Tyrolia TRB Backcountry Skiing Binding – 1982
Tyrolia TRB ski mountaineering binding was somewhat popular in the early to mid 1980s due to the alpine looking toe, reasonably solid alpine feel and functional heel lift. The binding suffered from durability problems and was quite heavy at more than two pounds each. In terms of historical perspective, the most interesting thing about the TRB is the double toe pivot, comprising one pivot ahead of the boot toe, and one pivot in the bottom plate a short distance aft of the boot toe.
Tyrolia TRB complete binding. Shiny steel hook dangling to right is the safety strap attachment, which came attached from the factory. No ski brakes were available for this binding to the best of our knowledge, though it’s possible they could have been. Click image to enlarge.
Toe height is adjusted by adding or removing washers indicated by upper left arrow. (An earlier plate binding which we believe was called “Vinerssa” or might have been an early model Iser had a similar toe height adjustment. We seek that binding for the collection.)
Interesting AFD on the TRB consists of two rubber bands riding on greased tracks, ostensibly they move sideways to allow lateral release of boot. This is a lightweight and simple solution to providing an AFD for a plate binding, though the rubber bands are subject to damage and don’t do well in dirty or dusty environments as the grease picks up debris.
Check out this review and photo from 1984 Backpacker Magazine. Boot is the Koflach Veluga, state-of-art for the time — they felt like cinder blocks on your feet and skied just as well. The prices are amusing. Lots of money back then. Click to enlarge, more of Backpacker Magazine early issue pages available on Google.
This is the catch that holds the binding frame locked for downhill mode. The black chunk of plastic is spring loaded on a track, to allow for ski flex. The mechanisms of this binding tend to be quite complex. Pencil for scale, click image to enlarge
Double pivot system shown as it might appear mid stride. For the rear pivot to do much the boot had to move up and down against the toe wings. Not ideal. Bic lighter is propping up the plate and giving scale. Click image to enlarge.
Weight: 32.6 ounces, 924 grams (one binding, with screws)
These bindings were donated to our collection by Peter Kelley, thanks Peter!
Tyrolia TRB thumbnail.
