pm

Baaahb wrote:
Wed Dec 30, 2020 2:10 pm
Resurrecting this thread to post a question.
... does this only work for bindings that have the same hole pattern (not too common with tele in my experience)? Or do people put multiple sets of inserts in the same ski, and how then covering up the set not used? Doesn't sound too good.
The inserts are placed in the pattern specific to the binding, so yes, it only works if the bindings have the exact same pattern. It's useful if you want to swap a specific set of bindings between 2 or more sets of skis.

It's unlikely that you could properly position the mount for two different bindings on the same ski with inserts because they often have hole patterns that interfere with each other.



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lowangle al
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Re: Binding Inserts

Post by lowangle al » Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:51 pm

Baaahb, mounting quiver killers voids the warranty on ultra vectors, if that's the plan.



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