bindingmounting

-By Jesse Cassidy

So you just got a new pair of skis, you’re stoked, the only thing is you don't know where to have them mounted. Lucky for you, most ski companies these days mark on the ski where they recommend you mount it based on extensive testing in different mounting locations for different skiers. But what if you don't want some guy from Blizzard or Rossignol telling you where to mount your skis, you want them mounted for your style of skiing, not everyone else's. That’s where Granite Chief comes in; our staff of knowledgeable ski technicians will be able to help you decide the perfect mounting location for your skis.

When deciding on the mounting location of your skis, the most important thing to consider is what type of skiing you will be doing, along with considering the type of skiing you will be partaking in is the type of ski you are mounting. Mounting location for a park ski is vastly different from that of a powder ski. A general rule of thumb is to mount closer to true center on a ski for rails and jumps, and to move back to traditional for more powder and all mountain skis.

For Park and Pipe skis it is often better to mount as close to true center as possible. True center is found by measuring the ski from tail to tip, and marking the exact center on the ski. This gives you a lot more tail length to work with than traditional setups, and is ideal for sliding rails and hitting jumps and is generally a much more playful setup.

For all mountain skiing, it is generally suggested to mount the skis on or slightly ahead of the manufacturers recommended mounting location. If you ski all mountain but like a slightly more playful ski that can hit small jumps and drops, it is better to mount slightly ahead, 1-3cm, or on the recommended mounting location. If you prefer an all mountain ski that shreds the groomers and still dabbles off trail, it is often best to stick to the recommended mounting location provided by the manufacturer.

When mounting those new fat powder skis it is often best to stick to the recommended mounting location or slightly back from. If you want a more playful powder ski that can pop pillows, hit small booters, and shred the tracked out powder at the end of the day, it is best to stick to within 1cm +/- of the recommended mounting location. For a more traditional powder ski feel it is best to stick to recommended or slightly back, about 1-2cm. The Sierra snowpack is often a bit wetter and heavier than most, and therefore where we mount our powder skis often differs from that of say, Utah and its dry snow.

In the end, it is generally best to stick to what the manufacturer recommends for mounting location. Slightly more forward for park skis, and slightly further back for powder. And if you ever have any questions, our ski service staff are always ready to help with custom ski binding mounting and will provide their expert opinions on what they think will work best for you based on the ski and your skier type.