WildSnow Tech FAQ — Dynafit Manaslu Mounting

48 Responses to “WildSnow Tech FAQ — Dynafit Manaslu Mounting”

1. Kirk October 17th, 2008 10:52 am

   Cool, I have these skis in hand and new FT12 bindings on the way! Still might flinch and have a professional do the mount as I have ZZero skills in that department but it gives me hope even I could do it right!

2. Lou October 17th, 2008 12:41 pm

   Kirk, your bindings will most likely mount using the inserts. If so, it’s quite easy to do the mount but there are a few gotchas. Mainly, you have to know how to line up the boot by gradually tightening the front screws, and you have to be super careful not to over tighten. Just make sure the pro you find to mount them is actually a pro who’s mounted Dynafits before and had good results. I can’t tell you how many hack jobs I’ve seen that were done at ski shops.

3. Andy October 17th, 2008 1:25 pm

   If I’m reading correctly, the smallest boot that you could use the inserts for on a 178 is one with a 294mm BSL?

4. Lou October 17th, 2008 2:13 pm

   That is correct. Smaller than 294 and you drill your own holes at at least one end or the other. My point is that drilling your own holes, especially for a smaller person, is no big deal, and okay for most normal to larger folks as well.

5. Matus October 19th, 2008 3:49 pm

   A note regarding inserts. I ripped out the TLT Comfort from the ski (due to wrong mounting). It was a disaster since this happened with new Movement skis. In a local ski service, they calmed me down completely – and remounted the binding with the plastic inserts (it took 10 minutes). They assured me that a plastic insert is much stronger than classic drilling+gluing. And, according to a service man, it is not possible to overtighten the screws by hand (I am not sure with this but when mounting, I was not very gentle:). One insert costs about EUR 3. No titanal plate is required, although I understand that it adds a bit of confidence.

6. Piotr October 20th, 2008 1:18 am

   One thing to consider when mounting outside of the titanal plate would be to possibly switch to using smaller drill bit (3.6mm). But the trick is one would have to know exactly where the plate is so that holes diameter match their location (to avoid both loose mount and volcano-ing). A method that comes to my mind would be to drill with 3.6, see if there is metal inside, if yes, re-drill with 4.1.

7. Lou October 20th, 2008 6:31 am

   The plate is obvious when you’re looking at it in person, I marked it because I couldn’t get a photo that showed it that well, due to it being black on black.

8. Marty Rood November 2nd, 2008 2:36 pm

   I am getting ready to mount some ST Dynafit bindings on some 178 Manaslu skis. You mentioned several tricks to mounting. Other than lining up the boot toe piece when tightening, are there any other tricks or specs for getting it right? Any suggestions are welcome!

9. Lou November 2nd, 2008 4:26 pm

   Use a bit of 1-hour epoxy (so you have time to mess around) and don’t over torque!!! Those are the two big tricks. Oh, and do the heel unit first, that way you have something to line up with… Let us know how it goes. Photo? Sounds like a nice rig!

10. Ron Laine November 7th, 2008 1:45 pm

    Lou:
    My shop is having trouble mounting my new Scarpa Spirit 4’s (mondo 26.5) with FT’s to the Manaslu’s. They are saying the boot size falls inbetween the screw mounts and will need to be drilled either on one end or the other. Can the shop pick the screw holes that are best fit and make up the slack with a binding adjustment, or will we need to drill one end? I think the problem comes from the fact that the holes are designed to fit Zues boots which do not come in half sizes like the Scarpa’s do.
    Thanks,
    Ron

11. Lou November 7th, 2008 3:10 pm

    Ron, how far off the ski mark does the boot center mark fall if using best case with the inserts? And does it fall forward or behind the mark on ski?

    The fact your shop says “drill on one end or the other” confuses me. As I can’t imagine why you’d have a choice.

    Snap a binding on the toe of the boot. Set the boot on the ski. Line up the boot mark with the ski mark. See where the binding falls in relation to the inserts. Then get back to us with specifics.

    Or, if your mind works differently than that: Snap binding on boot toe. Line up binding with best case set of inserts, let us know how far the boot mark is from the ski mark, and in what direction.

12. mike b November 7th, 2008 4:14 pm

    When I picked up the ski and pinched the area where the toe would be mounted I noticed that the ski took a nosedive (behind the ‘balance point’), leading me to believe that when mounted and a foot is lifted, the tip would do the same.
    Also, looking at the ski it seems at least a few cm’s too far back? Any experience on this issue?

