hockey2 Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 Today was my first day as a hardbooter... and man was I humbled. I have some questions that I hope you guys will help me with. Keep in mind that I've ridden softboot for 20 years so maybe I have some habits that need to be broken. 1. How the hell do you get into the bindings?? Front or rear foot first? I just couldn't seem to get any leverage to clip into the bindings. It took me longer to get into the bindings than it did to go down the slope. If I had to get into the binding on any sort of incline, forget it, the board just kept taking off. 2. Speaking of bindings, I had to loosen the rear foot so I could clamp it down on the boot, next thing you know it keeps popping free on the hill. I managed to link some good carves, but the bindings had me tweaked out because I kept waiting for them to pop. 3. I did "the norm", but I still skidded a lot too. Any sugestions? 4. It was 1 degree today and the snow was nice and firm which I thought would be ideal. Can it be too hard (wasn't icy) or is it just that I suck? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I hope to get back out on Sunday after I get some pointers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Stevens Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 Put your binders on at home, on the carpet, until you can do it kneeling and standing. If you can't put in on on an incline yet... don't. If it comes off when you're in it, it's either ****ed, or you need to adjust it. It's probably not ****ed, so you'll have to get someone to show you, or post a pic of it, with the boot in. Do more turns and the snow's not too hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willywhit Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 dude, 1st off NEVER ride with bindings you could come out of....at any speed. plates can't be ridden sloppy. You should post some details and we'll talk ya thru it. Bitter cold makes gear more likely to break if ridden improperly. Seriously, be patient, do it right. and plaigerizing Michelle's sig might be bad form, she's kinda the "queen bee" around here :rolleyes: and remember not to treat newbies like $hit, esp if they've got 20 years of tray slidin under their belt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockey2 Posted January 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 dude, 1st off NEVER ride with bindings you could come out of....at any speed. plates can't be ridden sloppy. You should post some details and we'll talk ya thru it. Bitter cold makes gear more likely to break if ridden improperly. Seriously, be patient, do it right. and plaigerizing Michelle's sig might be bad form, she's kinda the "queen bee" around here :rolleyes: and remember not to treat newbies like $hit, esp if they've got 20 years of tray slidin under their belt I set the bindings up in my basement and torqued them down like it said on the newbie forum. Hard, but not so hard that it takes 2 hands. Well I get to the slopes today and for some reason I couldn't get them down at all. It seemed the way my stance was set up that I couldn't keep my heel down when locking the binding in. So I would concentrate on my heel and my toes would be sliding all around. Then the board would point downhill and I would start sliding. It was like a friggin Benny Hill episode. What should I do? No way... someone else has that sig? I've been using that for years. I can't even remember where I found it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcarver Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 As a newbie, I had some of the same troubles as you. Don't know what kind of bindings your have, but make sure that your boot fits tightly in them. If you have the clip in toe bail it should be pretty stiff to engage. On the hill, you might have to sit down to get your boots in. If it is not flat, I just sit down and click in. It is a lot easier to do if your sitting on a bench or something. Make sure you have your boots clear of snow on the bottom or you will never get the bindings to clamp down on the boot. Definitely takes some getting used to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willywhit Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 carry a mini screwdriver to adjust and tighten your binders on the hill. try making a little shelf in the snow to get stable by kicking your heel edge and getting across the fall line facing downhill to clip in your rear foot. your toe bail should SNAP down tight oh yeah, welcome to BOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queequeg Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 I couldn't tell if you are using intecs (step-in) or standard bindings? This response will be more useful if you are using intec bindings, but what I say about ice/snow would also apply to standard bindings (though ice buildup is slightly less of an issue in that case). If you have *any* amount of snow or ice stuck to the bottom of your boots, it will prevent your boot from lowering deep enough into the heel-reciever to engage the pins. Make sure that there is no ice or snow stuck to your rear foot, or the rear binding. I suspect that this is part of the problem you were dealing with, and until you figure it out, it can be infuriating to deal with. This is more of a problem on warm days or on your first few runs when your boot soles are much warmer than the outside environment. A good way to prevent this is to let your boots cool before taking your first run, and keep scraping any snow off them with the metal of your bindings (or end of the footrest on the chairlift). If your bindings are well adjusted and your boot-heel/heel-receiver are ice-free, stepping into the bindings will be fairly simple (if you are on a stable surface) and will produce an audible/satisfying click, letting you know that you are safely clipped in. And to echo what whillywhit said, if properly working knee, ankle and hip joints are something you enjoy, *don't* under any circumstances ride with bindings that are loose, can come loose or are otherwise less than totally 100% locked in. That's a good way to put an early end to your walking career. When your bindings are properly engaged, you will be able to see the intec pins almost totally flush with the receiver holes, peering over your bindings from above. If you can't they're not in all the way and you should pull out now and step in again (unless you fancy pulling out while flying down the mountain, which you don't). Welcome to BOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockey2 Posted January 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Thanks for the responses. TD1's - standard As for the carve itself. My toe side edge would carve well, but the heel side would slide, just like a softbooter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtslalom Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 hockey2, What mountain do you ride on? Where ever it is try to find other guys that ride hrad decks and boots and go ride with them. You're best off riding with others that can really carve so that you can see what they are doing and maybe have them watch you and give you some advice. As far as popping out of your bindings, as willwhit said, NEVER ride like that. You can easily mess your self up bad on the simplest of turns if you pop out. As far as a general comment on riding hard vs. soft, stay as low as you can get. Really bend your knees. One major issue that I see with people who are new to hard riding who come from a soft riding background is that they tend to stand up more when riding hard. Concentrate on bending your knees and getting your rear end down over the board. