First, you must designate a right and left ski, usually with a sticker or "r" on one ski. Then, you’ll ski them that way from then on. You will have one leg stronger than the other, even a normal person is about 30% stronger on one side than the other that is before any injuries. While in your boots, step into your right and left ski. Roll one ski at a time to the outside, as far as your ski, boot, bindings and leg will let you and push. Bang, then loosen the binding until you can punch out of the binding by yourself. Do not use any outside pressure, i.e. hitting it with your hands or kicking it with your feet (not good!!!) Roll and push until it comes off. That is too loose so you’ll need to tighten until it doesn’t come off. You are ready to go ski.

Now, say out loud: "righty tighty, lefty loosey!" Always say that before you touch your binding! Right to tighten, left to loosen. The heel is checked by sliding one leg in front of the other. With the front of the ski on the carpet, lift the tail of the ski about six inches and kick backwards trying to kick the ski off. Loosen it until you can pop the binding open by yourself. That is too loose so now tighten 1 full turn in the rear and ½ turn in the front, so that it doesn’t come off when trying to kick it off. After doing this: never tighten or loosen more than ½ turn in front, 1 turn in the rear at any one time. It is ok for youth to tighten multiple times as they get stronger, but if they don’t ski for weeks then they’ll need to do this exercise again. The industry has a chart set by weight and ability level. It is a fast chart! But strong, old, weak and young people should not be set on the same setting simply because they weigh the same. Weight is only one of several variables that create the foot-pound energy (pressure) required to get the bindings to release.

As you are skiing, if you hit a turn and the toe pops off too easily: turn both toes ½ turn to the right. If you hit bumps and the heel pops: tighten both the heels 1 full turn. Also, set up each binding separately and independently in the beginning, then when skiing tighten or loosen together. Keep in mind if you have one side stronger than the other, or a weaker side, it’s ok to just loosen or tighten that ski’s bindings, just remember 1/2 turn in front, 1 full turn in the rear.

At the top of the lift, at 20 degrees temperature, and a 20 mph wind- your bindings will be frozen shut. The numbers mean nothing. In the spring before you store your ski stuff, take a minute and put masking tape near each binding, move the din number onto the masking tape and loosen each binding to the lowest number on your binding for the summer or each summer your spring will take a set (weaken). In the fall before you go skiing, take the ski bindings out somewhere so you can spray and drip them without getting the silicone on the floor. Turn the bindings one way and saturate them. Run pure 100% silicone in one end and out the other, making sure that the silicone gets inside the binding, then turn upside down and run the juice the other way. Once a year is all you need to service your ski bindings.

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