    The nice folks at dynafit were kind enough to include a rough size guide for which set of holes to use when using any of the binders with a larger adjustment range. Do you have any suggestions for mounting a classic/speed on this ski?

    i noticed you mentioned that they are designed for the other bindings, but in my opinion the speed classic is superior because of durability in all areas except the ski crampon slot.

13. Lou November 7th, 2008 4:27 pm

    Mike, I’ve found it’s just not necessary to use balance as criteria for mounting. But if you need to do that, perhaps the Manaslu is not for you as it has a big long tip and is going to be tip heavy because of that. For the same reason, the binding mount position will appear to be too far back.

    As for mounting a Classic, just figure out where you want you boot to be on the ski, and position the binding accordingly.

    The Speed/TLT/Classic is something we still love. I’ve got quite a few pair that are still going strong, that we swap from test ski to test ski throughout the winter.

14. mike b November 7th, 2008 4:32 pm

    Your absolutely right that a balance pt isn’t really used outside of the nordic world.
    I’ve noticed that many ‘boot center’ lines seem to be a ways back because of the soft/large tip. I have a pair of 181 coomba’s that I’m feeling like are a ways too far in the rear, mounted at the factory line.

    On a related note, I know your reviews were very positive about the manaslu’s soft snow performance. How would you compare it all around to the Baker superlight? I skied a ton on the superlight last year, but as with many light skis I wasn’t really impressed when it was firm or at all variable. I’m looking for a new everyday CO ski and am considering the man’

15. Lou November 7th, 2008 4:43 pm

    I would not say the Manaslu is any better than the Baker SL on firm. As for myself, I’d give the edge on firm to the SL, though as you say it’s not a ski you’re going to be charging down the ski resort on like something more dedicated to hardpack. I’d give the soft snow edge to the Manaslu. Both cross over, that’s what makes them useful for backcountry…

16. Mike K November 7th, 2008 4:46 pm

    Hi Lou, I just ordered a pair of Manaslu skis, I’m very stoked. I too noticed that the mounting point seems pretty far back compared to other skis. Since you have a lot of time on these already do you find they ski like you are in the back seat all the time? I’m sure being a little back in powder is fine but could be tough in wind blasted hardpack conditions.
    Also I ordered Garmont Megaride boots, do you think that will be a good match to drive such a wide ski?
    Looking forward to my new ultralight set up.

17. Lee Lau November 8th, 2008 11:58 am

    I skied the Manaslu with Mega Rides and with the Dynafit ZZeus

    See this post re balance point

    Both boots were a good match with the ski

18. Brian G December 11th, 2008 12:59 pm

    Hey everybody, this is my 1st post here.. I wanted to say thanks for all the information you have put together here. I have heard nothing but good things about your website from many people and was hoping someone could help me out. I have a pair of 178 Manaslu skis and am hoping to mount size small Marker Barons to them. None of the binding holes line up with the predrilled holes on the plate of the ski, and I was curious if anyone else has done this already? Also was hoping to get some more opinions on using epoxy to set the moutning screws? Thanks

19. Lou December 11th, 2008 1:29 pm

    Hi Brian, thanks so much for visiting. I’m sure we get get you going on that. So long as your holes go through the Titanal binding plate you’ll be okay. Tap the holes and use epoxy for sure. If some of the holes don’t go through the Titanal, you might still be ok but that depends on your size and intended use.

    So, do all the holes end through the Titanal?

20. Brian G December 11th, 2008 4:34 pm

    In order for the Barons not to line up in between any of the predrilled holes, two or the nine screws are going to be outside of the plate. I havent used epoxy to set the screws before, is there a particular brand or type to use? I plan on eventually using the skis for backcounty use only, but will probably use them at a resort initially.

21. Brian G December 11th, 2008 4:35 pm

    Two of the nine screws are going to be outside of the plate, sorry typo there in previous message

22. Lou December 11th, 2008 5:04 pm

    Brian, what type of use and DIN are we talking? What weight height are you?

    As for epoxy, just use any 1-hour from the hardware store. Work it into the holes with a toothpick or something, heat screws with a soldering iron if ever removing.

23. Brian G December 11th, 2008 7:37 pm

    Once I’m comfortable with the skis I’d like to save them for powder or corn snow in the spring. I have other skis I can use on the hardpack. I weigh 168 right now, and am 5′ 11 height. The other alpine skis I have are set at 8.5, so I was thinking I would set the barons at 7 or 8 and try that?

