How to Mount your Silvretta Easy Go model series
backcountry skiing bindings

Disclaimer: By using these mounting instructions and templates, you agree to not hold Wildsnow.com, its owners or associates liable for anything.

By Louis Dawson

Backcountry skiing bindings based on the "plate" design, such as most Silvretta models, are relativly easy to mount at home. Take care to locate the binding in the correct for/aft position on the ski, be sure the binding is centered left/right, position the heel unit correctly -- and you're good to go.

To mount your Silvretta Easygo backcountry skiing bindings at home, follow the directions below and use our carefully designed PDF mounting template.

View and print template for Silvretta Easy Go bindings.

(Warning: After downloading and printing template, compare to screw hole patterns on actual binding, as printing can sometimes distort the layout. If the holes don't match, tweak printer settings such as scaling, which should usually be set to 100% or possibly "no scaling.")

The keys to success with home binding mounts are careful measurement, going slow, and using the binding and paper template as a substitute for the mechanical jig used by a shop. Also, if you're new to ski work consider doing a dummy mount on a pair of dumpster skis or a wood 2x4.

Disclaimer: By using these mounting instructions and templates, you agree to not hold Wildsnow.com, its owners or associates liable for anything.

What I'm presenting here is one of many ways a craftsman could achieve a good back country skiing binding mount. If you're comfortable with tools and measurements, you'll probably figure out a few variations along the way. Whatever you do, remember the idea is to center the bindings left/right on the ski, and locate the boot so it matches the boot location mark on the ski.

How to do the deed:

First, you need a good workbench or kitchen counter. Cover your counters with something liked taped butcher paper, but leave the outside edge exposed in case you want to use if for reference. Tools and materials needed:

• handheld screwdriver with pozi-drive bit to fit screws that come with the binding (with care you can use a jumbo philips bit, but pozi is much better*.)
• electric drill with sharp 5/32 inch bit*
• electrical tape and clear office tape, and of course some duct tape
• sharp center-punch, with associated hammer
• long straight steel ruler (wooden yardstick is not straight enough)
• tape measure
• fine point Sharpie type marker
• 1-hour epoxy (or wood glue if you prefer)
• paper templates
• scissors

Step 1 Make sure you know where the mounting mark (aka "sole midpoint") is on your boots. It's usually a small vertical line, arrow, or triangle molded into the side of the sole midway between heel and toe. If your boot doesn't have it, as in the case of the Scarpa Laser, compare to another boot of the same size that has the mark, and transfer the mark. Or, as most of these marks are simply half the distance between toe and heel, just locate it by measurement. Enhance the mark with your Sharpie so you can't miss it.

Some skis may have such a useful boot location mark such as this, if so, you won't need to enhance it. ("3.5" indicates recommenced metric drill size for this ski).

Step 2 Locate boot mounting mark on skis. Enhance this mark with your Sharpie if it's minimal.

Step 3 Using careful measurement, draw a LONG. tip/tail oriented center line on both skis in the binding mounting area. This line is used to align the template, and should extend a good distance past the front and rear of the binding.

A good way to find left/right center of a ski is to use folded paper. To do so simply wrap a strip of paper around the ski, crease it over the sharp steel base edges, remove and fold in half using the edge marks as reference, then place back on ski and use the crease to locate center. While this method is simple, work carefully (mainly, mark the spot on your ski where you place the paper, as moving it towards the tip or tail will throw things off because of the ski’s varied width.)

Connect your left/right center marks with a your yardstick and draw an accurate line using the edge of the yardstick as a guide. The idea is to create a long mark down the center of each backcountry ski in the binding mount area (in the tip/tail direction). Be sure this mark is long enough to go well past the mounting area of both front and rear binding units.

Using paper fold method to mark left/right center of ski.

Step 4 Adjust binding and snap boot into binding.

Step 5 Set binding on ski, align boot mounting mark with that on ski.

Step 6 Near edge of ski, carefully mark the for/aft location of the front screw holes, so you can locate your template using the screw location lines on the template.

Step 7 Grab your other ski, lay both skis side-by-side. Using combination of measurement and straight edge, duplicate for/aft location of front screw holes on both skis. Hint, measure from tail with tape measure if you're in doubt.

Step 8 Download a template if you have not done so already (see above), and be sure the template prints correctly by comparison to actual screw holes in the binding. If not, adjust printer "scale" or "zoom" settings, and adjust view to 100% in Acrobat reader.

Cut template apart to separate toe and heel units, leave plenty of the tip/tail center line on template. If in doubt, download several copies of template so you can cut with plenty of extra center line. The longer the template, the better it will center when you line it up with your ski center line. Cut template narrower than ski, so it fits on the ski and allows you to see the screw location marks you made near the edge of the ski.

Step 9 Set front (toe) template on ski, line up with center line, and line up screw location lines with those you made near edge of ski. Tape template to ski.

Step 10 Set boot and binding plate combo on ski, check that when backcountry skiing binding is aligned with template, your boot is still lined up with mark on ski.

Step 11 Using a thin sharp object, make small divots in paper template at marked screw locations. Grab your center punch, and using the small divots you made to help exact alignment of the punch, center punch your screw location with a few hammer taps on the punch.

Step 12 Chuck that sharp 5/32 bit in your drill. (Using a sharp drill bit prevents the bit from wandering sideways while you drill. Use a special ski bit if possible, see bottom of page for drill bit information.) Place a screw in the binding (with the plastic shoe that goes under the toe unit) as if it were already in the ski, and use the protruding screw as a gage to to figure how deep you will drill. If necessary tape a depth stop to the drill bit by wrapping tightly with electrical tape to create the stop. Drill your center punch marks with minimal pressure, so you don't mash the bit through a ski.

Step 13 Screw the binding to the ski using the front screws. Torque with care as not to strip the screw hole (don't use a power drill to torque screws unless you're a tool ace). Start by gently tightening one screw, then check how the rear of the plate lines up with your tip/tail centerline. Continue to tighten screws will checking alignment. If you're confident about your mount, place epoxy in the screw holes before inserting screws. Otherwise, do a "dry mount" first and only gently tighten screws. Once you're sure you've got it right, pull the screws, then re-insert with epoxy.

Heel Unit

Step 1 Using the heel/toe separation measurement from the template, and an accurate steel rule, locate for/aft position of rear screw holes and mark this across ski. More than a millimeter off and your heel clamp may not work, so be careful!

Step 2 Lay the paper heel template on the ski, line up the center line, and align the screw line with the mark on your skis. Tape template to ski.

Step 3 Drop binding plate down, and do a dry-run with the heel unit for a visual check.

Step 4 Once you're satisfied with heel unit location, center punch screw locations, drill, then run the screws in.

Step 5 Triple check function of binding again. If everything looks good, re-insert screws with 1-hour epoxy (to remove later, gently heat screws with soldering iron).

*(Drill bits: Ski shops use special drill bits for drilling skis, usually 4.1 mm for skis with metal layers, and 3.5 mm for skis without metal. If you mount a lot of skis, it's a good idea to buy some special drill bits from an outfit such as SlideWright, along with a special tap to pre-thread the inside of the holes. But it's okay to use the slightly larger 5/32 inch drill bit as suggested above. If you do so, especially with non-metal skis, just be careful as you twist the screws in so you don't over-tighten them and strip the holes, and always use epoxy if you go with the 5/32 size hole. Pozi screw driver bits are also available from Tognar, and highly recommended, as are special drill bits for binding screw holes.)