Extreme-ifying bindings

[Mulletizer]

One of my friends in La Grave has a pair of Silvretta Easy Go 555 that he has extremified; I am considering doing the same thing and wondered if anyone here had tried it. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture - here goes at explaining what his are like.

He took the binding and he pulled off the whole heel binding and discarded it. Getting it off involved cutting, sawing and burning. He kept the toepiece, bare rails and climbing lift (that clamps down the rails too).

He had a custom heel piece made - two pieces of aluminium that clamp around the rails (interfacing with the threaded foot-length nut) and hold a Footfang wire with crampon rear-clamp on. He clips that onto his boot and puts a strap around his ankle so it will not release.

The bindings are light and non-releasable.

I have a pair of these bindings (slightly older model but effectively the same) with a broken part on one of the heels. Their construction means repairing them is not an option - I would need a whole new binding - so I thought I would try this. Has anyone ever done anything similar? Any thoughts about whether it would break or of a better way of doing it? I would be grateful for any maggot pearls of wisdom on this one (and I am not refering to the sort that Poonani puts around cheap ladies necks... ). Any advice would be cool

[Mulletizer]

The elusive "50 views - 0 responses" ratio. Niiice

[Vinman]

Just very difficult to envision what you are talking about without any pics.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Take a binder like this and remove the stock heel piece. Then machine a couple of pieces that interface with the rails and a tele-binder type heel throw.

Am I right?

No I've never seen it.

[homerjay]

I'm having a hard time seeing what benefits the new rig would provide over the stock binding.

[Mulletizer]

Foggy is right on. That's what I meant. Sorry it wasn't better expressed.

The beneift is that you have a non-releasable touring binding. Ever had a binding pre-release in a situation where you really don't want to fall? It has happened to me. Twice. Not funny. I also find it quite funny playing around with gear and have some gear to play around with. Call me a geek, it's true...

[homerjay]

gotcha. that's why I run a strap through my heel throw rather than a leash on my bindings. nice idea, let us know how it works out.

[Blurred Elevens]

Originally posted by Mulletizer
The elusive "50 views - 0 responses" ratio. Niiice

Are you planning on mounting this contraption on your home-made skis? I'm sure this set-up would sell like hotcakes!

[Dr. Crash]

If your friend has done it and likes it, can't he help you do the same? It might be more effective than asking on the Internet

drC

[mtbakerskier]

this would work on the older silveretta's with the metal rails only, It would be a BAD idea on the newer ones with the carbon fiber rails, as any miss calcualtion in diameter would crush and severly damage / weaken the rails., but for the ones with metal rails it should be a go

[Mulletizer]

Originally posted by Dr. Crash
If your friend has done it and likes it, can't he help you do the same? It might be more effective than asking on the Internet

You might have a point I was just hoping that somone here might have experience of this.

MBS: My bindings and my friends both have the carbon rails. He said he had had no problems with his - but his were CNC'd so should be prety accurate. It concerns me slightly...

This all relies on me getting access to another friend's milling machine - which probably won't happen until summer anyway.

Thanks for all the input.

[Neon]

Lots of ski-alpinists in the Alps use non-releasable AT bindings for you-fall-you-die type steep skiing. But :
they are a pretty specialised tools, to be used only on specific couloirs.
They ski skinny skis.
They do lots of controlled jump turns in narrow places.

Two problems with your set-up :
1) lack of versatility : when you open it up in wide open bowls or jump/huck something, you'd perhaps want your releasability back.

2) carbon fiber is very very strong...until it snaps all of a sudden. Also very nicks senstive.

If you're after peace of mind when traversing or so, you'll be better off with a realy burly ankle strap bolted through your heelpiece...

[Neon]

Have you seen the Sk'alp 8007 binding? basically an articulated plate with an old school, regular Salomon plastic alpine binding on top. I'd like to fondle one to see if it would be possible to put some high DIN recent bindings on it...