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Ramer Model R – Vintage Backcountry Skiing Binding

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If any backcountry skiing binding of the ’70s was a Jekyll and Hyde it was the Ramer model R. Lighter than just about anything else of the time. The first binding with a heel lift. Totally field maintainable. But in real-world the Ramer R had little if any effective safety release, required messy greasing, and if it did release the binding exploded apart and you needed a strong heart and hands of steel to snap it back together. Check out the museum display.

Ramer model R backcountry skiing binding.
Ramer model R backcountry skiing binding.

Blog schedule: I’ll be on the road a bit this week and may have to skip a few days of blogging.

Posted by Lou on July 11, 2006 | Filed Under Binding Reviews 

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Comments

7 Responses to “Ramer Model R – Vintage Backcountry Skiing Binding”

  1. Mark July 12th, 2006 4:23 am

    These look like the ones my buddy inherited–they were previously mounted backwards on some waxless fishscale XC skis. Funny, eh? Anyway, I’ve seen some of the release/prelease problems firsthand, but can’t help but be intrigued by all the Ramer mad science. Can’t wait to see some of the newer, better models in the collection and blog.

  2. John July 15th, 2006 5:18 am

    I was at Mistaya Lodge in March and a retro-guest from Boseman was on a pair of alpine skiis mounted with Ramer’s. I thought about my two ski buddies in Alasks who broke legs using Ramer’s back in the 1970’s. Wait, I had two pair, guess I was just lucky. I thought about taking up a collection to buy this guy a pair of Dynafits, until I saw that he skiied better than everyone else and was quite happy. I did have to show him how to adjust the tension. Go figure.

  3. Lou July 15th, 2006 8:15 am

    The people I know who had the most success with the R model Ramer either skied them with the release pretty much locked out, or skied them free-heel parallel without the heel clamp. Outward Bound ski mountaineering courses back in the late 1970s used this model Ramer without the heel clamp. The “Universal” model that came next, with steel spring bars, was much better and had safety release that could actually be tuned to be fairly effective, though it could still bind in a forward twisting fall.

  4. Dan July 15th, 2006 11:43 am

    Mark, I have a pair of newer (I believe) Ramer bindings that might appear to be mounted backwards since the fixed bail is to the back and their is a black plastic front bail that clamps down to the front. But if the pivot is mounted backwards?…

  5. Pat October 24th, 2007 11:05 pm

    I still have a pair of these mounted to Trucker BCPs out in my garage that I bought in Aspen in 1980. I’ll gladly donate them to your museum if you’ll pay the shipping from Alaska. The edges are a little on the rusty side though. I think I also have a tube of red Ramer grease in a box somewhere and one and a half Ramer poles too. I’ve always had a problems with getting rid of old ski equipment, so these moved up here with me 14 years ago.

    BTW Lou I was working as Highlands that fateful morning in 1982.

  6. Lou October 25th, 2007 6:08 am

    Hi Pat, I’ve got some BCPs in the collection so no need for those. Don’t throw them away, as they are a fairly rare ski in terms of collecting (compared to main stream skis). And thanks for leaving a comment here!

  7. Rick January 3rd, 2008 9:35 pm

    After loving 3-pin tele skiing, I wanted more and got a new pair of Ramer R’s. I caught a lil’ fir with a tip and went into a slow forward twisting fall that snapped the tip of my fibula (read broken ankle). It was a long slow trip out of the wilderness. I called Ramer to complain about lack of safety release and spoke to a Co. rep who was in a waist-high cast
    from a similar fall.
    Feeling somewhat lucky I went back to teles in soft boots. >Fast Forward 2 decades> marriage> kids>BC skiing on hold >
    Now my 16 yr old son thinks he has discovered the
    perfect sport: AT skiing and that we should try it sometime.
    Nice idea son, life is ironic.

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Welcome to Louis (Lou) Dawson's backcountry skiing information and opinion website. Lou's passion for the past forty years has been alpinism, climbing, mountaineering and skiing -- along with all manner of outdoor recreation. He has authored numerous books and articles about backcountry skiing and is well known as the first person to ski down all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks, otherwise known as the Fourteeners! Books and free back country information here, and tons of Randonnee rando telemark info.

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