Canting/Shimming tech bindings?

[NWFlow]

On my alpine skis I ski with a 2 degree under binding cant/shim to counteract a bow-legged stance. Ideally, I would like to do the same with my dynafit setup. Has anybody done this successfully? My main concern is the cant will throw off the toe-piece/heel pin alignment -- if I am using 2 degree cants on both the toe and heel they SHOULD line up, but has anyone done this and had issues? Any other problems with canting a touring ski (i.e. will an under binding cant be harmful to a natural stride, etc)?

Thanks for any input from the collective

[auvgeek]

My skier physical therapist recommended I do this because of compensation issues with my left hip that were left over from surgery (or rather, from playing on a torn labrum for four years).

Ordered the shims, but never got around to drilling them out. My main concern is the fact that my skis are mounted with inserts. I think if you're using wood screws, it should be fine. But it would be nice if someone else has done this and can confirm. I would guess the tolerances in the shim is greater than the tolerance in the mounting procedure (particularly if you're using a paper template like I am).

The shims will obviously change your stride, but that might be a good thing. The way ski boots lock you into a certain stance isn't always a good thing, particularly if your anatomy is fuct up. For example, my PT discovered that I can barely stand on my left leg with my boots on (knee goes out, hip rotates, arms flail, etc). I have no trouble balancing barefoot or in shoes. Adding a 2* shim under my left boot drastically helps my ability to balance, which is why the PT suggested it. Obviously, the solution for this in an alpine boot is just to plane the sole, but doesn't work for AT. Consulted my bootfitter (Jim Mates), who said shimming was the only way to do it.

[DropCliffsNotBombs]

You can cant that binding, no problem.
Keep in mind, you will always have a left/right ski. So blown edges in the field won't be able to be mitigated by simply swapping feet. Also, an extreme cant (of more than 3 degrees) will alter your skinning stride.
Do what you can with the boot cuff alignment as well. Just DO NOT cant the boot itself! It will dramatically shorten the life of the boots.

[skimaxpower]

Shop dork tip: If you're canting, use lots of EXTRA GLUE in the holes you drill. Because of the extra height of the canting strip, there will be space below the screw, and it may eventually fill with water unless you fill it with glue.

[gregL]

I know several people who've shimmed one or both skis with Dynafits without issues. If the correction is right for your ski stance, it will probably help with your skinning stance as well.

[Wired2theT]

Maybe I'm clueless but I was told that the new alternative to canting bindings was canting the boot by planing the bottom and routing the top to keep it DIN compatible. I know this was one of the things they focused on at a boot fitting seminar some colleagues went to in Park City a year ago.

I'd look into this as it seems like an easier fix. That way you don't have to can't every pair of skis. Still would allow you to swap skis for a blown edge as mentioned above.

[slobmonster]

Note the OP; he's using Dynafits so no go with regard to canting the boot itself.

I have installed a half dozen or so cant setups for Dynafit. You (or tech) will enjoy cutting the shims into zesty shapes. I think it will work fine, even with your inserts... for the high side consider getting hardware 1 or 2 mm longer, and voila.

[DropCliffsNotBombs]

Shop dork tip: If you're canting, use lots of EXTRA GLUE in the holes you drill. Because of the extra height of the canting strip, there will be space below the screw, and it may eventually fill with water unless you fill it with glue.

^^^ DO NOT DO THIS! ^^^

Always swap out the screws on the high side of the cant strip with ones that are proportionately longer. If you don't do this, your screws will be too short!
Also, if you plan on canting 3 degrees or more, you really should cant the mounting jig so the pilot holes are going into the ski at the same angle as the screws.

[rod9301]

I' ve done this on my bc dynafit setup and it works great, both for skinning and skiing.
Nothing else wil achieve the same result.
Mark your left and right skis well. If you switch skis, you will have a lot less edge and if it is firm, you can take a bad fall.

[NWFlow]

Thanks for the help everyone. Going to try to give it a go.

[NWFlow]

Probably better to do this on dynafits w/o plates (i.e. Radical FT, etc), right?

[jfost]

when you said the word plates that made me think that a plate mount (eg using dynafits or sollyfits) would give you a MUCH easier time achieving and adjusting the cant and a nice wide platform to do so. Then, you can bolt on your favorite bindings and go. Bonus is that you can swap out alpine bindings keeping your cant intact.