24. Lou December 11th, 2008 9:28 pm

    Brian, sounds like you’ll be fine with a couple of screws outside the mount zone. Remember that does void the warranty, but generally works fine unless the mount is done with poor craftsman ship or the user is huge/bigDIN/agro.

25. Jonathan S. Shefftz December 29th, 2008 8:13 pm

    My 169cm just arrived — crazy light at 5 lb 11 oz — even lighter than my 164cm Trab Duo Free Rando?!?
    – For finding the right fore/aft balance point, I’m a 296mm bsl in the 169cm, so the sticker recommends the fore heel position and aft toe position. However, using my Dynafit jig to measure, to be in the center of the binding adjustment range I should actually be either fore on both toe & heel or aft on both toe & heel.
    – My solution would usually be to measure the boot’s Ball-of-Foot against the ski’s running length, but with the tip rocker, hmm… so instead I measured against a 170cm BD Verdict (which BoF had me mount 0.5cm fore of boot center mark) and 168cm Atomic Kongur (which BoF had me mount 3cm fore of boot center mark), and roughly adjusted for the slight length differences from the 169cm Manaslu. The fore position (i.e., recommended for boots 3mm longer than mine) would puts me 3cm aft of those other skis that were mounted to Bof, so I’m going to try that first (instead of the even further aft position for my boot size).

26. colin chisholm January 5th, 2009 10:37 pm

    Thanks for all the info. I just bought 187 Manaslus but haven’t mounted them yet. My boots are the Scarpa F3, and my understanding is that I need to mount a shim behind the Dynafit Vertical toe piece, which is what I did on my other setup. Is it okay for me to mount the shim outside of the designated mounting area on the Manaslu? Is the shim necessary? Cheers, Colin

27. Jonathan S. Shefftz January 5th, 2009 10:48 pm

    “My boots are the Scarpa F3, and my understanding is that I need to mount a shim behind the Dynafit Vertical toe piece, which is what I did on my other setup. Is it okay for me to mount the shim outside of the designated mounting area on the Manaslu? Is the shim necessary?”
    – Correct.
    – Yes. (The shim requires far far less than hold down strength than the binding.)
    – Yes. (Besides the general bounciness, but danger of prereleasing.)
    Also, not that you asked, but the shim options are:
    – screw in Scarpa’s standard shim
    – buy the sliding shim so that you can swap in ski crampons easily
    – get some LPDE plastic sheets and make your own custom shims (though be careful that your boot lugs won’t get caught up on a small shim)

28. Lou January 6th, 2009 2:16 am

    Or, make a mini-shim out of an old TLT heel riser or crampon spacer disk (why we save everything).

29. chris January 24th, 2009 9:55 pm

    just got my manaslus in a couple of days ago. i’m gonna mount some ft 12’s on them for a bsl of 310 (megarides). am i to understand that no epoxy is necessary if i’m using the inserts, which i plan to do? is epoxy recommended even if not necessary? anything to look out for other than lining the bindings up properly so that are parallel with the ski edge?

30. Ali E February 4th, 2009 9:25 am

    Hi Lou

    I just received a new pair 178 cm Manaslus and I am mightily confused about where to mount the bindings. I will be fitting Dynafit Comfort bindings to the skis to take Scarpa Spirit 3 boots. The boots are 320mm along the sole, so according to the sticker on the skis, I should be mounting the toepiece on the frontmost set of holes and the heelpiece on the rearmost set (ie the max possible length).

    Now here’s the confusing bit: Just out of interest I lined up the Manaslus against my old Movement Evolution skis (177 cm), which still have the Comforts mounted for the same Scarpa boots. When I line up the toepiece screws on the Comforts (ie on the Movements) to where the foremost holes are on the Manaslu, the heelpiece screws line up with the forward set of holes on the Manaslu plate, instead of the rearmost ones. Now I appreciate the Comfort binding can be adjusted for length, but my question is this: Should I mount the Comforts as instructed on the sticker and adjust the length, or should I mount them in the mixed configuration described above? Which is more important to get right, the toepiece or the heel? (Presumably the toe as this is fixed, while the heelpiece is adjustable to different boot lengths.)

    Another interesting point: When I line the skis up in the way described above, the Movements sit a good 6 cm (2.5″) further back than the Manaslus. Presumably this has something to do with the Manaslus’ running length?

    I can send a photo if that helps. Thanks for any advice.

