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How to Set Your Ski Bindings

up close shot of a skiers legs, skiing on lange boots and dynastar skis with look bindings.

Setting Your New Ski Bindings

What is a DIN Setting and What is Mine Supposed to Be?

Level Nine Sports will mount and adjust your gear when your purchase skis, bindings, and boots in the same order. Your DIN setting is related to the amount of force it takes for your binding to release your boot. The higher the DIN number, the more force it takes to release. We often get questions from customers about what a DIN setting should be for products purchased elsewhere. The correct answer is, we do not know.

You can google "Ski DIN Chart" and you'll find various resources that will inform you what your release value should be based on your height, weight, age, boot length, experience level, etc. However, while this will give you a specific reccomended release value number, it does not necessarily mean your boot will release correctly depending on the conditions of your gear and the snow.

If you purchase skis and bindings from Level Nine without boots, you will need to visit a ski shop to have your bindings adjusted before they can be used. Note that if the bindings purchased are adjustable, they will be delivered set to either the maximum or minimum sole length of the specific binding so there is no confusion about whether or not they can be skied on upon delivery- they can not.

Why You Need a Professional to Adjust Your Bindings

  1. 1. The forward pressure (how much your toe piece pushes back and heel piece pushes forward) needed for your boot and binding combo is determined by actual position of the binding pieces and not the DIN value number.
  2. 2. The bindings or boots may have wear that requires a setting that is different from the recommended value.
  3. 3. The bindings may no longer be deemed safe by the binding company or the boots may not pass current standards.
  4. 4. One of the components of the binding may not perform to expected standards.

Truth be told, adjusting bindings is not rocket science. The standards do not change often, and bindings release well under most conditions. However, because of the potential risks listed above, we cannot talk customers through how to do the adjustment process on their own. We are able to mount the bindings to a specific ski without your boots, however we will not make any additional binding adjustments when the boot is not purchased from us at the same time.

Mounting bindings can be the most difficult part of the process and we reccomend that you leave it to the professionals. If you have skis with mounted adjustable bindings, finding a technician that can test the bindings and fit them to your boots should be simple and inexpensive. Any major resort will have rental shop that can take care of this for you. You can also go to the binding manufacturers website to find a shop near you that can perform this process.