Binding Leashes

[KingCrimson]

Hey, had an idea.

On my Rossi stepins, there was a leash for the lead foot to prevent the board from escaping in the event that both bindings broke, but if the tail binding broke, you still are left with over a meter of board to torque your knee around.

Has anybody ever set up leashes on both bindings attached to your boots, acting as a failsafe so that all the torque isn't acting on 1 leg in the event of a premature release?

[tex1230]

What's a leash?

[trailertrash]

What's a leash?

its for when you ride with your dog dummy!

[Corey]

For reference: I popped out of a front binding once (user error - TD1s set too loose). The leash held strong but the plastic ankle cable retainer on my Raichle boots broke instead. It just tore the ankle cable right through the plastic.

It was a pretty minor crash with no injury to me. You'd need a very strong method of attachment to make it worth your while, a fastex buckle won't hold.

A local resort won't let you on the lift without a leash, they have one person at each lift dedicated to checking all riders in the line.

[dingbat]

acting as a failsafe ...... in the event of a premature release?

Must... resist.... off-color... coment.

[queequeg]

A local resort won't let you on the lift without a leash, they have one person at each lift dedicated to checking all riders in the line.

Wow ... what a bunch of tools. I haven't worn a leash since the late 80s, never got any flac over it.

regarding the OP question: any kind of situation that will apply enough torque to pop you out of your bindings is *definitely* going to snap that whimpy little leash. Leashes are pointless, they are a vestige from the early days of snowboarding where the ski-industry inflicted them upon us to prevent our boards from hitting people when our non-release bindings released. Of course, skiers required no such restraint devices of their own, on their own releasable-by-design bindings.

[tex1230]

The honest answer is do you really want to unclip and reclip a leash every time you get to the lift? I've seen plenty of people fall over releasing the back binding...just one more potential bit of carnage in the lift line...

[pebu]

Take your stepin bindings and undo all convenience of them.

I'm at another one of those mountains (if you can call 350ft vert a mtn...) where leashes are required. They don't check religiously or anything unless it's a busy weekend, but the lifties are supposed to keep their eyes open.

The only time I've come disconnected with my board (at least the front foot) my binding came with my foot, so what am I gonna stick the leash on???

[KingCrimson]

Well, I figured that it might make sense if I didn't have my bindings clicked correctly.

Didn't take into account the removal of bindings..oops.

My dad seems somewhat nervous, but his only prolonged experience with snowboarding is with my jackass (most of the time) brother, I'm a quite a bit more sane

Well, my bails are pretty damn hard to close and open, so they should hold.

Tex- the lift operator once slipped on a patch of ice..I was really cringing watching my chair sneak up on him..luckily, it was the first time I got off the lift without flaling.

[newcarver]

Powderhorn in CO made me use a leash. Tied a string to the bindings and boot and that worked. I have seen 1 guy loose a step in rental board off a lift once in the chair in front of me. Luckily no one was under him when it fell off. He needed a leash:lol:

[skategoat]

I lost a board once. I unclipped at mid-run to hike up to a missed turn. The Fastex buckle let go and I wasn't holding onto the board at the time. The board took off like a rocketship. I was yelling at the top of my lungs as this thing went ripping down the hill eventually shooting into the woods. I'm telling you, it could've maimed or killed someone.

So I don't understand the resistance to wearing a leash. It takes a second to clip on and it doesn't interfere with riding in any way. Is it uncool?

[KingCrimson]

My idea involved wearing 2 leashes, so that in the event that either binding popped, you wouldn't have the whole board acting on one knee.

Using a leash is a must, especially if you unclick and go up (which I frequently do)

It's for the same reason ski bindings have brakes.

[NateW]

Many years ago I had a double premature ejectulation and the leash broke too. (POS Burton bindings, never again.)

But I have worn two leashes at times. For the last ~10 years or so I've been using leashes that are made of metal cable - Dakine made them, they have a combo lock so you can attach your board to a rack while you're in the lodge. So they're stronger than the usual piece-of-string design. I've never had ejectile dysfunction while riding with these leashes so I don't really know if they are strong enough, but I think they are.

I've worn two when I was trying to dial in the right sole length on my standard TD1 bindings. I later switched to step-ins and after a couple/few years I had an Intec heel pin crack, and while it didn't release it did worry me. I've heard from one other guy who had that happen, and for both of us it happened on the first day riding with a brand new pair of heels, so now I always double-leash for the first couple days on a new set of Intec heels.

A couple years ago I bought some climbing rope and carabiners with the intent of making a super-robust pair of leashes (no question, this setup would be strong enough for sure), but I never got a round tuit.

[Skalpel]

On my mountain a board sliped from a turist that was learning how to snowboard... It went some 50 meters down the hill and strait into my board that was resting at the end. I was teaching my GF how to snowboard at the time... It made a nasty dent at the back. That happened becouse he didnt have a leash. They sat down and took a rest and the idiot just placed his board on the ground, not upside down. It got away. Same thing happened to my friend at a major ski resort in Austria. The board escaped and plunged downhill for a LONG ride. It's a miricle nobody got hurt...