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vapor Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 I dont have td's myself but with the front bail on the cateks they have a bolt that adjusts how far down the clip come down to the boot.When properly set up and clipping in it will pass a point where it feels like it cams and puts pressure on the boot. that can be done by adjusting the bolt in so the clip can go closer to the boot. For riding tips there are many more better than i but if you can find someone here who can critque your technique that will go a long way. In fact i wouldn't mind a few pointers myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockey2 Posted January 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Also, I have my front foot at 56 degrees and my rear at 55. I have size 12 feet so this is as low as I could go without my toes dragging. Does this sound about right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ursle Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 1. How the hell do you get into the bindings?? Front or rear foot first? I just couldn't seem to get any leverage to clip into the bindings. It took me longer to get into the bindings than it did to go down the slope. If I had to get into the binding on any sort of incline, forget it, the board just kept taking off. 2. Speaking of bindings, I had to loosen the rear foot so I could clamp it down on the boot, next thing you know it keeps popping free on the hill. I managed to link some good carves, but the bindings had me tweaked out because I kept waiting for them to pop. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I hope to get back out on Sunday after I get some pointers. No offense, but I rather enjoy the mental picture of your quandry 1 front foot first, most of us lean the rear foot boot forward quite a bit and set the front foot boot more upright, if both your boots are upright, not leaned forward at all, getting into your bindings would be fun to watch, but painful to do, lean that rear boot forward 2 no grey area where bindings are concerned, crank-em Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willywhit Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Also, I have my front foot at 56 degrees and my rear at 55. I have size 12 feet so this is as low as I could go without my toes dragging. Does this sound about right? depends on the width of the board but generally just make sure you're not stuffing your toes when you go deep toeside. TD1s do need to be really cranked down, I backed off my rear foot a tad but still run a little "leash" off the toe bail and under the boot bail just in case. make sure you keep checking your allen bolts as they can vibrate on cold hard snow. crank it all down and go work on getting low on your heelside. Have fun be smart, be safe tear it up ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Hockey2, Carving with other carvers will answer most of your questions. It won't make you a better carver because that takes mega-strong legs and time on the slopes, but you will have quite a few mysteries solved. My mentor spent at least five years figuring things out that it I took me two years riding with carvers. You may also take a lesson or two which helps big time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockey2 Posted January 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Yeah, but in all my years of riding I've seen a handful of hardbooters. I ride mainly at Whiteface. Anyone else ride there?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockey2 Posted January 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 If you do ride at Whiteface I'll gladly buy you beer, dinner, whatever, if you're willing to show me the ropes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 1. How the hell do you get into the bindings? Front foot first. Practice at home on the carpet. No really. You have to get the length of the bindngs just right with Intecs or they won't click in. 2. Coming out of bindings Can't happen. You have them set up incorrectly. Post here and ask (!) or re-read the instructions, or take them back to the shop for instruction. They should be rock solid. 3. I did "the norm", but I still skidded a lot too. Any sugestions? Practice. Probably it will take a little while, but you'll get it. You will likely want to tweak your stance (the advice here about front boot upright, back angled is good). 4. It was 1 degree today and the snow was nice and firm which I thought would be ideal. Can it be too hard (wasn't icy) or is it just that I suck? For day one, anybody would suck. Carving a board is the pinnacle of the sport - something only the dedicated is going to get to. For sure some people would rip on day one, but not with a crappy binding setup and not generally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donek Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 The older I get the harder it is to get into bail bindings. Bending down and lifting the bail takes a lot of flexibility. The closer my feet are to the same angle, the harder it is for me to buckle the bail. At this stage of the game, it's unlikely you're going to be really railing those turns. Bring your angles down some, particularly on the back foot. It will make binding entry easier and be a bit more familiar to your old style. When you start dragging your toes, then bring your angles up. Examine your stance width as well. You should be narrower than your freeride stance. I typically recommend a shoulder width. I'm actually a bit narrower these days. A narrower stance will enable you to apply more pressure to the middle of the board and bend it more. Don't be afraid to experiment. Above all, you should be in a comfortable and natural position on the board. This will facilitate binding entry and make it possible to ride with less fatigue and fewer injuries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockey2 Posted January 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Here are a couple of pics of my bindings. Does everything look OK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockey2 Posted January 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Let me make those bigger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockey2 Posted January 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Last time. I just want to make sure it's clear enough so you guys can see if the bount is locked in correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donek Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Adjustment screws on bails are missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queequeg Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Let me make those bigger It would appear that you are missing two screws, one on each toe bail. these screws maintain pressure on the top of the toe (not the toe-ledge). I'm not too familiar with bombers, but I would imagine those are there for a purpose. You may be able to order them from Bomber. Megaflexes! My first hardboots were a pair of Burton Megaflexes just like that! Circa 1993 no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willywhit Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 make sure you've got the urethane bumpers under the heels and toes. I can't see the front one in the boot pic. check yoself before yo wreck yoself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockey2 Posted January 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 So would these missing screws be the reason the bails kept popping?? I did just order a bunch of replacement screws from Bomber so I should be all set. The bumpers are on, just can't tell from the pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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