31. Lou February 4th, 2009 10:45 am

    Ali, with a boot that long you indeed need to use the front set of inserts to mount the binding toe on the ski so your foot ends up in the correct place on the ski. It really doesn’t matter which rear inserts you use so long as the binding can be adjusted to the length of your boot.

    If you can adjust the binding correctly for length using either set of rear inserts, then perhaps pick the set that might allow you to use another boot at some point. Otherwise just follow instructions, or flip a coin.

    Also, remember that it’s sometimes worth trying different mounting positions with the Manaslu or any ski. Try using the front set of inserts for the binding toe, if you don’t like the way they ski, try the rear inserts in the front set, thus moving your foot back on the ski.

    As for comparing binding position from one ski/brand/model to another by placing skis side-by-side, that’s nuts.

32. Ali E February 4th, 2009 11:18 am

    Thanks Lou! Can’t wait to ski them…

33. Ali E February 19th, 2009 8:39 am

    Hi again Lou

    Right, I’ve had a go at mounting my old Comfort bindings onto the the new Manaslus. I followed the guidance on the sticker and for my sole length of 320, used the foremost holes for the toe and the rearmost on the heel. I’ve only done one ski, but have come up against a problem, so thought I’d better seek advice

    Having adjusted for 6mm clearance between boot and binding at the heel, I find that the fore-aft adjustment for length is right at the end of its travel capability. Also, the plastic base of the binding doesn’t seem to sit completely flush with the ski… Just a fraction of a millimetre off on one of the screws, but there is some play. I’m wondering whether I should rescrew the heel into the other set of holes, where the length adjustment would be more centred and where I might get the base to sit better?

    If I do that, what should I do with the old holes? Should they be sealed in any way or are they OK as they are? Thanks for any advice!

    Ali

34. Lou February 19th, 2009 11:23 am

    Ali, as long as you can adjust the bindings to 6 mm you’re fine. The plastic base of the binding should be flush on the ski, it sometimes gets held up because the screws thread into it, solution is to drill out the screw holes in the binding base plate so they’re slightly larger and don’t catch the screw threads as much. By slightly larger, I mean slightly. As far as the holes in the ski go, use whatever combination you feel like, and just put some tape over the ones you’re not using to keep water out.

35. Mick McL March 29th, 2009 8:40 am

    Does anyone have the boot length versus binding position sticker that came with the 178 cm Manaslu information handy? Wondering which position to mount a pair of Scarpa Spirit 4 boots in boot length 305mm. Have heard the dynafit toe pins are 4 mm further back so that may skew it some… Thanks.

36. Jeff P April 1st, 2009 4:51 pm

    Lou –

    I leave for a Euro ski mtneering adventure fri am, and am swapping some old comforts to new 178 Manaslus. I didn’t see this directly answered, so hopefully you can help; hopefully it’s not redundant. If I’m using the binding inserts (never mounted) should I use 1 hour epoxy, or lust a little punch in the top for the screw start and mount away? Thanks! Jeff

37. Jason Gregg May 4th, 2009 7:35 pm

    I have the 178 Manaslu and a 315 boot sole. I just re-mounted using the forward hole for the toe. Mounting using the info that came with the skis put me too far back on the ski. Even if you have smaller feet than me I would try for the forward postion, just adjust the heel piece full forward and check that it reaches far enough to use the more forward mounting.

38. Lou May 4th, 2009 7:44 pm

    Jeff, use something to seal the holes, Gorilla glue or some epoxy, doesn’t really matter. In a pinch you can just do it with no glue. Take care not to strip the screw holes.

39. Steve Gorski September 12th, 2009 9:10 pm

    Mounted one Dynafit ST on the Manaslu. No problem. Started to mount the toe piece on the second ski and thought I’d get the screws started them back out and fit with the toe plate for a final mount. First screw I tried it on went in fine but when I tried to back it our the nylon insert spun with it !! Can’t get it out or in. Two threads showing, the rest are buried. Any ideas?

40. Lou September 13th, 2009 4:11 pm

    Steve, sure, the ski should go back to dealer on warranty. ‘best, Lou

41. SteveG September 14th, 2009 8:00 am

    Thanks for input Lou. I’ll try that approach first. The catch is that I bought them lightly used from a person who got them direct with the pro buy so no dealer involved. My mount is in previously unused hole locations. Plan B is to drill out the screw and then the insert and refit with a wood dowel. I’ve got the drill press in my shop and have done it before on many Nordic/Tele remounts. Since you’ve done surgery on this ski, what do you think of my plan? Thanks again for your time

42. Lou September 14th, 2009 8:08 am

    Hi Steve, I think your plan will work. Personally, I’d do pretty much the same thing, only I’d fill with JB-Weld and steel wool. I don’t like the wood idea because it does funny things with moisture, but if it works for you then go for it. Only caveat would be to perhaps test whatever epoxy you use to make sure it doesn’t mess with the ski core materials. Perhaps pluck a tiny piece of foam out of the hole you bore, then drop it in a puddle of epoxy and see what happens.

