Backcountry skiing history.
One of the best things about our backcountry ski binding museum is when someone contacts us out of the blue and donates a rig we’ve never seen before. Just a few months ago, Wyoming WildSnower Bill Kuestner sent an email saying he was trying to recycle some interesting Geze bindings, and do we want ’em? Heck yeah. Little did I know the grabber would arrive mounted on a pair of 220 cm Head 360s from probably 1966, then known as one of the most damp and supple skis out there, but flexing out by modern standards as a steel I-beam! Oh, how things do change.
Anyhow, the backcountry skiing museum display is done for this binding, complete with a how-it-works video. Check it out, and please leave comments on this blog post.
Complete Geze touring adapter and binding shown above.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain. For more about Lou, please see his personal website at https://www.loudawson.com/ (Blogger stats: 5 foot 10 inches (178 cm) tall, 160 lbs (72574.8 grams).
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lou.dawson.writer
20 comments
It is always interesting to see how far back touring bindings or their alpine counterparts with adaptations were being produced. I had a pair of Geze bindings back in the ’80s that worked pretty well. I think Geze was absorbed by Look and/or Rossignol not long thereafter.
Very cool!
Can you give us a few more views Lou? Maybe a small vid so we can see the “touring action?”
My bad….didn’t bother to click on the lone photo for exactly what I asked for. 😉
Simple and elegant – reckon there’s still room for someone to design a touring binding that’s as light as the dynafit but lets you use any boot.
Very Cool. Thanks for sharing Lou & Bill. Man, makes me grateful that I live in the age of Dynafits!
Lou,
I remember those bindings! And I think the proper pronunciation is “gate say”. Geze was bought by Look/Rossignol some years back and the current Look/Rossi heel piece appears to be a modified version of the last Geze branded heel. One of my favorite features of that Geze heel was you could use it to open a beer…er, beverage bottle. In fact, I had one mounted to my mounting bench for after hours refreshment. Try that with a tech binding!
Looking for beta on a ski tour (winter) from the Lindley Hut up the Cooper Creek Drainage towards Pearl Pass…With an average snow pack, does the route go? Can you manage the potential avy hazards from the SE slopes of Mace Peak or do the trees force you close to the bottom of the run-out zones? How about the notorious facet farm in that general area?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Matt
My take: If the snow is based and avy danger low, it goes fine. If the facet farm and hoar ponds are in full bloom, stay away. I’ve skied down it several times, never up, but know plenty of people that do it that way. You can vary the route a bit for avy avoidance, but you’re almost always under something.
I have been trying to get ahold of you to send you some old bindings, but no reply. At first I thought they were emery engerys. But after doing some research I find out they are Emery Altitudes. Brand new. I think there might be one clip missing for the downhill lock down. E-mail me.
Thanks Bill, email sent.
That’s a beautifully-tooled setup; someone obviously stored it with love. Do the flexible adapter plates look original?
The flex plates do look original. But who knows.
I think Geze = “Gate-say”. They made GREAT alpine bindings. They were bought by Rossi
This looks like they knew it wasn’t that good of a design (ie the wear problem)but went with it anyway because it was all they could think of at the time. Which if you think about it is really a good lesson for us – Go with what you’ve got even if you know its not as good as you’d like. At least you’ll get out there.
Bob, exactly. It’s amazing how we adapt to the gear at hand. Funny to think how goofy our present stuff will look in 20 or 30 years.
I saw someone comment on the Geze “bottle opener” heal. I used to have one 10 or so years ago but it got lost in a move from the east coast to CO and I can’t remember which model it was that did that. Would love to replace it so, if anyone could help dial me in to which Geze i should be looking for I’d be very thankful! I hope everone is having a great winter so far!
Walker
Hi Lou.
In a picture I took in Morroco earlier this spring, is an older ski touring binding. It doesn’t seem to be described in your binding museum.
I got to play a little around with it, but unfortunately I didn’t take a propper picture of it. It was still in use by a local guide or porter.
It’s all metal, seems very beefy. Heel is tabletop style, similar in fuction as older Look/Rossi tabletop bindings. Heel is also all metal.
The action required to change from uphill to downhill mode, has some resemblences wiht the Sk’alp. Could it be an early version of this?
Do you have an idea on what it is? Maybee some more details.
Link to pic: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0T8UgjUX_0E/S-1i085y3sI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/JzlOg40W6JU/s400/Marokko+384.JPG
thanks
\Chris
Could be the first gen Skalp… I’ve been trying to acquire one of those, Dick Jackson of Aspen Expeditions (see banner to left) said he could help. He used to import the bindings and has a number of different models.
I have three sets of bindings, never used, still in boxes. Purchased by my father probably in early 1950s. Top of box says “Goodman Skicraft, Inc. Manufactured and distributed from Missoula, Montana. P.O. Box 1382.” End of box also mentions Sun Valley, Idaho and identifies bindings as “Jet Heel Release.” Does anyone know anything about them?
Hi, I have a pair of antique wooden skis with bear trap bindings
The toe are marked H
W
UNION
The heel plate is marked
SILVERETTA
made in germany
The Skis have a decal, worn , which reads
CANADA
—- and —orco limited
Any information as to manufacturer and/or year would be vary welcome
Regards
Brian
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