With shop aprons on, we set up the Marker jig to mount my new Marker Tour AT bindings. A proper jig makes the job easier, but Marker gives thorough details with a paper jig you can tape in place. Just make sure you find the boot mounting mark on the skis!
It is imperative to find the mounting marks on the skis, and make sure they're in the same location. It's smart to double check with a measuring tape and carefully mark so you can see it with the jig on.
Next find the proper drill bit, size 9.5 as stated in the paperwork with the bindings.
Time to start drilling! I was so nervous, but the step drill bit and jig leave little room for error.
The holes are drilled, now add some glue and one ski is done!
Concentrating on the task. I don't want to mess up these beauties!
Gary checks my work. What a great experience learning this hands on. I now have a greater understanding for my ski setup and an appreciation for the fine details in ski tuning.
After the bindings are in place, we set the AFD gliding plate to the right height using Marker's specialty tool. Red means the height is too tight and your toe won't release easily.
After careful pulling, and adjustment of the forward screw, we got the green.
Here you can see the gliding plate in action. This feature is something new to me, as I come from a tele background.
Torque check to ensure proper release of the toes and adjustment of the DINs.
After testing the release, Gary says this setup is good as gold.
Perfectly mounted bindings if I do say so! We add 6 layers of soft yellow wax to ensure these new skis stay tuned for the early season. It's important to impregnate new skis with wax to ensure their long life.
If you’re in the market for Marker Tour bindings, find them here.
For a sweet pair of women’s AT skis with perfectly pre-cut skins, check out the K2 SideKick.
17 comments
Hey, I know that guy! Gary’s always willing to help ya out. Nice write up.
Yep, cool post. I’d guess that torque tool aint something everybody’s got access to. What’s the protocol for checking din settings without it? Brute force guestimation?
I’m crying because he has a tool I don’t have. Or possibly several.
That’s a sweet set of tools. I used to ski a lot during my college days in Edmonton, Alberta and me and my friends used to do all crazy setups at local ski shops. While most craftsmen had some cool equipment, I have to admit that it is not as impressive as Gary’s. How much does he charge for a job like this?
that is also a serious array of skis! AK all the way!
Beam torque wrench with limit markers. Again, turn it 180 degrees (handle pointing forward) to use with tech bindings?
Gary is a wealth of knowledge and a generous man. He gave me the “wildsnow discount” with the promise of passing on this information. If you’re in the Juneau area I could get you in contact with him.
Lou – you would be fizzing in his shop! so many ski relics and vintage antiques! the man really does have just about every tool imaginable 🙂
may i ask which kind of glue did he make you use?
Regarding the binding torque tester– I’m guessing this link might be of interest: http://www.vermontskisafety.com/files/CALIBRATER-MANUAL.pdf
He called it “Roo Glue” and it had a picture of a Kangaroo on the bottle.
http://www.rooglue.com/
Congratulations! You are now a ski tech.
One tip-several coats of soft (warm temp) wax don’t do much to harden a new ski base. The best way to prep new bases is a coat (or 2) of molybdenum wax, followed by a couple of coats of Swix CH4 (or equivalent) wax. Cold temp waxes are harder, and harden the bases of skis. Warm temp waxes are soft, and (literally) soften bases.
If it’s going to be warmer out, you can finish your base prep with an appropriate temp. wax.
Otherwise, neat article. I’ve worked at alpine shops (and work at a nordic ski shop now), and it’s rare for someone to have stuff like jigs and a tester foot in their home shop.
The softer wax is used as a binder wax. The harder wax will adhere to the ski longer if the base wax is warmer. Conversely hard wax base will not accept softer wax over it.
Why such a burly setup? I thought Lou “king of dynafit” woulda convinced you to get some tech binders.
She’s doing some mechanized skiing and is new to ski touring, so we figured a more alpine like binding would be a good entry with less fiddle factor. If she starts doing a bunch of ski touring, we’ll set her up with some tech bindings for sure!
I noticed Amy was using tech soles in Marker AT bindings: There is great divergence of opinion about how switching between DIN and tech soles in Marker AT bindings affects the release values.
Every binding tech I ask gives me a different answer. Given the large volume of Marker AT bindings and new interchangeable sole options (ie. Tecnica Cochise) can you provide advice on this question of better boot pack traction vs. reduction of consistent release.
Many thanks
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