43. Jed Porter September 21st, 2009 2:03 pm

    Thanks for all the info here, just what this snow-jonesin’ gear-researcher needs!

    Just a clarification…

    Lou said: “As for mounting a Classic, just figure out where you want you boot to be on the ski, and position the binding accordingly.”

    Do I interpret/extrapolate this correctly: The Classic/Speed has enough adjustment built in (what is it, like 10mm or something?) and the holes on the 178 Manaslu are spaced close enough that I’d get a fit for Manaslu’s plus Classic/Speed plus small to mid-range boots (mondo 26 or so, 300-305 mm sole)?

    Built up as recommended, (Manaslu’s plus ST’s), they say 178’s work down to BSL 294) With Speed’s I’d probably use the sets of holes closest together and crank the heel piece as far forward as possible, right? Anyone willing to compare Speed heel pieces to ST heel pieces and tell me how much more forward the ST’s go? I only have Speed’s.

    I know I’m supposed to use FT’s or ST’s, cause they’re, like, more modern, and I know they have more length adjustment built in. But Speed’s are lighter and I have had no bad experiences with Speed/Classics.

44. Lou September 23rd, 2009 6:03 pm

    Jed, your wish is our command:
    http://www.wildsnow.com/1542/dynafit-boot-size-length-range-adjustment/

45. Jonathan Shefftz September 23rd, 2009 7:55 pm

    Jed, a friend of mine lucked out using the Manaslu + TLT IV/Tech/Speed/Classic bindings. But I do mean lucked out: a slightly different BSL and he would have needed the longer adjustment range of the Comfort/Vertical.
    If you want, I can find out exactly what combo of ski length + bsl he had.

46. Jed Porter September 29th, 2009 5:28 pm

    Thanks Lou and Jonathan both…
    Lacking any further info, I think I’ll have to go with the ST’s. The excellent photos on the linked adjustment range page indicate that the ST heel post does appear to go at least a little bit further forward (relative to the screw holes) than the Speed. But I suppose it’s possible that the heel piece itself has different proportions, including the different pin length. Anyway, thanks guys, great info. Jonathan, if it comes up in conversation, let me know what dimensions your friend had…

47. Jonathan Shefftz September 29th, 2009 6:09 pm

    #s from my buddy:
    178cm ski + 320mm bsl boot + TLT IV/Tech/Speed/Classic bindings = success!
    Note that this was using the aft-biased holes for both toe and heel. (Would have also worked for the fore-biased holes for both toe and heel.)
    So, I just measured the hole spacing on a pair of 169cm Mustagh Ata Superlight – assuming that the hole spacing is identical on the Manaslu (hard to tell on my already mounted pair), then a 178cm Manaslu would also luck out with a 307mm bsl (toes mounted aft, heels mounted fore) and a 333mm bsl (toes mounted fore, heels mounted aft).
    But “real” bsl can vary among models for the same imprinted bsl, even more so with certain Scarpa models that have the Dynafit toe sockets set back. So these #s are valid only for boots whose bsl measuring methodology matches up exactly with the Garmont MegaRide/Dynamite/MegaLite . . . although with 6mm of fore/aft adjustment on the IV/Tech/Speed/Classic, there’s still a bit of leeway (although I don’t know in which direction, since I don’t know where exactly on the heel track his bindings are adjusted).
    BTW, note that a IV/Tech/Speed/Classic mounted in the center of its track will match up with exactly the same bsl for a Comfort/Vertical. In other words, the extra adjustment range of the latter is evenly distributed between fore/aft (and hence the mounting jig is the same).

48. Jonathan Shefftz September 29th, 2009 9:15 pm

    and another datapoint (from another touring partner), just for future reference:
    169cm ski + 301mm bsl Dynafit TLT4, etc boot + TLT etc bindings = success (using aft-biased holes for both)
    So that means a 169cm ski and TLT etc bindings would also work for a 288mm and 314mm boot (based on Dynafit TLT4/Evo etc bsl measurement norms).

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