I dont find the leash important for when you fall but for those moments when you are not straped in and you are not carefull. When I was on a freestyle board I used to walk around on the hill with the leash attached...

When a ski escapes, it has those little brakes on the side, snowboards dont, so you have to tie them to you...

I, personaly, always used a leas (a metal one from deamon, it's curled up and it sticks to my leg nicely so it doesnt flap around) and I always tell my GF to wear it.

just my opinion..

[Aracan]

Same here. I always thought that the leash was primarily meant not for when you pop out, but when you are trying to strap in/step in/whatever, and miss, and the board escapes you.

It has never happened to me, but I have seen it happen, I have seen the riderless board run amok down the hill, and believe me: you don't want to get hit by one of those. Which is why I ALWAYS strap on the leash BEFORE getting into the bindings. AFAIK, instructors here teach that as well.

[Gecko]

I wore a leash up to the point where I broke the buckle on my front boot where my leash clipped to. Since switching to Intecs I don't see the need

[dingbat]

I wear a leash specificaly because I use Intecs. I wouldn't put it past myself to accidentaly pull the release cable while adjusting its position in my boot while on the lift.

[carvedog]

Had someone kick my toe piece while trying to get the bar down halfway up the lift. You know the type, tourist nervously looking around eyeing my 185 ( fairly wide board ) and not saying anything.

And I am not the type to volunteer to put the footrest down as it is kind of pain and I can't let it hang at it's natural angle.

So they finally ask and then gapering around the guy somehow hooked my toe bail with his ski. :angryfire:angryfire:angryfire

Slowly reach down and grab leash ( old, frayed a bit - never used) holding tension for less falling force should it escape.

I don't even say anything to the obliviots until time for the bar to come up when I explain my issue and why they better move very slowly to make this happen. I made it off without loosing it, so it's worth it to me.

Does make me feel better to have the leash on before I binder up, when I get to some cornice way in the hell and gone in the back country. In this situation a lost board could mean life or death. Well almost, we don't go that far back anymore.

[pebu]

I have a shorty leash that goes from my toe bail on the left side over my boot and to a key-ring on the middle buckle wire about as far towards the inside of the foot as it can go. I need to be in the binding in order to hook it up for the most part.

Leashing before stepping in doesn't make much sense to me because I just set my board down and step into it right away, then I know my board isn't going anywhere. Then I hook up the leash to both appease the lift-line nazis and of course to prevent a runaway.

I'm curious what people hook their leashes onto (boardside)... On my soft boots I can attach it to the bindings and I'll still be ok if my straps break. But on plates it seems prettymuch the only thing I can hook up to is the toe-bail, which is probably the most common failure mode.

[dingbat]

On Cateks you can Loop it through the plate. So long as you're not riding in Russia, I doubt it would ever fail.:rolleyes:

[tex1230]

On Cateks you can Loop it through the plate. So long as you're not riding in Russia, I doubt it would ever fail.:rolleyes:

dude,only TD2's fail in russia!

[KingCrimson]

And Kesslers are fragile POS's.

[dingbat]

dude,only TD2's fail in russia!

:lol::lol::lol:

[Steve Dold]

Using two leashes to help in the event of popping out should work as long as the leashes are strong enough (and attached to something strong enough) and they have to be very short, otherwise the board can still twist around. I've seen enough standard bindings pop open, and people taking off down the hill without engaging step-ins properly, that I understand someone wanting to do this and I've thought about it too. It would pretty much negate the advantages of step-ins. Some people will tell you its not worth it, or won't work, or whatever. Screw 'em, it's your leg, do what you think is right.

EDIT: But I have to add, I think all of the releases I've seen were caused by improper adjustment and/or not understanding how the binding is supposed to be set up. I think understanding how to set up the binding and checking everything for wear and fatigue (boots too) will make them very safe. I think good bindings and boots are safe but not very forgiving of poor setup or maintenance.

[Gleb]

I wore a leash up to the point where I broke the buckle on my front boot where my leash clipped to. Since switching to Intecs I don't see the need

Its because of intecs that I use a leash, when I'm not at a place with a gondola. with a gondola, its too much of a pain to take off since the ice gets stuck in the leash buckle.

Since I can be pretty spacey sometimes...well, often...I decided it was for the best to put one on.

One example where it would've helped to have a leash is when I was on a tiny lift at Sugarloaf and the cable on my front boot was kind of bothering me. So I thought to myself, "I'll fix the cable on the lift." Right when I got on, I tried to adjust it and caused the board to fall off. So i decided to follow my board down the 2 foot drop into 4 feet of powder and face the humiliation from the people behind me. Good thing none of my friends saw me.

I've seen a board torpedo down into a ski rack at Loon mtn. before. Always a rental board too.

I totally agree with whoever says that a leash is not to prevent the board from flying down the mountain in an accident, but just when you don't have it attached to you, like while you're teaching someone.